"Blue on Blue" is a popular song composed by Burt Bacharach with lyrics by Hal David, first recorded[3] and released by Bobby Vinton in April 1963, backed by Burt Bacharach and his Orchestra.[4] Vinton's single spent 13 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at No. 3 on July 6, 1963,[5][6] while reaching No. 2 on Billboard's Middle-Road Singles chart.[7][8] Vinton's single was a major hit in many other nations as well.

"Blue on Blue"
Single by Bobby Vinton
from the album Blue on Blue
B-side"Those Little Things"
ReleasedApril 30, 1963[1]
RecordedApril 3, 1963[2]
GenrePop
Length2:21
LabelEpic
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)

The song was ranked No. 42 on Billboard's end of year ranking "Top Records of 1963".[9]

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".[10]

Chart performance

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Chart (1963) Peak
position
US Billboard Hot 100[6] 3
US Billboard Middle-Road Singles[8] 2
Israel - Kol Yisrael[11] 1
Canada - CHUM Hit Parade[12] 4
New Zealand - "Lever Hit Parade"[13] 5
Australia - Music Maker[14] 7
Hong Kong[15] 9

Cover versions and samples

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The song has been covered or sampled by many artists, including:[4]

  • Paul Anka (1963)
  • Percy Faith (1964), Maureen McGovern (1991), and many others.[4]
  • 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 from 1966 were included in Röyksopp's song "So Easy".[4]
  • "Blue on Blue" was also covered by Say Lou Lou in 2015 and used in commercials for the Swedish clothing company Gina Tricot.

References

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  1. ^ "Bobby Vinton's All-Time Greatest Hits," Varese (Vintage) Sarabande CD compilation, copyright 2003
  2. ^ "Bobby Vinton's All-Time Greatest Hits," Varese (Vintage) Sarabande CD compilation, copyright 2003
  3. ^ "Bobby Vinton's All-Time Greatest Hits," Varese (Vintage) Sarabande CD compilation, copyright 2003
  4. ^ a b c d Dominic, Serene (2003). Burt Bacharach: Song by Song. New York: Schirmer. pp. 104–5. ISBN 0-8256-7280-5. Retrieved September 26, 2012.
  5. ^ Lonergan, David (2005). Hit Records, 1950-1975. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press. p. 22. ISBN 0-8108-5129-6. Retrieved September 26, 2012.
  6. ^ a b Bobby Vinton - Chart History - The Hot 100 Archived 2016-01-16 at the Wayback Machine, Billboard.com. Accessed October 23, 2015
  7. ^ Bobby Vinton - Chart History - Adult Contemporary Archived 2016-01-16 at the Wayback Machine, Billboard.com. Accessed October 23, 2015
  8. ^ a b "Middle-Road Singles", Billboard, July 6, 1963. p. 36. Accessed October 23, 2015
  9. ^ "Top Records of 1963", Billboard, Section II, December 28, 1963. p. 30. Retrieved February 17, 2018.
  10. ^ Bronson, Fred (2003). The Billboard Book of Number 1 Hits (5th ed.). New York: Billboard Books. p. 146. ISBN 0-8230-7677-6. Retrieved September 26, 2012.
  11. ^ "Hits of the World", Billboard, October 5, 1963. p. 22. Accessed October 23, 2015
  12. ^ "CHUM Hit Parade", CHUM, Week of June 17, 1963
  13. ^ "Lever Hit Parade" 18-Jul-1963, Flavour of New Zealand. Accessed October 23, 2015
  14. ^ "Hits of the World", Billboard, August 17, 1963. p. 35. Accessed October 23, 2015
  15. ^ "Hits of the World", Billboard, October 19, 1963. p. 34. Accessed October 23, 2015