BLUE MOON

Music: Richard Rodgers- Lyrics: Lorenz Hart

Year: 1934

Origin of the song

Rodgers and Hart originally wrote this song under the name ‘Prayer’ for the film The Hollywood Revue of 1933, whose leading star was going to be Jean Harlow. However, the Studio introduced a series of changes, the production turned into a farce starring Laurel and Hardy, The Three Stooges, and Jimmy Durante, and ‘Prayer’ disappeared.

A short time later, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer assigned the song to the film Manhattan Melodrama (1934), whose main actors were Clark Gable, William Powell, and Myrna Loy. Little time before the release of the film, ‘Prayer’ changed its name to ‘The Bad in Every Man’ and it was sung by Shirley Ross.

Casualty came as an aid for the song. One day, the musical editor Jack Robbins suggested Hart to write more commercial lyrics, with words like June, moon, spoon, etc. To demonstrate he could do it, Hart wrote the lyrics of ‘Blue Moon’ just as we know them nowadays, and it soon turned into a great hit. In its final form, ‘Blue Moon’ is the only song from these compositors that people do not associate with a Hollywood movie or a Broadway musical.

Versions in the top charts

PERFORMERS	DATE OF RECORDING	DAY OF ENTRANCE	PERMANENCE WEEKS	HIGH POSITION REACHED
Glen Gray & The Casa Loma Orchestra	1934.11.16	1935.01.05	8	1 (three weeks)	Kenny Sargent (voc)
Ray Noble Orchestra	1935.01.12	1935.02.02	6	5	Al Bowlly (voc)
Benny Goodman Orchestra	1935.01.15	1935.01.26	8	2 (two weeks)	Helen Ward (voc)
Billy Eckstine	1947.10.09	1949.03.05	3	21	Billy Eckstine (voc), Hugo Winterhalter Orchestra
Mel Tormé	1949.02.21	1949.04.16	5	20	Mel Tormé (voc), Pete Rugolo Orchestra
Elvis Presley	1954.08.19	1956.09.29	17	55	Elvis Presley (voc, g)
The Marcels	1960.??.??	1961.03.06	14	1 (three weeks)	Cornelius Harp, Ronald Mundy, Gene Bricker, Richard Knauss, Fred Johnson (voc)
Her Lance & The Classics	1961.??.??	1961.03.06	5	50	Herb Lance (voc)
The Ventures	1961.??.??	1961.10.23	6	54	Instrumental

Jazz. Outstanding performances

Instrumental

PERFORMERS	DATE OF RECORDING		MUSICIANS WHO TOOK PART IN THE RECORDING
Coleman Hawkins- Michel Warlop Orchestre	1935.03.02		Coleman Hawkins (ts), Arthur Briggs, Noél Chiboust, Pierre Allier (tp), Guy Paquinet (tb), André Ekyan, Charles Lisée (as), Alix Combelle (ts), Stéphane Grappelli (p), Django Reinhardt (g), Eugéne d'Hellemmes (b), Mourice Chaillou (d), Michel Warlop (dir)
Dave Brubeck Trio	1949.09.??		Dave Brubeck (p), Ron Crotty (b), Cal Tjader (d)
Dave Brubeck Quartet	1952.10.??		Paul Desmond (as), Dave Brubeck (p), Ron Crotty (b), Joe Dodge (d)
Oscar Peterson Trio	1953.12.01		Oscar Peterson (p), Herb Ellis (g), Ray Brown (b)
Dizzy Gillespie- Roy Eldridge Sextet	1954.10.29	Dizzy Gillespie, Roy Eldridge (tp), Oscar Peterson (p), Herb Ellis (g), Ray Brown (b), Louis Bellson (d)
Ruby Braff & Ellis Larkins	1955.??.??		Ruby Braff (cnt), Ellis Larkins (p)
Clifford Brown- Max Roach Quintet	1955.01.20		Clifford Brown (tp), Richie Powell (p), Barry Galbraith (g), George Morrow (b), Max Roach (d), string section, Neal Hefti (dir)
Don Shirley	1955.12.20		Don Shirley (p), Richard Davis (b)
Art Blakey Jazz Messengers	1962.03.18		Freddie Hubbard (tp), Curtis Fuller (tb), Wayne Shorter (ts), Cedar Walton (p), Jymie Merritt (b), Art Blakey (d)
Kenny Barron Trio	1996.04.03		Kenny Barron (p), Ray Drummond (b), Ben Riley (d)
Mark Elf Trio	1999.09.30		Mark Elf (g), Jay Leonhart (b), Ralph Peterson (d)

