Blue (Bill Mack song)

"Blue" is a heartache ballad about a lonely man who is wondering why his lover can't be blue or lonely over him. However, he later realizes that words his lover had whispered were only lies:

::"Blue

::Oh, so lonesome for you

::Why can't you be blue over me?"

Contrary to popular opinion, Mack has often denied that Patsy Cline was his inspiration for writing the song, stating "I didn't write it for Patsy. I never wrote one for anybody.""Midnight Cowboy Bill Mack may be riding high with a Grammy nomination for 'Blue," but he hasn't lost his love for overnight radio". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. February 23, 1997. Retrieved September 8, 2013. Archived from newslibrary.com In his autobiography Bill Mack's Memories from the Trenches of Broadcasting, Mack again debunks the publicity claim that he had written the song specifically for Cline, when in fact he did not have Cline in mind when he wrote it.{{cite book|title=Bill Mack's Memories from the Trenches of Broadcasting|author=Mack, Bill|date=2004|publisher=Unit II|isbn=0975263005}} According to his self-penned article for Truckers Connection, Mack reveals that his "most noteworthy inspirations [for creating compositions] have been a billboard and attempting to create note changes on a new guitar" in which he also states, {{quote|Inevitably, I would be approached with the question, "What inspired you to write the song?" I wrote "Blue" while picking my new guitar in my home in Wichita Falls, Texas. I was creating some note changes on the guitar when the song entered my mind. Although I wasn't watching the clock, the melody and lyrics came to me in a completed form within 15 minutes. My wife at the time said, "That's the best song I've ever heard! You need to record it as soon as you can!}}

Mack composed "Blue" within 15 minutes and recorded it in two takes at Nesman Recording Studios in Wichita Falls, Texas.{{cite journal|title=Bill Mack's Entertainment Beat: Music has the power|url=http://www.thetrucker.com/News/Stories/2010/9/24/BillMacksEntertainmentBeatMusichasthepower.aspx|journal=Truckers Connection|date=September 24, 2010|first=Bill|last=Mack|access-date=September 18, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029200220/http://www.thetrucker.com/News/Stories/2010/9/24/BillMacksEntertainmentBeatMusichasthepower.aspx|archive-date=October 29, 2013|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|title=Tuned In|url=http://www.overdriveonline.com/tuned-in/|date=August 7, 2007|work=Overdrive}} He released it as a 45 rpm single backed by "Faded Rose" for Starday Records, catalog number 360. The Billboard newsweekly on June 2, 1958, described Mack's recording of "Blue" as "A slow-tempo, relaxed item, with Mack's vocal backed by instrumentation featuring a honkytonk type piano. A flavorsome side."{{cite journal|title=Reviews of New C&W Records: BILL MACK - Blue|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BQsEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22bill+mack%22&pg=PA48|journal=The Billboard|date=June 2, 1958|page=48}}

His recording received a limited amount of radio airplay and sold fairly well regionally, but it did not become popular. Disc jockey Snuff Garrett strongly believed the song to be a "surefire hit for the future," so Mack hired a local female singer to make a demo tape recording of "Blue" in 1962 and placed it on a stack of many other songs he had written.{{cite web|title=Bill Mack looks back on 'Blue'|url=http://www.dfw.com/2011/11/03/532837/bill-mack-looks-back-on-blue.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111211225106/http://www.dfw.com/2011/11/03/532837/bill-mack-looks-back-on-blue.html|archive-date=2011-12-11|date=2011-11-03|author=Philpot, Robert|publisher=Dfw.com}}{{cite web|title=Bill Mack Interview: The Man and His Thoughts|url=http://strictcty2.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=articles&action=display&thread=2426|date=April 15, 2011|first=Marty|last=Martel|publisher=Strictly Country Magazine}}

Mack's friend Roy Drusky suggested he pitch "Blue" to Patsy Cline in an effort to make the song a hit, so Mack gave a tape to Cline's husband Charlie Dick, but Cline died in a plane crash in 1963 before she could record it.{{cite news|url=http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl/1996_1375820/nothing-blue-about-leann-rimes.html|title=Nothing Blue About LeAnn Rimes|first=Rick|last=Mitchell|date=1996-11-03|work=Houston Chronicle}}

