Blue Bayou
Encyclopedia
"Blue Bayou" is the title of a song written by Roy Orbison
and Joe Melson
and sung by Orbison.
, it was originally released by Orbison as a 45rpm single on the Monument Records
label in August 1963 (backed with the rock song "Mean Woman Blues
").
"Blue Bayou" also appears on Orbison's 1963 album, In Dreams and his 1989 posthumous album A Black & White Night Live
from the 1988 HBO television special.
Side one
Side two
Ronstadt later performed the song on an episode of "The Muppet Show
".
Because of this song, Dickson's Baseball Dictionary records that a "Linda Ronstadt" is a synonym for a fastball, a pitch that "blew by you."
Side one
Side two
by France's
Mireille Mathieu
. The song was also recorded by Australia
n a cappella
group The Idea of North
and Swiss singer Paola Felix
.
Mexican singer/actress Bibi Gaytán
recorded in 1994 a Spanish version of this song titled "Lago Azul", which was released as the first single from her second studio album Manzana Verde.
Andrea Corr
performs Blue Bayou on her 2011 album Lifelines
.
Chris de Burgh
Also Covered this song on his 2011 album Footsteps 2
Roy Orbison
Roy Kelton Orbison was an American singer-songwriter, well known for his distinctive, powerful voice, complex compositions, and dark emotional ballads. Orbison grew up in Texas and began singing in a rockabilly/country & western band in high school until he was signed by Sun Records in Memphis...
and Joe Melson
Joe Melson
Joe Melson , is an American singer and a BMI Award–winning songwriter.Melson was born in Bonham, the seat of Fannin County in northeast Texas. He was reared on a farm until he was sixteen. He attended high school in Gore, Oklahoma, and in Chicago before he returned to Texas to study at the two-year...
and sung by Orbison.
Roy Orbison version
A plaintive balladBallad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
, it was originally released by Orbison as a 45rpm single on the Monument Records
Monument Records
Monument Records was an American record label, Washington, D.C. named for the Washington Monument, founded in 1958, by Fred Foster and Buddy Deane . Buddy Deane soon left the company, and in the early 60's bought KOTN in Pine Bluff, Arkansas where he retired to until his death...
label in August 1963 (backed with the rock song "Mean Woman Blues
Mean Woman Blues
"Mean Woman Blues" is a 12-bar blues song written by Claude Demetrius. It was recorded by Elvis Presley as part of the soundtrack for his 1957 motion picture, Loving You. Presley also released the song on Side 2 of a four-song EP record...
").
"Blue Bayou" also appears on Orbison's 1963 album, In Dreams and his 1989 posthumous album A Black & White Night Live
A Black & White Night Live
A Black & White Night Live is a Roy Orbison music album made posthumously by Virgin Records from the HBO television broadcast, Roy Orbison and Friends, A Black and White Night. The album was released in 1989 and included the songs "Blue Bayou" and "Claudette" that because of time constraints had...
from the 1988 HBO television special.
7" vinyl
US: Monument Records 824Side one
- "Blue Bayou" (Joe Melson , Roy Orbison) – 2:29
Side two
- "Mean Woman Blues" (Claude DemetriusClaude DemetriusClaude Demetrius was an African American songwriter.Born in Bath, Maine, by his early twenties he was in New York City writing music for and/or with the likes of Louis Armstrong, Jimmy Witherspoon and B.B. King. Demetrius wrote the 1945 musical comedy short film Open the Door, Richard...
) – 2:23
Chart performance
| Chart (1963) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Irish Singles Chart Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
1 |
| Australian Singles Chart | 1 |
| U.K. Singles Chart | 3 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart | 10 |
| US Billboard Black Singles Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
26 |
| US Billboard Pop Singles Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
29 |
Linda Ronstadt version
Linda Ronstadt took the song to #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in late 1977 - as well as #2 Country and #3 Easy Listening. The single was RIAA certified Gold (for sales of over 1 million US copies) in January 1978. It was Ronstadt's first of three Gold singles. "Blue Bayou" was later certified Platinum (for over 2 million copies sold in the United States). It was a worldwide smash and was also popular in a Spanish-language version called "Lago Azul".Ronstadt later performed the song on an episode of "The Muppet Show
The Muppet Show
The Muppet Show is a British television programme produced by American puppeteer Jim Henson and featuring Muppets. After two pilot episodes were produced in 1974 and 1975, the show premiered on 5 September 1976 and five series were produced until 15 March 1981, lasting 120 episodes...
".
Because of this song, Dickson's Baseball Dictionary records that a "Linda Ronstadt" is a synonym for a fastball, a pitch that "blew by you."
7" vinyl
US: Asylum Records E-45431Side one
- "Blue Bayou" (Joe Melson , Roy Orbison) – 3:57
Side two
- "Old Paint (traditional, arranged by Linda Ronstadt) – 3:05
Chart performance
| Chart (1977) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Adult Contemporary Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States... |
3 |
| US Billboard Country Singles | 2 |
| US Billboard Pop Singles Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
3 |
| Chart (1978) | Peak position |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 3 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
35 |
Other cover versions
"Blue Bayou" has been recorded by other artists in many languages, including in the French languageFrench language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
by France's
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Mireille Mathieu
Mireille Mathieu
Mireille Mathieu is a French chanteuse, and pop singer. Hailed in the French press as the successor to Édith Piaf, she has achieved great commercial success, recording over 1200 songs in nine different languages, with more than 120 million records sold worldwide.-Childhood to early...
. The song was also recorded by Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n a cappella
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
group The Idea of North
The Idea of North
The Idea of North are an Australian a cappella vocal ensemble, founded in Canberra in 1993. The group's name is taken from radio broadcasts of pianist Glenn Gould....
and Swiss singer Paola Felix
Paola del Medico
Paola Felix-del Medico is a Swiss singer.Born in Saint-Gall, she has sung in German, mainly, and in French. She represented Switzerland in the Eurovision Song Contest 1969 with the entry "Bonjour, Bonjour", finishing in fifth place....
.
Mexican singer/actress Bibi Gaytán
Bibi Gaytán
Bibí Gaytán was born January 27, 1972 in Tapachula, Chiapas, Mexico. Three of her four brothers are in show business: musician Chacho Gaytán, actor Alejandro Gaytan, and singer Mano Gaytan...
recorded in 1994 a Spanish version of this song titled "Lago Azul", which was released as the first single from her second studio album Manzana Verde.
Andrea Corr
Andrea Corr
Andrea Jane Corr is an Irish musician, songwriter and actress. Corr debuted in 1990 as the lead singer of the Celtic folk rock and pop rock group The Corrs along with her three elder siblings Caroline, Sharon, and Jim...
performs Blue Bayou on her 2011 album Lifelines
Lifelines (Andrea Corr album)
Lifelines is the second studio album by Andrea Corr and consists of covers. It was released on 29 May 2011 as a digital download and 30 May 2011 on CD...
.
Chris de Burgh
Chris de Burgh
Chris de Burgh is a British/Irish singer-songwriter. He is most famous for his 1986 love song "The Lady in Red".-Early life:...
Also Covered this song on his 2011 album Footsteps 2
Footsteps 2
"Footsteps 2" is singer/songwriter Chris de Burgh's nineteenth original album. It was released in Germany, Switzerland and Austria on October 14, 2011, and in the UK and Ireland on October 17, 2011....