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Blue Bayou
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Wikipedia article
"'Blue Bayou'" is a song written by Roy Orbison and Joe Melson. It was originally sung and recorded by Orbison, who had an international hit with his version in 1963. It later became Linda Ronstadt's signature song, with which she scored a Top 5 hit with her cover in 1977. The song has since been recorded by many others.
Roy Orbison version
Background
"Blue Bayou" was originally recorded by Roy Orbison at the end of 1961. In the UK, it was released by London Monument as the double A-side track with "Mean Woman Blues" on a Monument Records single (HLU 9777), where both sides peaked at number 3. In the US, it was issued as a B-side single, peaking at number 29; the A-side, "Mean Woman Blues", peaked at number 5. The song also appeared on Orbison's 1963 full-length album 'In Dreams'. According to the authorised biography of Roy Orbison, a rare different version of "Blue Bayou" was released only in Italy (London 45-HL 1499)."Blue Bayou" reappeared on his 1989 posthumous album 'A Black & White Night Live', from the 1988 television special on Cinemax.
Track listings
7" vinylUS: Monument Records 824
'Side one'
# "Blue Bayou" (Roy Orbison, Joe Melson) 2:29 Recorded in late 1961.
'Side two'
# "Mean Woman Blues" (Claude Demetrius) 2:23
Chart performance
Weekly charts
{|class="wikitable sortable"|-
!align="left"|Chart (1963)
! style="text-align:center;"|Peak
position
|-
|align="left"|Australian Singles Chart
| style="text-align:center;"|1
|-
|align="left"|Belgium
| style="text-align:center;"|3
|-
|Canada (CHUM 'Hit Parade')[http://chumtribute.com/63-10-07-chart.jpg http://chumtribute.com/63-03-11-chart.jpg CHUM Hit Parade, October 7, 1963]
| style="text-align:center;"|14
|-
|align="left"|Ireland
| style="text-align:center;"|1
|-
|New Zealand ('Lever Hit Parade')[http://www.flavourofnz.co.nz/index.php?qpageID=search%20lever&qsongid=807#n_view_location Flavour of New Zealand, 14 November 1963]
| style="text-align:center;"|4
|-
|align="left"|Norwegian Singles Chart
| style="text-align:center;"|10
|-
|align="left"|UK
| style="text-align:center;"|3
|-
|align="left"|US 'Billboard' Hot R&B Sides
| style="text-align:center;"|26
|-
|align="left"|US 'Billboard' Hot 100
| style="text-align:center;"|29
|-
|US 'Cash Box' Top 100[https://tropicalglen.com/Archives/60s_files/19631019.html Cash Box Top 100 Singles, October 19, 1963]
|align="center"|21
|}
Year-end charts
References in popular culture
This song has been used in several motion pictures including:* 'The Man Who Fell to Earth' (1976), starring David Bowie, directed by Nicolas Roeg
* 'Last Orders' (2001), directed by Fred Schepisi
* 'Dreamcatcher' (2003), directed by Lawrence Kasdan
* 'Man on Fire' (2004), directed by Tony Scott
* 'The Best of Enemies' (2019), directed by Robin Bissell, and starring Taraji P. Henson and Sam Rockwell
* 'Blue Bayou (film)' (2021), directed by Justin Chon. In the film the song is sung by actress Alicia Vikander
Jacques Cousteau included an abridged version of the song during a "River Explorations" episode which details environmental changes on the Mississippi River.
This song has also been used in the Netflix digital series, Stranger Things (Season 2, Episode 6).
Linda Ronstadt version
Background
Linda Ronstadt took the song to #3 on the 'Billboard Hot 100' in late 1977, where it held for four weeks, as well as #2 Country and #3 Easy Listening. It also reached #2, holding there for four weeks, on the 'Cash Box' Top 100 chart.The single was RIAA certified Gold (for sales of over 1 million US copies) in January 1978. It was the first of Ronstadt's three Gold singles. Don Henley of the Eagles sang backup on the recording. "Blue Bayou" was later certified Platinum (for over 2 million copies sold in the United States). It was a worldwide smash..
Ronstadt's version was nominated for the Grammy Award for Record of the Year and for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.
Ronstadt also recorded a Spanish-language version of the song, titled "Lago Azul (Blue Bayou)", which was released in 1978 on the single Asylum E-45464, backed by "Lo Siento Mi Vida", a previously released Spanish song that Ronstadt herself co-wrote. This version has never been included on any reissues of 'Simple Dreams'.
Ronstadt later performed the song on the episode 523 of 'The Muppet Show', first aired October 26, 1980 on UK, and May 16, 1981 on United States.
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". That phrase was coined by Mets broadcaster Tim McCarver, during a Mets telecast in the 1980s.
Ronstadt's version appears, in edited form, in the 2017 film 'American Made' and in Tony Scott's 2004 film 'Man on Fire'.
Track listings
7" vinylUS: Asylum Records E-45431
'Side one'
# "Blue Bayou" (Roy Orbison, Joe Melson) 3:57
'Side two'
# "Old Paint (traditional, arranged by Linda Ronstadt) 3:05
Chart performance
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Notable cover versions
Besides Orbison and Ronstadt, many other artists have covered "Blue Bayou" in English; among the notable versions are:
* Dutch singer Piet Veerman and the New Cats, 1980, on a single and his album 'Back to You'.
* Swiss (a reggae singer of Tongan origin in New Zealand), 2012, on the single 'Blue Bayou' (a reggae version of the song).
* Alisan Porter, winner of season 10 (2016) of the program 'The Voice', sang the song during her blind audition, prompting all four judges to turn their chairs.
* Rick Price and Jack Jones covered the song on their album 'California Dreaming' (2017).
* Karli Webster, contestant of season 13 (2017) of 'The Voice', sang the song in the knockouts against Janice Freeman. Although she lost the knockout, she came back as a comeback artist for Miley Cyrus in the live shows. However, Webster was again eliminated.
* Harry Dean Stanton performed the song in his biopic 'Harry Dean Stanton: Partly Fiction'.
*Chris De Burgh performed the song on his album 'Footsteps 2' (2011).
*Hawaiian singer/guitarist Robi Kahakalau recorded the song in a Hawaiian style on her 2010 album 'All I Want is All You Need'.
* In December 1, 2020: Kelly Clarkson covered this song on the 'Kellyoke' segment of season two of her talk show 'The Kelly Clarkson Show' and released a full studio version on the EP 'Kellyoke' in 2022.
*Alicia Vikander performed the song in the film 'Blue Bayou' (2021), directed by Justin Chon
References
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