Harmonica - Blue Skies - Irving Berlin

harmonica — Sat, 03 Feb 2007 22:17:36 +0100

Please comment on my videos.

Blue Skies by Irving Berlin played on chromatic harmonica.

"Blue Skies" is a popular song, written by Irving Berlin.
Here are the lyrics:

I was blue, just as blue as I could be
Every day was a cloudy day for me
Then good luck came a-knocking at my door
Skies were gray but theyre not gray anymore

Blue skies
Smiling at me
Nothing but blue skies
Do I see

Bluebirds
Singing a song
Nothing but bluebirds
All day long

Never saw the sun shining so bright
Never saw things going so right
Noticing the days hurrying by
When youre in love, my how they fly

Blue days
All of them gone
Nothing but blue skies
From now on

I should care if the wind blows east or west
I should fret if the worst looks like the best
I should mind if they say it cant be true
I should smile, thats exactly what I do

History

The song was composed in 1926 as a last minute addition to the Rodgers and Hart musical, Betsy. Although the show only ran for 39 performances, "Blue Skies" was an instant success, with audiences on opening night demanding 28 encores of the piece from star, Belle Baker. During the final repetition, Baker forgot her lyrics, prompting Berlin to sing them from his seat in the front row.

In 1927, the music was published and Ben Selvin's recorded version was a #1 hit. That same year, it became the first song to be featured in a talkie, when Al Jolson performed it in The Jazz Singer. 1946 was also a notable year for the song, with a Bing Crosby/Fred Astaire film taking its title, and two recorded versions by Count Basie and Benny Goodman reaching #8 and #9 on the pop charts, respectively. Crossing genres, Willie Nelson's recording of "Blue Skies" was a #1 country music hit in 1978.

Recorded Versions
* Ben Selvin (1927)
* Tommy Dorsey and his orchestra (with vocal by Frank Sinatra) (1941)
* Count Basie and his orchestra (with vocal by Jimmy Rushing) (1946)
* Bing Crosby (1946)
* Benny Goodman and his orchestra (with vocal by Art Lund) (1946)
* Frank Sinatra (1946)
* The McGuire Sisters (1957)
* Ella Fitzgerald (1958)
* Jim Reeves (1962)
* Willie Nelson (1978)
* Rosemary Clooney
* Cassandra Wilson (1988)
* Lavay Smith & Red Hot Skillet Lickers (1996)
* Groove Armada (1999)
* Fiona Apple and Brad Mehldau (2002) -- unreleased, but performed at Club Largo.
* Brent Spiner performing as Lt. Cmdr. Data, in the 2002 movie Star Trek: Nemesis.
* Caetano Veloso (2004)

Selected Appearances in Film
* The Jazz Singer (1927)
* Alexander's Ragtime Band (1938)
* Blue Skies (1946)
* White Christmas (1954)
* Glengary Glen Ross 1994
* With Honors (1994)
* Patch Adams (1998)
* Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)
* The Aviator (2004)

Let Me Sing And I'm Happy - Al Jolson / Irving Berlin

singingkid — Sun, 31 Dec 2006 18:10:26 +0100

Here I am singing a wonderful song, written especially for another hero of mine, Al Jolson, by Irving Berlin, that says it all for all singers.. I hope you like my version of it. :)

1...2..FREE MUSIC VIDEO DOWNLOADS! - irving berlin

Harmonica - Blue Skies - Irving Berlin

Let Me Sing And I'm Happy - Al Jolson / Irving Berlin