"Under a Blanket of Blue" is an American popular song composed by Jerry Livingston (as Jerry Levinson), with lyrics by Marty Symes and Al J. Neiburg. It was published by Santly Bros., Inc. in 1933, one of four hits by the songwriting trio that year, along with "It's the Talk of the Town."[1]
| "Under a Blanket of Blue" | |
|---|---|
 Original cover of "Under a Blanket of Blue" sheet music | |
| Song by Glen Gray and his Casa Loma Orchestra | |
| Published | Santly Bros., Inc. |
| Released | 1933 |
| Genre | Popular music, Jazz |
| Length | 3:09 |
| Label | Brunswick Records |
| Composer(s) | Jerry Livingston |
| Lyricist(s) | Marty Symes, Al J. Neiburg |
It was first recorded by Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra, with vocals by Kenny Sargent, on Brunswick recording 6584. The song charted on Billboard on July 1, 1933, reaching #6. A month later, a subsequent recording by Don Bestor and His Orchestra also charted, reaching #8.[2]
AllMusic calls "Under a Blanket of Blue" a "notable" composition, and says that after its initial success, the song "remained popular with jazz artists in particular."[3] It has become a standard, performed by vocalists and instrumentalists alike.
The Tin Pan Alley Song Encyclopedia describes it as "a cozy ballad ... about a couple snuggled together under a deep blue evening sky."[1] Music critic Will Friedwald says it's "a slightly offbeat title concept for a song about the night--usually, songwriters, including but not limited to Irving Berlin, describe the daytime skies as being blue--but make no mistake: this is a song about a nocturnal encounter, hence the blue blanket of stars."[4]
Dale Evans sings the song under an evening sky to Roy Rogers and then Trigger in the film Bells of Rosarita (1945).[5]
Frank Sinatra performed it in 1955 on his NBC Radio Network series To Be Perfectly Frank;[6] that version appeared on the 1991 album Perfectly Frank: Live Broadcast Performances, 1953-1955.[7]
Notable Recorded Versions edit
- Layton & Johnstone – Columbia DB 1253 (1933)[8]
- Coleman Hawkins – Mercury 1098 (1944),[9] The Hawk Relaxes (1961)[10]
- Woody Herman – Eight Shades Of Blue (1947)[11]
- Helen Forrest – On The Sunny Side Of The Street (1949)[12]
- Stan Kenton – Portraits on Standards (1953)[13]
- Benny Goodman – The New Benny Goodman Sextet (1954)[14]
- Calvin Jackson – At The Plaza (1954)[15]
- Art Tatum / Benny Carter / Louis Bellson – The Tatum Group Masterpieces Vol. 1 (rec. 1954, rel. 1975)[16]
- Frank Sinatra – Perfectly Frank: Live Broadcast Performances, 1953-1955 (rec. 1955, rel. 1991)[7]
- Ben Webster – Music for Loving (rec. 1955, rel. 1995)[17]
- Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong – Ella and Louis (1956)[18]
- Patti Page – Music for Two in Love (1956)[9]
- Doris Day – Day by Night (1957)[19]
- Anita O'Day & Cal Tjader – Time for 2 (1962)[20]
- Gene Ammons – The Soulful Moods of Gene Ammons (1963)[21]
- Johnny Mathis – This Is Love (1964)[22]
- Maxine Sullivan – I Love To Be in Love (1986)[1]
- Stacey Kent – Dreamsville (2001)[23]
References edit
- ^ a b c Hischak, Thomas S. (2002). The Tin Pan Alley Song Encyclopedia. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. p. 380. ISBN 9780313319921. OCLC 49226157.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1992). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954: The History of American Popular Music. Milwaukee, WI: Hal Leonard Corp. p. 183. ISBN 9780898200836. OCLC 759888824.
- ^ Al J. Neiburg at AllMusic. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
- ^ Friedwald, Will (2017). The Great Jazz and Pop Vocal Albums. New York: Pantheon Books. p. 102. ISBN 9780307379078. OCLC 951833385.
- ^ McDonald, Frank (Director) (1945). Bells of Rosarita (Motion picture). United States: Republic Pictures.
- ^ Leigh, Spencer (2015). Frank Sinatra: An Extraordinary Life. Carmarthen, UK: McNidder and Grace Limited. ISBN 9780857160867. OCLC 908071800.
- ^ a b Frank Sinatra (1991). Perfectly Frank: Live Broadcast Performances, 1953-1955 (compact disc). United States: Bravura Records. OCLC 28552642.
- ^ "Layton and Johnstone collection". Internet Archive. The Internet Archive. 2013. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
- ^ a b Ruppli, Michel; Novitsky, Ed (1993). The Mercury labels: A Discography. Volume 1, The 1945-1956 Era. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. p. 658. ISBN 9780313290312. OCLC 647905042.
- ^ The Hawk Relaxes at AllMusic. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
- ^ "Album Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. November 15, 1947. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
- ^ "Jazzology". Retrieved May 2, 2021.
- ^ Portraits on Standards at AllMusic. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
- ^ Connor, Donald Russell (1958). BG - off the record: a bio-discography of Benny Goodman. Fairless Hills, PA: Gaildonna Publishers. p. 267. LCCN 58012401. OCLC 870151.
- ^ "Popular Albums–12" Long Play" (PDF). Billboard. December 3, 1955. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
- ^ The Tatum Group Masterpieces, Vol. 1 at AllMusic. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
- ^ Music for Loving at AllMusic. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
- ^ Ella and Louis at AllMusic. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
- ^ Day By Night at AllMusic. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
- ^ Time for Two at AllMusic. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
- ^ Soulful Moods of Gene Ammons at AllMusic. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
- ^ This Is Love at AllMusic. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
- ^ Dreamsville at AllMusic. Retrieved May 10, 2019.