"Blue Skies" | |
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Song | |
Published | 1926 by Irving Berlin, Inc. |
Songwriter(s) | Irving Berlin |
"Blue Skies" is a popular song, written by Irving Berlin in 1926.
"Blue Skies" is one of many popular songs whose lyrics use a "bluebird of happiness" as a symbol of cheer: "Bluebirds singing a song/Nothing but bluebirds all day long." The sunny optimism of the lyrics is undercut by the minor key giving the words an ironic feeling.
Thelonious Monk's 1947 composition "In Walked Bud" is based on the chord changes to "Blue Skies."
The song was composed in 1926 as a last-minute addition to the Rodgers and Hart musical Betsy. Although the show ran for only 39 performances, "Blue Skies" was an instant success, with audiences on opening night demanding 24 encores of the piece from star Belle Baker.[1] During the final repetition, Ms. Baker forgot her lyrics, prompting Berlin to sing them from his seat in the front row.[2]
"Blue Skies" | ||||
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SinglebyWillie Nelson | ||||
from the album Stardust | ||||
B-side | "Moonlight in Vermont" | |||
Released | July 1978 (U.S.) | |||
Length | 3:32 | |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Songwriter(s) | Irving Berlin | |||
Producer(s) | Booker T. Jones | |||
Willie Nelson singles chronology | ||||
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Twenty years after Ella Fitzgerald's cover, in 1978, Willie Nelson released another version of "Blue Skies" which became a #1 country music hit. This version harkened back to 1939 when it was a major western swing and country standard, performed by Moon Mullican.
Chart (1978) | Peak position |
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USHot Country Songs (Billboard)[3] | 1 |
USAdult Contemporary (Billboard)[4] | 32 |
Australian (Kent Music Report) | 53 |
Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 1 |
Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary Tracks | 4 |
New Zealand Singles Chart | 26 |
Samson Raphaelson's The Jazz Singer (1925)
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