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” |
| Released | April 30, 1963 |
| Recorded | April 3, 1963 |
| Genre | Pop |
| Length | 2:21 |
| Label | Epic |
| 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 and released by Bobby Vinton in April 1963, backed by Burt Bacharach and his Orchestra. Vinton’s single spent 13 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at No. 3 on July 6, 1963, while reaching No. 2 on Billboard‘s Middle-Road Singles chart. 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“.
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“.
Chart performance
| Chart (1963) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 3 |
| US Billboard Middle-Road Singles | 2 |
| Israel – Kol Yisrael | 1 |
| Canada – CHUM Hit Parade | 4 |
| New Zealand – “Lever Hit Parade” | 5 |
| Australia – Music Maker | 7 |
| Hong Kong | 9 |
Cover versions and samples
The song has been covered or sampled by many artists, including:
- Paul Anka (1963)
- Percy Faith (1964)
- Maureen McGovern (1991)
- 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
- “Blue on Blue” was also covered by Say Lou Lou in 2015 and used in commercials for the Swedish clothing company Gina Tricot.
Blue on Blue (Bobby Vinton Album)
| Blue on Blue | |
|---|---|
| |
| Studio album by Bobby Vinton | |
| Released | August 1963 |
| Studio | Columbia (Nashville, Tennessee) |
| Genre | Pop |
| Length | 28:46 |
| Label | Epic |
| Producer | Bob Morgan |
| Bobby Vinton chronology | |
| The Greatest Hits of the Golden Groups (1963)Blue on Blue (1963)There! I’ve Said It Again (1964) | |
| Singles from Blue on Blue | |
| “Blue on Blue“ Released: April 1963″Blue Velvet“ Released: 1963 | |
Blue on Blue, later renamed Blue Velvet, is Bobby Vinton‘s sixth studio album, released in 1963. Cover versions include the jazz songs “St. Louis Blues” and “Blueberry Hill“, “Am I Blue“, “Blue, Blue Day”, the Fleetwoods‘ hit “Mr. Blue”, “My Blue Heaven“, three show tunes (“Blue Skies“, “Blue Hawaii” and “Blue Moon“), and The Clovers Rhythm and blues hit, “Blue Velvet“.
The song “Blue on Blue” was mentioned in Kim Mitchell‘s hit song “Patio Lanterns“.
Composition and background
Completely devoted to songs that refer to the color blue, this album contained two singles: “Blue on Blue“, which reached #3 on the U.S. Pop charts and “Blue Velvet“, which went on to #1 for three weeks on the same chart. Both songs served as title tracks during their popularity. The album was released after the success of the song “Blue on Blue”, but when “Blue Velvet” became a hit, the album’s title was changed with it being the title track. It was only after the title change that the album managed to enter the Billboard 200 list of popular albums; it reached #10.
Track listing
Side 1
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | “Blue on Blue“ | Hal David, Burt Bacharach | 2:26 |
| 2. | “Am I Blue“ | Harry Akst, Grant Clarke | 2:19 |
|---|
| 3. | “Blue, Blue Day” | Don Gibson | 1:53 |
|---|
| 4. | “Mr. Blue“ | DeWayne Blackwell | 2:30 |
|---|
| 5. | “Blue Velvet“ | Bernie Wayne, Lee Morris | 2:47 |
|---|
| 6. | “St. Louis Blues“ | W.C. Handy | 2:27 |
|---|
Side 2
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | “Blue Skies“ | Irving Berlin | 2:17 |
| 2. | “Blue Hawaii“ | Leo Robin, Ralph Rainger | 2:08 |
|---|
| 3. | “Blue Moon“ | Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers | 2:40 |
|---|
| 4. | “Little Miss Blue” | Bobby Vinton, Shirley Formosa | 2:08 |
|---|
| 5. | “Blueberry Hill“ | Al Lewis, Larry Stock, Vincent Rose | 2:31 |
|---|
Personnel
- Bob Morgan – producer
- Burt Bacharach – arranger, conductor
- Hank Parker – cover photo
Charts
Album – Billboard (United States)
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1963 | The Billboard 200 | 10 |
Singles – Billboard (United States)
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | “Blue on Blue” | Billboard Hot 100 | 3 |
| 1963 | “Blue on Blue” | Billboard Middle-Road Singles | 2 |
| 1963 | “Blue Velvet” | Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
| 1963 | “Blue Velvet” | Billboard Middle-Road Singles | 1 |
| 1963 | “Blue Velvet” | UK Singles Chart | 2 |
Blue on blue may refer to:
Music
Blue on Blue (Leigh Nash Album)
| Blue on Blue | |
|---|---|
| |
| Studio album by Leigh Nash | |
| Released | August 15, 2006 |
| Recorded | 2005–2006 |
| Genre | Pop |
| Length | 44:08 |
| Label | One Son |
| Producer | Pierre Marchand |
| Leigh Nash chronology | |
| Blue on Blue (2006)Wishing for This (2006) | |
| Singles from Blue on Blue | |
| “My Idea of Heaven” Released: July 2006″Ocean Size Love” Released: 2007″Blue Sky” Released: May 2007 | |
Blue on Blue is Leigh Nash‘s debut solo album and consists of pop songs. Nash began working on the album a year after Sixpence None the Richer disbanded. Produced by Pierre Marchand who is best known for his collaborations with Sarah McLachlan.
