"Blue Room" is a

show tune A show tune is a song originally written as part of the score of a work of musical theatre or musical film, especially if the piece in question has become a standard, more or less detached in most people's minds from the original context. Th ...

from the 1926

Rodgers and Hart Rodgers and Hart were an American songwriting partnership between composer Richard Rodgers (1902–1979) and the lyricist Lorenz Hart (1895–1943). They worked together on 28 stage musicals and more than 500 songs from 1919 until Hart's ...

musical ''

The Girl Friend ''The Girl Friend'' is a musical comedy with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Lorenz Hart and book by Herbert Fields. This was the longest running show for the trio to that date.Secrest, Meryle. ''Somewhere for me:a biography of Richard Rodge ...

'',Perry Como discography entry for "Blue Room"
/ref> where it was introduced by

Eva Puck Eva Puck (November 25, 1892 – October 25, 1979) was an American entertainer, a vaudeville headliner who later found success performing in Broadway musical comedies and film. Early life She was born in New York City, the middle of three ...

and Sammy White. It is also a

jazz standard Jazz standards are musical compositions that are an important part of the musical repertoire of jazz musicians, in that they are widely known, performed, and recorded by jazz musicians, and widely known by listeners. There is no definitive List ...

Early recordings

*It was recorded by

The Revelers The Revelers were an American quintet (four close harmony singers and a pianist) popular in the late 1920s and early 1930s. The Revelers' recordings of "Dinah", " Old Man River", "Valencia", "Baby Face", " Blue Room", "The Birth of the Blues", ...

on June 8, 1926, and originally released by Victor as catalog number 20082B, with the flip side "Valencia"; it was re-released by Victor as catalog number 24707, with the flip side " Dancing in the Dark".Victor Records in the 24500 to 24900 series
/ref> *In June 1927, while the Hamilton Sisters and Fordyce were on tour in England, they recorded two versions of this song: one with The Savoy Orpheans, and the other with Bert Ambrose and His Orchestra. *Another recording was made on October 17, 1933, by the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra, and released by

Brunswick Records Brunswick Records is an American record label founded in 1916. History 1916–1929 Records under the Brunswick label were first produced by the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company, a company based in Dubuque, Iowa which had been manufacturing ...

as catalog number 6722, with the flip side "Fidgety Feet". *Another recording was made on July 16, 1934, by

Isham Jones Isham Edgar Jones (January 31, 1894 – October 19, 1956) was an American bandleader, saxophonist, bassist and songwriter. Career Jones was born in Coalton, Ohio, United States, to a musical and mining family. His father, Richard Isham Jon ...

and his orchestra, and released by

Victor Records The Victor Talking Machine Company was an American recording company and phonograph manufacturer, incorporated in 1901. Victor was an independent enterprise until 1929 when it was purchased by the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) and became ...

as catalog number 24701A, with the flip side "Georgia Jubilee". *Another recording was made on December 15, 1936, by

Jan Garber Jan Garber (born Jacob Charles Garber, November 5, 1894 – October 5, 1977) was an American violinist and jazz bandleader. Biography Garber was born in Indianapolis, Indiana. He had his own band by the time he was 21. He became known as "The ...

and his orchestra, and released by

as catalog number 7870, with the flip side " Moonlight and Roses". The same recording was later released by

Vocalion Records Vocalion Records is an American record label, originally founded by the Aeolian Company, a piano and organ manufacturer before being bought out by Brunswick in 1924. History The label was founded in 1916 by the Aeolian Company, a maker of pi ...

as catalog number 5484 and by

Conqueror Records Conqueror Records was a United States–based record label, active from 1928 through 1942. The label was sold exclusively through Sears, Roebuck and Company. History Conqueror was originally owned by the Plaza Music Company, then became part o ...

as catalog number 9496, both with the flip side "

Home on the Range "Home on the Range" ( Roud No. 3599) is an American folk song, sometimes called the "unofficial anthem" of the American West. Dr. Brewster M. Higley (also spelled Highley) of Smith County, Kansas, wrote the lyrics as the poem "My Western Hom ...

". *Another recording was made on January 16, 1938, by

Benny Goodman Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader, known as the "King of Swing". His orchestra did well commercially. From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing bi ...

and his orchestra, as part of the live Carnegie Hall jazz concert; but it was re-released as a 45 rpm record by

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

as catalog number 39312, with the flip side "Swingtime in the Rockies". *A recording of the song in a medley with "

Am I Blue? "Am I Blue?" is a 1929 song composed by Harry Akst (music) and Grant Clarke (lyrics), and published by M. Witmark & Sons. It was featured in four films that year, most notably with Ethel Waters in the movie '' On with the Show''. It has appeare ...

" was made on July 14, 1942, by

Eddy Duchin Edwin Frank Duchin (April 1, 1909 – February 9, 1951), commonly known as Eddy Duchin or alternatively Eddie Duchin, was an American popular music pianist and bandleader during the 1930s and 1940s. Early career Duchin was born on April 1, 1909, ...

and released by

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

as catalog number 36746, with the flip side a medley of "

Sometimes I'm Happy "Sometimes I'm Happy" is a popular song. The music was written by Vincent Youmans, the lyrics by Irving Caesar. The song was originally published in 1923 under the title "Come On And Pet Me" with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and William Cary Du ...

" and "

Pretty Baby Pretty Baby may refer to: * ''Pretty Baby'' (1950 film), a comedy film featuring Dennis Morgan and Betsy Drake * ''Pretty Baby'' (1978 film), a drama film featuring Brooke Shields ** ''Pretty Baby'' (soundtrack), a soundtrack album from the film ...

