Mr. Blue Sky
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (June 2007) |
| "Mr. Blue Sky" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| B-side | "One Summer Dream" |
Mr. Blue Sky is a song by the rock group Electric Light Orchestra.
The song forms the fourth and last track on the "Concerto for a Rainy Day" suite on side three of the original two-LP set. The song features a heavily vocoded voice singing the phrase "Mister Blue Sky", (from 2:23 to 2:39, or from 2:20 to 2:34 on the 30th anniversary CD). Although the ending vocoded voice may sound like "Mister Blue Sky-yi", it is actually "Please turn me over" as it is the end of side three, and the listener is instructed to flip the LP over. This was confirmed by original keyboardist Richard Tandy, who did confirm the actual lyric to members of the Showdown ELO fan list. Fans who remember the original 1978 promo video saw the title of the song displayed at the end during the vocoded voice, and to this very day, mistakenly believe that the vocoded voice says "Mis-ter-blue-sky-yi", in the same way as it does earlier in the song. It is certainly understandable that the director of the 1978 promo might not have known the words at the end, and thus the misunderstanding by fans for thirty-one years.
The song was the third Hot 100 top 40 single to be taken from the album Out of the Blue. The single reached number 6 in the UK and number 35 in the USA. It was also released on special limited edition blue vinyl.
Inspiration
Written in Switzerland by Jeff Lynne, who hid himself away to write enough material for a double album. After a two week period of writers block dampened by the inclement weather outside, Lynne was suddenly inspired to write Mr. Blue Sky following a break in the weather when the entire area was bathed in sunshine, this was quickly followed by the remainder of the Out of the Blue songs including Concerto for a Rainy Day.
The song was voted as Anthem of the Midlands beating other songs such as Come on Eileen and Stairway to Heaven and is played before each Birmingham City Football Club home game to honour Jeff Lynne for his lifelong support and his friendship with the former Blues football player Trevor Francis.
Chart performance
| Chart (1978) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.K. Top Forty | 6 |
| U.S. Billboard Chart | 35 |
Covers
- This song was covered by Tony Visconti with Kristeen Young and Richard Barone for Lynne Me Your Ears - A Tribute To The Music Of Jeff Lynne (2000).
- In 2006 The Delgados released a cover of the song on their The Complete BBC Peel Sessions compilation.
- Lily Allen recorded a cover for SFR, a French mobile phone carrier, which was leaked onto the internet in December 2007.
- The Decemberists have covered this song in various concerts.
- Off The Rikta covered this song in one of their infamous 'Conservatory Sessions'.
- The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson uses part of Mr. Blue Sky for their opening theme.
Use in media
- The song was used as the theme song for the TV series "LAX".
- The song was used in the trailer for the 2009 movie "The Invention of Lying".
- The song was used in the trailer for the 2004 movie "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind".
- The song was used in the 2007 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation episode Lab Rats during the "Hodges' Lucky Day" sequence.
- The song was used in a 2008 Jet Blue commercial for "Jetting".
- The song was used in the 2008 movie "Role Models".
- The song was used in the 2007 movie "Martian Child".
- The song was used in the 2006 Doctor Who Series 2 episode "Love & Monsters".
- The song was used in the 2009 movie "Paul Blart: Mall Cop"
- The song was used in the 2008 movie "The Game Plan"
External links
- Mr. Blue Sky at Discogs
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98P-gu_vMRc - Promo video for the song