The song became a multi-platinum hit for LeAnn Rimes, in 1996. Although it was claimed that Mack had been waiting to find the right vocalist to record "Blue" for all that time, the song was recorded by at least five artists (Mack himself in 1958, Kenny Roberts in 1966, Roy Drusky circa 1960-70s, Polly Stephens Exley in the late 1980s, and Kathryn Pitt in 1993) prior to LeAnn Rimes.{{cite web|url={{Allmusic|class=artist|id=p182450|pure_url=yes}}|title=Biography - LeAnn Rimes|last=Erlewine|first=Stephen Thomas |website=allmusic|access-date=2008-08-23}}

Mack's album Bill Mack Sings His Songs (1998), released as a CD and audio cassette, includes his original recording of "Blue".{{cite web|title=Bill Mack Sings His Songs order form|url=http://www.billmackcountry.com/orderform.htm|publisher=billmackcountry.com|access-date=2013-03-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304054033/http://www.billmackcountry.com/orderform.htm|archive-date=2016-03-04|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|title=Bill Mack - Sings His Songs|url=http://www.countrystandardtime.com/d/cdreview.asp?xid=154|author=Bernstein, Joel|year=1998|work=Country Standard Time}}

{{Infobox song

| name = Blue

| cover =

| alt =

| type = single

| artist = Kenny Roberts

| album =

| B-side = Sioux City Sue

| released = November 1966

| recorded =

| studio =

| venue =

| genre = Country

| length = {{Duration|m=2|s=12}}

| label = Starday

| writer = Bill Mack

| producer = Tommy Hill

| prev_title = Anytime

| prev_title2 = Tying the Leaves

| prev_year = 1966

| next_title = Just Look, Don't Touch

| next_title2 = Singing River

| next_year = 1967

}}

Kenny Roberts released "Blue" in 1966 as a 45 rpm single backed with "Sioux City Sue" for Starday Records, catalog number 788.[http://www.globaldogproductions.info/s/starday.html "Blue"/"Sioux City Sue"] (1966), catalog 45-788, Starday Records. globaldogproductions.info{{cite magazine|title=Spotlight Singles: Country Spotlights - Chart: Kenny Roberts - Sioux City Sue|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eA8EAAAAMBAJ&q=%22kenny+roberts%22+%22sioux+city+sue%22&pg=PA20|date=November 19, 1966|page=20|magazine=Billboard}}{{cite web|title=BLUE / SIOUX CITY SUE|url=http://www.gemm.com/store/TEDSBASEMENT/item/ROBERTS-KENNY-BLUE-SIOUX-CITY-SUE-45RPM/1442811606|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130411002923/http://www.gemm.com/store/TEDSBASEMENT/item/ROBERTS-KENNY-BLUE-SIOUX-CITY-SUE-45RPM/1442811606|url-status=dead|archive-date=2013-04-11|publisher=gemm.com}}[http://i.ebayimg.com/t/KENNY-ROBERTS-BLUE-SIOUX-CITY-SUE-45-/00/s/NDgwWDY0MA==/$(KGrHqNHJDUE+O,FNWnYBP4IfwbZiw~~60_3.JPG Photo scan of Kenny Roberts' "Blue" 45 rpm]. Ebay.com Roberts, who was a successful country singer since 1949 (with his hit single "I Never See Maggie Alone", and other recordings with Coral and Decca Records throughout the 1950s) signed to Starday in 1965. Don Pierce, Starday president and co-founder who had worked with Mack to record "Blue", gave Roberts the song to make the song a hit. Roberts revised the song by adding the yodel to it. Pierce believed the song had hit potential and promoted Robert's recording with his best effort, but the song did not become popular.{{cite book|title=The Starday Story: The House That Country Music Built|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4Py71WEZ1FYC&q=%22blue%22+%22kenny+roberts%22&pg=PA155|pages=155–156|author=Gibson, Nathan D. and Don Pierce|year=2011|publisher=University Press of Mississippi|isbn=978-1-60473-830-8}}

