"Blueberry Hill" is a popular American song published in 1940 and first recorded and released by Sammy Kaye in 1940 on RCA Victor. It is best remembered for its 1950s rock and roll version by Fats Domino.
| "Blueberry Hill" | |
|---|---|
 1940 sheet music | |
| Song | |
| Published | 1940 by Chappell & Company, New York |
| Genre | |
| Composer(s) | Vincent Rose |
| Lyricist(s) | |
Glenn Miller peaked at no. 2 on the Billboard pop singles chart in 1940 with his recording on RCA Bluebird Records featuring Ray Eberle on vocals.
Background
editThe music for "Blueberry Hill" was composed by Vincent Rose and the lyrics by Larry Stock and Al Lewis.[1] The song was turned down by another publisher until being bought and published in 1940 by Chappell & Company.[2] The song was recorded over ten times that year.
Recordings
editSammy Kaye initially recorded and released the first recording of the song on RCA Victor Records with vocals by Tommy Ryan on May 31, 1940.[3][4]
The first hit version and the most successful in 1940 was by the Glenn Miller Orchestra, which reached number 2 on the US charts featuring Ray Eberle on vocals.[5] It was recorded in Chicago on May 13, 1940 and released on RCA Bluebird Records as catalog number B-10768-A. It was released by EMI in the UK on the His Master's Voice (HMV) label as catalog numbers BD 5632 and MH 92.
Louis Armstrong's 1949 recording on Decca Records with Gordon Jenkins charted in the Billboard Top 40, reaching number 29. This recording would inspire Fats Domino to create the later cover in 1956.
Fats Domino version
edit| "Blueberry Hill" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Fats Domino | ||||
| from the EP This Is Fats Domino! | ||||
| B-side | "Honey Chile" | |||
| Released | 1956 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 2:14 | |||
| Label | Imperial | |||
| Composer(s) | Vincent Rose | |||
| Lyricist(s) | ||||
| Fats Domino singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Blueberry Hill" was an international hit in 1956 for Fats Domino and has become a rock and roll standard. It reached number two for three weeks on the Billboard Top 40 charts, becoming his biggest pop hit, and spent eight non-consecutive weeks at number one on the R&B Best Sellers chart.[6] The version by Fats Domino was also ranked number 82 in Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[7][8]
Popular culture
edit- On the American television show, Happy Days, this was Richie Cunningham's favorite song.[9][10][11]
- Joe Edwards' restaurant Blueberry Hill, on the Delmar Loop in St. Louis, Missouri, where Chuck Berry frequently played, is named after the song.[12]
- Prime Minister of Russia Vladimir Putin made a cover performance of the song on December 10, 2010 before an audience of international film and television celebrities, in support of a charity for ill children. Videos of his performance quickly went viral worldwide.[13]
References
edit- ^ "Blueberry Hill Work ID: 320068128 – Writers". ACE Repertory. Retrieved April 14, 2018.
- ^ "Larry Stock | Songwriters Hall of Fame". www.songhall.org. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
- ^ Catalog #26643, with the flip side "Maybe"; matrix #51050
- ^ Blueberry Hill by Sammy Kaye. Discogs. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Pop Hits, Singles and Albums 1940-1954.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 167.
- ^ "500 Greatest Songs of All Time: Fats Domino, 'Blueberry Hill'". Rolling Stone. April 7, 2011. Retrieved October 7, 2011.
- ^ "500 Greatest Songs of All Time: Fats Domino, 'Blueberry Hill' | Rolling Stone". www.rollingstone.com. Archived from the original on December 18, 2011. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
- ^ Terrace, Vincent (2006). Television characters : 1,485 profiles, 1947-2004. Jefferson NC: McFarland. p. 335/941. ISBN 0786421916.
Richie's trademark became the song "Blueberry Hill" (he would frequently sing the first line — "I found my thrill on Blueberry Hill").
- ^ Marshall, Garry (1995). Wake me when it's funny. Adams Pub. p. 14. ISBN 1558505261.
On the first day of Happy Days, Ron Howard pulled my brother aside and said, "I'm really glad to be doing this show, but I'm not very funny." But a few months later he was singing that Blueberry Hill song and marking audiences laugh.
(Section quoted written by Penny Marshall.) - ^ West, Beverly; Bergund, Jason (2005). TV therapy : the television guide to life. New York City NY: Delta Trade Paperbacks. p. 83. ISBN 0-385-33902-X.
...and the most alarming collection of plaid button-downs ever assembled in order to find his thrill on Blueberry Hill.
- ^ Medlin, Jarrett (August 16, 2012). "Blueberry Hill Turns 40". St. Louis Magazine.
- ^ Martel, Frances (December 11, 2010). "This Exists: Vladimir Putin Serenades Audience With Rendition Of 'Blueberry Hill'". Mediaite.com. Retrieved October 7, 2011.