| "Blue Skies" | |
|---|---|
 Sheet music cover, 1926 | |
| Song | |
| Published | 1926 byIrving Berlin, Inc. |
| Songwriter | Irving Berlin |
"Blue Skies" is apopularsong, written byIrving 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 are undercut by the minor key giving the words an ironic feeling.
The song was composed in 1926 as a last-minute addition to theRodgers and HartmusicalBetsy. 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 starBelle Baker.[1] During the final repetition, Baker forgot her lyrics, prompting Berlin to sing them from his seat in the front row.[2]
In1927, the music was published andBen Selvin's recorded version (as The Knickerbockers with vocals by Charles Kaley) was a hit. That same year, it became one of the first songs to be featured in atalkie, whenAl Jolson performed it inThe Jazz Singer. The song was recorded for all of the major and dime store labels of the time. A version was recorded byBenny Goodman and his Orchestra in 1935 (Victor 25136). 1946 was also a notable year for the song, with aBing Crosby/Fred Astairefilm taking its title along with two recorded versions byCount Basie and Benny Goodman reaching #8 and #9 on the pop charts, respectively.
Thelonious Monk's 1947 composition "In Walked Bud" isbased on the chord changes to "Blue Skies."
Bing Crosby andDanny Kaye performed the song in the 1954 seasonally perennial film,White Christmas.
In 1958,Ella Fitzgerald crossed genres putting her own distinctivescat jazz stylings on "Blue Skies" for her double-LP album,Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Irving Berlin Song Book, that year's installment in her famous eight-albumSong Book series. The track was also included in that year's Ella compilation album,Get Happy!. In 1962 the song was released as a single byJohnny Rivers. In 1992,Al Jarreau recorded a version for thefilm adaptation ofGlengarry Glen Ross.[3]
The song was featured inAnn Marie Fleming's 2002 short filmBlue Skies, performed byAlessandro Juliani.[4]
| "Blue Skies" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byWillie Nelson | ||||
| from the albumStardust | ||||
| B-side | "Moonlight in Vermont" | |||
| Released | July 1978(U.S.) | |||
| Length | 3:32 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Songwriter | Irving Berlin | |||
| Producer | Booker T. Jones | |||
| Willie Nelson singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Twenty years after Fitzgerald's cover, in1978,Willie Nelson released another version of "Blue Skies" which became a #1country music hit. This version harkened back to 1939 when it was a major western swing and country standard, performed byMoon Mullican.
| Chart (1978) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| USHot Country Songs (Billboard)[5] | 1 |
| USAdult Contemporary (Billboard)[6] | 32 |
| Australian (Kent Music Report) | 53 |
| CanadianRPM Country Tracks | 1 |
| CanadianRPM Adult Contemporary Tracks | 4 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 26 |