“My Idea of Heaven” was released to US radio on the July 14, 2006. A video was also made to accompany the song.
Critical and commercial response
Professional ratings
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| E! Online | B− |
| Jesus Freak Hideout |  |
| Slant Magazine | |
The album met mixed to positive reviews upon release. Nash’s vocals, lyrics and music direction were lauded. Blue on Blue was criticized mainly because of the songs not being as immediately appealing as the ones released by Sixpence None the Richer. Collaborators on this album are Sixpence bandmate Matt Slocum, and the songwriting/production team of Rick Nowels and Billy Steinberg.
Commercially, the album did not perform well. One of the main reasons for this is the fact that the album remains unknown among the masses due to the lack of promotion and airplay. So far, it managed to reach No. 25 in the Billboard Top Heatseekers charts; however, the bonus track “Blue Sky” reached No. 5 in Japanese pop music Chart due to its frequent airplay and the advertisement of “Toyota Prius” in Japan in 2007.
Track listing
- “Along the Wall” (Pierre Marchand, Leigh Nash) – 4:30
2. “Nervous in the Light of Dawn” (Rick Nowels, Billy Steinberg, Matt Slocum, Leigh Nash) – 4:40
3. “My Idea of Heaven” (Nowels, Steinberg, Leigh Nash) – 4:05
4. “Ocean Size Love” (Leigh Nash, Scott Cutler, Anne Preven) – 4:58
5. “Never Finish” (Ron Aniello, Leigh Nash) – 3:44
6. “Between the Lines” (Leigh Nash, Pierre Marchand) – 4:07
7. “More of It” (Greg Wells, Leigh Nash) – 3:09
8. “Angel Tonight” (Holly Knight, Leigh Nash) – 3:17
9. “Blue” (Jude Cole, Leigh Nash) – 3:32
10. “Cloud Nine” (Cutler, Preven, Leigh Nash) – 3:47
11. “Just a Little” (Leigh Nash, Danielle Brisebois, Wayne Rodrigues) – 4:01
iTunes edition bonus track
- “Thank You” – 3:59
Japanese edition bonus tracks
- “Run Together” (Rick Nowels, Billy Steinberg, Matt Slocum, Leigh Nash) – 4:13
2. “Blue Sky” (Rick Nowels, Billy Steinberg, Leigh Nash) – 4:09
3. “Blue Sky” (A cappella version) – 4:01
- “Along the Wall” can be heard at the Kyle XY episode “Hands on a Hybrid”.
- “Blue Sky” is the theme to Toyota Prius in Japan.
Chart performance
| Chart (2006/2007) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Top Heatseekers | 25 |
| U.S. Top Christian Albums | 19 |
| Japan Albums Chart | 5 |
- “Blue on Blue” (James Blunt song), a 2013 song by James Blunt
- “Blue on Blue” (Pet Shop Boys song), a c. 2006 song by the Pet Shop Boys
Television
- “Blue on Blue” (Ugly Betty), an episode of Ugly Betty
- “Blue on Blue” (Under the Dome), an episode of Under the Dome
Other
- Blue on Blue (book), a 2017 book about police misconduct by Charles Campisi and Gordon Dillow
- Blue on blue (military), inadvertent firing towards an allied NATO military force
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