Roberts' recording of "Blue" was reissued by Starday as the ninth track on his LP The Incredible Kenny Roberts (1967),{{cite book|title=The Incredible Kenny Roberts|oclc=13905623|author=Roberts, Kenny|publisher=worldcat.org}}{{cite web|title=The Incredible Kenny Roberts|url=http://www.lpdiscography.com/?page=album&album=21695|publisher=lpdiscography.com}} by Bluebonnet catalog number 201 as the fifth track on his LP You're My Kind of People (1988),{{cite web|title=Playlist 11/2/2008 - Kenny & Bettyanne, Hank, Homer & Jethro, Eddy, Buell, Uncle Dave, Grandpa, Al, and J. E.|url=http://redroosterparty.blogspot.com/2008/11/playlist-1122008-kenny-bettyanne-hank.html|date=November 2, 2008|publisher=Red Rooster Party}}{{cite web|title=LP listing no. 4553: You're My Kind of People by (Yodellin') Kenny Roberts - Bluebonnet 201|url=http://www.strictlycountry.nl/images/Auction%20100/06_100_LPs.pdf|publisher=strictlycountry.nl|access-date=2013-09-07|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304044317/http://www.strictlycountry.nl/images/Auction%20100/06_100_LPs.pdf|archive-date=2016-03-04}} by Gusto Records as the ninth track on the 2-CD and digital download compilation Country Stars (2006)[http://store.gustorecords.com/coston2cdsva.html Country Stars On 2 CDs] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131105181101/http://store.gustorecords.com/coston2cdsva.html |date=November 5, 2013 }} gustorecords.com[https://music.apple.com/us/album/country-stars/214301410 Country Stars by Various Artists] iTunes.com and as the first track on the digital download EP Gusto's Top Hits: Kenny Roberts (2008).[https://music.apple.com/us/album/top-hits-blue-ep/289758031 Top Hits - Blue - EP: Kenny Roberts]. iTunes.com

In the late 1980s, Fort Worth singer-songwriter Polly Stephens Exley (also known as Polly Stephens, Polly Exley and Pauline Stephens) recorded "Blue"{{cite book|title=LeAnn Rimes: Teen Country Queen|first=Grace|last=Catalano|publisher=Laurel Leaf|page=[https://archive.org/details/leannrimesteenco00grac/page/28 28]|date=April 7, 1997|isbn=0440227372|url=https://archive.org/details/leannrimesteenco00grac/page/28}}{{cite journal|url=http://www.texasmonthly.com/content/kids-are-alright/|title=The Kids Are Alright|journal=Texas Monthly|date=October 1998|first1=John |last1=Morthland|first2=Jason|last2=Cohen|first3=Ramiro|last3=Burr}} but released less than 500 tapes."Something borrowed, something 'Blue'". Austin American-Statesman. June 8, 1996. Retrieved September 8, 2013. Archived from newslibrary.com On February 13, 1997, Exley filed a trial by jury suit in a Tarrant County federal court, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, for copyright infringement against Bill Mack, Broadcast Music, Carlin America, Curb Records, Fort Knox Music, Hal Leonard Corporation and Trio Music.{{cite web|title=Exley v. Smith, et al|publisher=legalmetric.com|url=http://www.legalmetric.com/cases/copyright/txnd/txnd_397cv00303.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130908154037/http://www.legalmetric.com/cases/copyright/txnd/txnd_397cv00303.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 8, 2013|access-date=September 8, 2013}} Exley stated that she wrote the second verse of "Blue" in 1987 and should be compensated with 50 percent of the writer's royalties."Fort Worth entertainer says she wrote second verse of 'Blue' in 1987". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. February 27, 1997. Retrieved September 8, 2013. Archived from newslibrary.com In September 1997, the parties said they had settled the dispute awarding royalties to Polly Stephens Exley, but was issued a gag order not to publicly talk about her role in the writing of the song. In January 1998, the case was dismissed. Exley re-recorded the song on October 1, 1997, with a transfer of copyright, and had it copyrighted on January 20, 1998, for Fort Knox Music and Trio Music.{{cite web|title=Blue (Document number V3409D515)|author=Exley, Polly Stephens|url=http://www.copyrightencyclopedia.com/along-came-caroline-w-and-m-paul-stephens-and-michael-steel/|publisher=copyrightencyclopedia.com}}

