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Elvis Presley — Blue Moon article page
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cover of sheet music for Blue Moon arranged by Jeff Funk, scored by SATB choir, and published by Alfred Publishing Co., Inc.
"Blue Moon" is a classic popular song. It was written by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart in 1934, and has become a standard ballad.
Lyrics
The lyrics are presumed to refer to an English idiomatic expression: a blue moon is the third full moon when four full moons occur in one season of the year, which is a somewhat rare occurrence. If something happens "once in a blue moon" it happens almost never. The narrator of the song is relating a stroke of luck so unlikely that it must have taken place under a blue moon.
(There is a popular belief that a blue moon is the second full moon to happen in a calendar month. This appears to be incorrect:)
History
Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart were contracted to MGM in May 1933. They were soon commissioned to write the songs for Hollywood Party, a film that was to star many of the studio's top artists. Richard Rodgers later recalled "One of our ideas was to include a scene in which Jean Harlow is shown as an innocent young girl saying — or rather singing — her prayers. How the sequence fitted into the movie I haven't the foggiest notion, but the purpose was to express Jean's overwhelming ambition to become a movie star ('Oh Lord, if you're not busy up there,/I ask for help with a prayer/So please don't give me the air...')." The song was not even recorded and MGM Song #225 "Prayer ((Oh Lord, make me a movie star)" dated June 14, 1933 was registered for copyright as an unpublished work on July 10, 1933.
Lorenz Hart wrote new lyrics for the tune to create a title song for the 1934 film Manhattan Melodrama: "Act One:/You gulp your coffee and run;/Into the subway you crowd./Don’t breathe, it isn’t allowed". The song, which was also titled It's Just That Kind Of Play, was cut from the film before release, and registered for copyright as an unpublished work on March 30, 1934. The studio then asked for a nightclub number for the film. Rodgers still liked the melody so Hart wrote a third lyric: The Bad In Every Man, (Oh, Lord /I could be good to a lover,/But then I always discover/The bad in ev’ry man), which was sung by Shirley Ross made up in blackface. The song, which was also released as sheet music was not a hit.
After the film was released by MGM, Jack Robbins≈the head of the studio's publishing company≈decided that the tune was suited to commercial release but needed more romantic lyrics and a punchier title. Hart was initially reluctant to write yet another lyric but he was persuaded. The result was "Blue moon/you saw me standing alone/without a dream in my heart/without a love of my own".
Robbins licensed the song to Hollywood Hotel, a radio program that used it as the theme. On January 15, 1934, Connee Boswell recorded it for Columbia Records. It subsequently featured in at least seven more MGM films including Marx Brothers at the Circus and Viva Las Vegas.
Since 1934, the song has been recorded by many of the great performers of the last seventy years: Billie Holiday, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Tony Bennett, with Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, and Django Reinhardt pitching in with the most famous jazz versions. The first crossover recording to Rock and Roll came from Elvis Presley, but the version that really stirred things up came from The Marcels, a doo-wop group. In 1961, they shocked the purists (and the composers) with a new version that began with the bass going, "bomp-baba-bomp" and "dip-da-dip". Still, the record sold a million copies and is featured in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.
In 1967, Eric Clapton used a portion of the song in his guitar solo from Cream's hit "Sunshine of Your Love."
In 1978, an arrangement by Jeff Funk was used in the film Grease. This has been followed by a Country and Western version from The Mavericks and curious respect from Bob Dylan. More recently, it has been recorded by Rod Stewart. Cybill Shepherd also sang "Blue Moon" on an episode of Moonlighting (the detective agency in that show was called "Blue Moon Investigations".)
The Canadian band Cowboy Junkies recorded a rendition of "Blue Moon" on their 1988 album The Trinity Session ≈ their version combined the song into a medley with an original song written by the band.
The song is the official club chant of Crewe Alexandra football club and Manchester City football club fans. It is known to have been first sung by Crewe fans in the 1980's before Manchester City also adopted the tune. It is also the tune used by the International Boxing Federation world champion Ricky Hatton, a fan of Manchester City , as he makes his entrance into the ring.
In the 1982 film An American Werewolf in London, three different versions of the song are played during the beginning credits, middle, and ending credits of the film.
In 1995 Australian virtuoso guitarist Tommy Emmanuel recorded a rendition of "Blue Moon" on his album 'Initiation', without vocals. His 'fingerpicking' style is used extensively on this track.
A cover has also been done by Fado legend Amalia Rodrigues.
The latest cover of this song was made by OPM band Orange and Lemons, which served as the theme song of the movie of the same name.
Lyrics for Blue Moon
performed by Elvis Presley
(R. Rodgers — L. Hart)
Blue moon,
You saw me standing alone,
Without a dream in my heart,
Without a love of my own.
Blue moon,
You knew just what I was there for.
You heard me saying a pray for
Someone I really could care for.
Blue moon,
You saw me standing alone,
Without a dream in my heart,
Without a love of my own.
Blue moon...
Without a love of my own.
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