Download the Blue Moon leadsheet
“Blue Moon” is a popular song written by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart in 1934 that has become a standard ballad. The song was first recorded by Ted Fio Rito with Muzzy Marcellino on vocals. Other early recordings included those by Connee Boswell and by Al Bowlly in 1935. The song was a hit twice in 1949, with successful recordings in the U.S. by Billy Eckstine and Mel Tormé.
In 1961, “Blue Moon” became an international number-one hit for the doo-wop group the Marcels, on the Billboard 100 chart and in the UK Singles Chart, and later that same year, an instrumental version by the Ventures charted at No. 54. Over the years, “Blue Moon” has been covered by many artists, including Frankie Avalon, the Beatles (as studio jam), Frank Sinatra, Jo Stafford, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole, Ray Stevens, Billie Holiday, Al Bowlly, Elvis Presley, Bobby Vinton, Sam Cooke, the Platters, Julie London, the Mavericks, Dean Martin, the Supremes, Showaddywaddy, Cyndi Lauper, Bob Dylan, and Rod Stewart. Bing Crosby featured the song in a medley on his 1962 album On the Happy Side. Cowboy Junkies interpolated a version of the standard in “Blue Moon Revisited (Song for Elvis)”, on their sophomore album The Trinity Session. Cybill Shepherd sang the song on an episode of the TV series Moonlighting, which is featured on the show’s soundtrack album. The song also serves as the anthem for the Premier League football club Manchester City and originally Crewe Alexandra. The final version of the song lyrics contributed to the folklore interpretation of the phrase “blue moon” as a symbol of sadness and loneliness.[6] Most recently, Ethan Hawke was nominated for an Academy Award for portraying the song’s lyricist, Lorenz Hart, in the movie Blue Moon, which explores the song’s origins and success and Hart’s conflicted feelings about the song.
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