Vocal

PERFORMERS	DATE OF RECORDING	MUSICIANS WHO TOOK PART IN THE RECORDING
Frankie Trumbauer Orchestra	1934.11.20		Frankie Trumbauer (C-ms, dir), Bunny Berigan, Nat Natoli (tp), Glenn Miller (tb), Artie Shaw (cl, as), Jack Shore (as), Larry Binyon (ts), Roy Bragy (p), Lionel Hall (g), Artie Bernstein (b), Jack Williams (d), Dick Robertson (voc)
Benny Goodman Orchestra	1935.01.15	Benny Goodman (cl, dir), Pee Wee Erwin, Jerry Neary, Ray Muzillo (tp), Red Ballard, Jack Lacey (tb), Toots Mondello, Hymie Schertzer (as), Arthur Rollini, Dick Clark (ts), Frank Froeba (p), George Van Eps (g), Harry Goodman (b), Gene Krupa (d), Helen Ward (voc)
Tommy Dorsey Orchestra	1939.02.16	Tommy Dorsey (tb, dir), Andy Ferrietti, Yank Lawson, George Erwin (tp), Ward Silloway, Elmer Smithers (tb), Johnny Mince (cl, as), Fred Stulce, Skeets Herfurt (as), Deane Kincaide, Babe Russin (ts), Howard Smith (p), Carmen Mastren (g), Gene Traxler (b), Dave Tough (d), Jack Leonard (voc)
Mel Tormé	1949.02.21	Mel Tormé (voc), Pete Rugolo Orchestra
Billie Holiday & Her Orchestra	1952.03.26	Billie Holiday (voc), Charlie Shavers (tp), Flip Phillips (ts), Oscar Peterson (p), Barney Kessel (g), Ray Brown (b), Alvin Stoller (d)
Carmen McRae	1956.03.28	Carmen McRae (voc), Tadd Dameron Orchestra
Ella Fitzgerald	1956.08.29	Ella Fitzgerald (voc), Buddy Bregman Orchestra
Julie London	1958.07.??	Julie London (voc), Howard Roberts (g), Red Mitchell (b)
Betty Roché	1960.06.03	Betty Roché (voc), Jimmy Forrest (ts), Jack McDuff (org), Bill Jennings (g), Wendell Marshall (b), Roy Haynes (d)
Mel Tormé	1960.08.05	Mel Tormé (voc), Don Fagerquist (tp), Pete Jolly (p), Howard Roberts (g), Ralph Peña (b), Mel Lewis (d), Russell Garcia Orchestra

On cinemas

The song 'Blue Moon' is included in the soundtrack of the following movies:

ORIGINAL TITLE	TITLE IN SPAIN	YEAR OF PRODUCTION	PERFORMERS OF THE SONG IN THE FILM
Manhattan Melodrama	El enemigo público número 1	1934	Shirley Ross; Background music
At the Circus	Una tarde en el circo	1939	Harpo Marx
Words and Music	Música y palabras	1948	Mel Tormé
East Side, West Side	Mundos opuestos	1949	Background music
All About Eve	Eva al desnudo	1950	Background music
The House on Telegraph Hill	La casa de la colina	1951	Background music
With a Song in my Heart	Con una canción en mi corazón	1952	Susan Hayward (dubbed by Jane Froman)
Torch Song	La canción de la antorcha	1953	Background music
Woman’s World	El mundo es de las mujeres	1954	Background music
There’s Always Tomorrow	Siempre hay un mañana	1956	Background music
The Bottom of the Bottle	Barreras de orgullo	1956	Background music
The Lieutenant Wore Skirts	El teniente era ella	1956	Background music
Peyton Place	Vidas borrascosas	1957	Background music
Kiss Them for Me	Bésalas por mí	1957	Background music
In Love and War	Amor y guerra	1958
The Young Lions	El baile de los malditos	1958	Michael Whiteacre
Ten North Frederick	10, calle Frederick	1958	Background music
Beloved Infidel	Días sin vida	1959	Background music
Fate Is the Hunter	Los pasos del destino	1964	Rod Taylor
The Only Game in Town	El único juego de la ciudad	1970	Background music
Going Home	Regreso al hogar	1971
Slither	Deslices	1973
The Laughing Policeman	San Francisco, ciudad desnuda	1973	Background music
Voyage of the Damned	El viaje de los malditos	1976
New York, New York	New York, New York	1977	Mary Kay Place, with Georgie Auld (ts)
The Other Side of Midnight	El otro lado de la medianoche	1977	Background music
Grease	Grease	1978	Sha-Na-Na
A Werewolf American in London	Un hombre lobo americano en Londres	1981	Bobby Vinton; Sam Cooke; The Marcels
Arthur	Arthur, el soltero de oro	1981	Dudley Moore
Georgia	Georgia	1981	The Marcels
Diner	Diner	1982
Desert Hearts	Media hora más contigo	1985	Elvis Presley
Biloxi Blues	Desventuras de un recluta inocente	1988	Jo Stafford
Mystery Train	Mystery Train	1989	Elvis Presley
Gross Anatomy	Pobre o por vocación	1989	Cowboy Junkies
Where the Heart Is	Donde está el corazón	1990	Cowboy Junkies
Joe versus the Volcano	Joe contra el volcán	1990	Elvis Presley
Rich in Love	En busca del amor	1992
The Remains of the Day	Lo que queda del día	1993
Untamed Heart	Corazón indomable	1993	Cowboy Junkies
Flesh and Bone	Como uña y carne	1993
Dangerous Game	Juego peligroso	1993	Bob Dylan
Apollo 13	Apolo 13	1995	The Mavericks
Babe	Babe, el cerdito valiente	1995
Dante’s Peak	Un pueblo llamado Dante’s Peak	1997	Cowboy Junkies
Selena	Selena	1997
Private Parts	Partes privadas	1997	The Marcels
Notting Hill	Notting Hill	1999
Liberty Heights	Liberty Heights	1999	Elvis Presley
Duets	A dúo	2000	Larry Dutton & Anita Dutton
The Adventures of Pluto Nash	Pluto Nash	2002	Art Hodge & 40 Watt Hype
Silver City	Silver City	2004	Cowboy Junkies
Candy	Candy	2006	My Life With The Thrill Kill Cult
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian	Noche en el museo 2	2009
A Single Man	Un hombre soltero	2009	Jo Stafford
Jack Goes Boating	Una cita para el verano	2010	Daves´s True Story
American Hustle	La gran estafa americana	2013	Oscar Peterson
Blue Jasmine	Blue Jasmine	2013	Conal Fowkes
The Last Stand	El ultimo desafío	2013	Cowboy Junkies
And So It Goes	Así nos va	2014	Diane Keaton