music.wikisort.org - Composition

"Blue Room" is a show tune from the 1926 Rodgers and Hart musical The Girl Friend,[1] where it was introduced by Eva Puck and Sammy White.[2] It is also a jazz standard.

"Blue Room"
Song
Published	1926
Genre	Showtune
Composer(s)	Richard Rodgers
Lyricist(s)	Lorenz Hart

Early recordings

• It was recorded by The Revelers on June 8, 1926, and originally released by Victor as catalog number 20082B, with the flip side "Valencia";[3] it was re-released by Victor as catalog number 24707, with the flip side "Dancing in the Dark".[4]
• In June 1927, while the Hamilton Sisters and Fordyce were on tour in England, they recorded two versions of this song: one with The Savoy Orpheans, and the other with Bert Ambrose and His Orchestra.
• Another recording was made on October 17, 1933, by the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra, and released by Brunswick Records as catalog number 6722, with the flip side "Fidgety Feet".[5]
• Another recording was made on July 16, 1934, by Isham Jones and his orchestra, and released by Victor Records as catalog number 24701A, with the flip side "Georgia Jubilee".[4]
• Another recording was made on December 15, 1936, by Jan Garber and his orchestra, and released by Brunswick Records as catalog number 7870, with the flip side "Moonlight and Roses".[6] The same recording was later released by Vocalion Records as catalog number 5484 and by Conqueror Records as catalog number 9496, both with the flip side "Home on the Range".[7][8]
• Another recording was made on January 16, 1938, by Benny Goodman and his orchestra, as part of the live Carnegie Hall jazz concert; but it was re-released as a 45 rpm record by Columbia Records as catalog number 39312, with the flip side "Swingtime in the Rockies".[9]
• A recording of the song in a medley with "Am I Blue?" was made on July 14, 1942, by Eddy Duchin and released by Columbia Records as catalog number 36746, with the flip side a medley of "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Pretty Baby".[10]
• Another recording was made by Mark Warnow and released by MGM Records as catalog number 30040, with the flip side "Bess, You Is My Woman".[11]

Use in films and television

• It was featured in the 1948 film Words and Music,[1] where it was sung by Perry Como, who played Eddie Lorrison Anders. Como would later record it twice in 1948: the first on May 29;[1] the second, with Henri René conducting, on December 17.[1] The first recording was included on the soundtrack album of Words and Music;[1] while the second, released as a single, (RCA Victor Records catalog numbers 20-3329-A on 78 rpm[1][12] and 47-3329-A on 45 rpm,[1] with the flip side "With a Song in My Heart"[1][12]) reached the position of #18 on the charts.[1] It was also released by EMI on the His Master's Voice label as catalog number BD 1280.
• In 1946, it was featured in a scene in The Big Sleep starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall.
• In 1950, it was used in Young Man with a Horn when it was played by Kirk Douglas (dubbed by Harry James).[13]
• In 1970, Cass Elliot covered the song on The Ed Sullivan Show (salute to Richard Rodgers).[14]

Later recordings

• It was recorded in 1952 by Blue Barron and released by MGM Records as catalog number 30687, with the flip side "Blue Moments."[15]
• Bing Crosby recorded the song on his 1956 album Bing Sings Whilst Bregman Swings.
• Another recording was made by Tommy Dorsey and his orchestra, released by Decca Records as catalog number 29057, with the flip side "Liza Jane."[16]
• Notable small group recordings of "Blue Room" include Miles Davis (1951), Thad Jones (1956), Jimmy Smith (1957), Hank Jones (1958), Gene Ammons (1960), The Jazztet (1961), and Bill Charlap (1999)
• Eliane Elias included the song on her 2013 album I Thought About You.

References

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