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Blue on Blue (song)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Blue on Blue"
Single by Bobby Vinton
from the album Blue on Blue
B-side"Those Little Things"
ReleasedApril 30, 1963[1]
RecordedApril 3, 1963[2]
GenrePop
Length2:21
LabelEpic
Songwriter(s)Burt Bacharach
Hal David
Producer(s)Bob Morgan
Bobby Vinton singles chronology
"Over the Mountain (Across the Sea)"
(1963)
"Blue on Blue"
(1963)
"Blue Velvet"
(1963)

"Blue on Blue" is a popular song composed by Burt Bacharach with lyrics by Hal David, first recorded[3] and released by Bobby Vinton in April 1963, backed by Burt Bacharach and his Orchestra.[4] Vinton's single spent 13 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at No. 3 on July 6, 1963,[5][6] while reaching No. 2 on Billboard's Middle-Road Singles chart.[7][8] Vinton's single was a major hit in many other nations as well.

The song was ranked No. 42 on Billboard's end of year ranking "Top Records of 1963".[9]

The success of "Blue on Blue" prompted Bobby Vinton to record an entire album of blue-themed songs, also titled Blue on Blue, which produced an even bigger hit in the No. 1 "Blue Velvet".[10]

Chart performance

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Chart (1963) Peak
position
US Billboard Hot 100[6] 3
US Billboard Middle-Road Singles[8] 2
Israel - Kol Yisrael[11] 1
Canada - CHUM Hit Parade[12] 4
New Zealand - "Lever Hit Parade"[13] 5
Australia - Music Maker[14] 7
Hong Kong[15] 9

Cover versions and samples

[edit]

The song has been covered or sampled by many artists, including:[4]

  • Paul Anka (1963)
  • Percy Faith (1964), Maureen McGovern (1991), and many others.[4]
  • In 2017, Marc Almond released the song on his album of mainly covers called "Shadows & Reflections". Almond had previously sung "Blue on Blue" at a Burt Bacharach evening at the London Palladium, during which Bacharach performed as well.
  • Samples of a cover by Gals and Pals from 1966 were included in Röyksopp's song "So Easy".[4]
  • "Blue on Blue" was also covered by Say Lou Lou in 2015 and used in commercials for the Swedish clothing company Gina Tricot.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Bobby Vinton's All-Time Greatest Hits," Varese (Vintage) Sarabande CD compilation, copyright 2003
  2. ^ "Bobby Vinton's All-Time Greatest Hits," Varese (Vintage) Sarabande CD compilation, copyright 2003
  3. ^ "Bobby Vinton's All-Time Greatest Hits," Varese (Vintage) Sarabande CD compilation, copyright 2003
  4. ^ a b c d Dominic, Serene (2003). Burt Bacharach: Song by Song. New York: Schirmer. pp. 104–5. ISBN 0-8256-7280-5. Retrieved September 26, 2012.
  5. ^ Lonergan, David (2005). Hit Records, 1950-1975. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press. p. 22. ISBN 0-8108-5129-6. Retrieved September 26, 2012.
  6. ^ a b Bobby Vinton - Chart History - The Hot 100 Archived 2016-01-16 at the Wayback Machine, Billboard.com. Accessed October 23, 2015
  7. ^ Bobby Vinton - Chart History - Adult Contemporary Archived 2016-01-16 at the Wayback Machine, Billboard.com. Accessed October 23, 2015
  8. ^ a b "Middle-Road Singles", Billboard, July 6, 1963. p. 36. Accessed October 23, 2015
  9. ^ "Top Records of 1963", Billboard, Section II, December 28, 1963. p. 30. Retrieved February 17, 2018.
  10. ^ Bronson, Fred (2003). The Billboard Book of Number 1 Hits (5th ed.). New York: Billboard Books. p. 146. ISBN 0-8230-7677-6. Retrieved September 26, 2012.
  11. ^ "Hits of the World", Billboard, October 5, 1963. p. 22. Accessed October 23, 2015
  12. ^ "CHUM Hit Parade", CHUM, Week of June 17, 1963
  13. ^ "Lever Hit Parade" 18-Jul-1963, Flavour of New Zealand. Accessed October 23, 2015
  14. ^ "Hits of the World", Billboard, August 17, 1963. p. 35. Accessed October 23, 2015
  15. ^ "Hits of the World", Billboard, October 19, 1963. p. 34. Accessed October 23, 2015