Blue Moons

As a kid, I thought Blue Moon by The Marcels was a funny song, but I never cared for it too much. Then I heard Elvis Presley's version and it was love at first listen. His rendition is beautifully understated, and it reminds me of the slow clip-clop of a cantering horse.

Truth is, Blue Moon has a long history and has been recorded by hundreds of musicians. According to The People's History of Everything, Blue Moon began in 1933 when MGM commissioned Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart to write a song for a film. It took two years and plenty of rewrites for the song to materialize into the popular standard as we know it.

I've only recently realized that the lyrics are quite sad. While Elvis made my favorite version (with Ahmad Jamal and Sam Cooke closely following), I'm sure there's one for you.

Is This Tight? Blue Moon Compilation (.zip)

1. Blue Moon - Ahmad Jamal
2. Blue Moon - Billie Holliday
3. Blue Moon - Elvis Presley
4. Blue Moon - Louis Armstrong
5. Blue Moon - The Marcels
6. Blue Moon - Oscar Peterson
7. Blue Moon - Sam Cooke
8. Blue Moon - The Ventures