". *Another recording was made by Mark Warnow and released by

MGM Records MGM Records was a record label founded by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film studio in 1946 for the purpose of releasing soundtrack recordings (later LP albums) of their musical films. It transitioned into a pop music label that continued into the ...

as catalog number 30040, with the flip side "Bess, You Is My Woman".

Later recordings

*It was recorded in 1952 by

Blue Barron Blue Barron (November 19, 1913 – July 16, 2005), born Harry Freidman, was an American orchestra leader in the 1940s and early 1950s during the Big Band era. His band's more subdued tone was referred to as "Sweet" music to distinguish it from ...

and released by

as catalog number 30687, with the flip side "Blue Moments." *

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, comedian, entertainer and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwi ...

recorded the song on his 1956 album ''

Bing Sings Whilst Bregman Swings ''Bing Sings Whilst Bregman Swings'' was Bing Crosby's sixth LP, his first album for Verve, recorded and released in a mono format in 1956. ''Bing Sings Whilst Bregman Swings'' was a stylistic departure for Crosby, marking the first time he rec ...

''. *Another 1956 recording was made by

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April25, 1917June15, 1996) was an American singer, songwriter and composer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phra ...

as part of her '' Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Rodgers and Hart Song Book'' album. *Another recording was made by

Tommy Dorsey Thomas Francis Dorsey Jr. (November 19, 1905 – November 26, 1956) was an American jazz trombone, trombonist, composer, conductor and bandleader of the big band era. He was known as the "Sentimental Gentleman of Swing" because of his smooth-to ...

and his orchestra, released by

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis after his acquisition of a gramophone manufacturer, The Decca Gramophone Company. It set up an American subsidiary under the Decca name, which bec ...

as catalog number 29057, with the flip side "Liza Jane." *

Eliane Elias Eliane Elias (born 19 March 1960) is a Brazilian jazz pianist, singer, composer and arranger. Biography Elias was born in São Paulo, Brazil, on 19 March 1960. She started studying piano when she was seven, and at age twelve she was transcribing ...

included the song on her 2013 album ''

I Thought About You "I Thought About You" is a 1939 popular song composed by Jimmy Van Heusen with lyrics by Johnny Mercer. Background It was one of three collaborations Van Heusen and Mercer wrote for the Mercer-Morris publishing company started by Mercer and form ...

''. *Notable small group recordings of "Blue Room" include Miles Davis (1951), Thad Jones (1956), Jimmy Smith (1957), Hank Jones (1958), Gene Ammons (1960), The Jazztet (1961), and Bill Charlap (1999)

Use in films and television

*It was featured in the 1948 film '' Words and Music,'' where it was sung by

Perry Como Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como (; May 18, 1912 – May 12, 2001) was an American singer, actor, and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century, he recorded exclusively for RCA Victor for 44 years, from 1943 until 1987 ...

, who played Eddie Lorrison Anders. Como would later record it twice in 1948: the first on May 29; the second, with

Henri René Henri René (born Harold Manfred Kirchstein; December 29, 1906 – April 25, 1993), was an American musician who had an international career in the recording industry as a producer, composer, conductor and arranger. Early years Born in New Yor ...

conducting, on December 17. The first recording was included on the soundtrack album of ''Words and Music''; while the second, released as a single, (

RCA Victor Records RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic ...

catalog numbers 20-3329-A on 78 rpmRCA Victor records in the 20-3000 to 20-3499 series
/ref> and 47-3329-A on 45 rpm, with the flip side "With a Song in My Heart") reached the position of #18 on the charts. It was also released by the

His Master's Voice His Master's Voice is an entertainment trademark featuring a dog named Nipper, curiously peering into the horn of a wind-up gramophone. Painted by Francis Barraud in 1898, the image has since become a global symbol used across consumer elect ...

(UK), catalog number BD 1280. *In 1946, it was featured in a scene in ''The Big Sleep'' starring

Humphrey Bogart Humphrey DeForest Bogart ( ; December 25, 1899 – January 14, 1957), nicknamed Bogie, was an American actor. His performances in classic Hollywood cinema made him an American cultural icon. In 1999, the American Film Institute selected Bogart ...

and

Lauren Bacall Betty Joan Perske (September 16, 1924 – August 12, 2014), professionally known as Lauren Bacall ( ), was an American actress. She was named the AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars, 20th-greatest female star of classic Hollywood cinema by the America ...

. *In 1950, it was used in '' Young Man with a Horn'' when it was played by

Kirk Douglas Kirk Douglas (born Issur Danielovitch; December 9, 1916 – February 5, 2020) was an American actor and filmmaker. After an impoverished childhood, he made his film debut in '' The Strange Love of Martha Ivers'' (1946) with Barbara Stanwyck. ...

(dubbed by

Harry James Harry Haag James (March 15, 1916 – July 5, 1983) was an American musician who is best known as a trumpet-playing band leader who led a big band to great commercial success from 1939 to 1946. He broke up his band for a short period in 1947, but ...

). *In 1970,

Cass Elliot Ellen Naomi Cohen (September 19, 1941 – July 29, 1974), known professionally as Cass Elliot, was an American singer. She was also known as "Mama Cass", a name she reportedly disliked. Elliot was a member of the singing group the Mamas & the P ...

covered the song on ''

The Ed Sullivan Show ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York City, New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the ''CB ...

'' (salute to

Richard Rodgers Richard Charles Rodgers (June 28, 1902 – December 30, 1979) was an American Musical composition, composer who worked primarily in musical theater. With 43 Broadway theatre, Broadway musicals and over 900 songs to his credit, Rodgers wa ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blue Room (Song) 1920s jazz standards 1926 songs 1948 singles Perry Como songs Real Book Song Songs from Rodgers and Hart musicals Songs with lyrics by Lorenz Hart Songs with music by Richard Rodgers