{{Infobox song

| name = Blue

| cover = LeAnn Rimes - Blue single.jpg

| alt =

| type = single

| artist = LeAnn Rimes

| album = Blue

| B-side = {{ubl|"The Light in Your Eyes" (U.S.)|"How Do I Live" (UK), "Undeniable" (UK)}}

| released = May 27 1996{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000000CR9 |title=Blue / The Light in Your Eyes: LeAnn Rimes: Music |website=Amazon |access-date=2011-10-25}}

| recorded =

| studio =

| venue =

| genre = Country

| length = 2:49 ("Blue")
2:34 ("Lady & Gentlemen")

| label = Curb

| writer = Bill Mack

| producer = Wilbur C. Rimes ("Blue")
Darrell Brown, LeAnn Rimes ("Lady & Gentlemen")

| prev_title =

| prev_year =

| next_title = Hurt Me

| next_year = 1996

}}

American singer LeAnn Rimes first recorded the song at Norman Petty Studio in Clovis, NM, when she was 11 years old for her 1994 independent album All That.{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0007Z1C8W |title=All That: LeAnn Rimes: Music |website=Amazon |access-date=2011-10-26}}{{cite AV media notes|title=All That|others=LeAnn Rimes|year=1994|type=CD|publisher=Nor Va Jak|id=98081-1234-2}} Rimes' father Wilbur and Dallas-Fort Worth manager Marty Rendleman received the Polly Stephens Exley version sent by Bill Mack when putting together the All That album.{{cite book|title=Singing Your Way to Stardom: A Blueprint for Success in the Music Industry|publisher=Tate Publishing & Enterprises|date=January 4, 2011|isbn=978-1617394249|first=Marty|last=Rendleman}}{{cite web|title= Marty Rendleman biography|url=http://www.rendleman.net/martyrendlemen_bio.htm|publisher=RMG|access-date=September 8, 2013}} Wilbur Rimes disliked the demo stating "The first time I heard 'Blue' I didn't like it, but it was a demo version that sounded old fashion."{{cite book|title=Dreams Come True: The LeAnn Rimes Story|last=Sgammato|first=Jo|publisher=Random House|isbn=0-345-41650-3|pages=61–64|date=March 30, 1997}}

Rimes re-recorded the song for her debut album, Blue, in 1996 when she was 13.CMT Inside Fame: LeAnn Rimes CMT (2004-4-12) Retrieved 2011-10-8{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v4GQDYx_RnkC&q=LeAnn+Rimes+All+That+1994+Nor+Va+Jak&pg=PA446 |title=The Encyclopedia of Country Music: The Ultimate Guide to the Music - Paul Kingsbury, Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum - Google 도서 |date=2004-12-16 |isbn=9780195176087 |access-date=2012-06-02|last1=Kingsbury |first1=Paul |last2=Rumble |first2=John |last3=Cooper |first3=Daniel C. |publisher=Oxford University Press, USA }} This recording was meant to be the B-side of Rimes' first single, "The Light in Your Eyes", but a ten-second tag of "Blue" on the promo record sent to radio stations drew the attention of DJs, so the A and B-sides were reversed and "Blue" became her first single. It debuted at #49 on the Billboard Country Chart for the week of 25 May 1996, becoming a major hit that summer, peaking at #10 on the Billboard Country Chart and #26 on the Billboard Hot 100, while also reaching #1 on the Canadian Country RPM singles chart. Rimes won the 1996 Grammy for Best Female Country Vocal Performance for this version, drawing the attention that earned Mack, as songwriter, that year's Grammy Award for Best Country Song.

Rimes recorded a third version with The Time Jumpers for her 2011 album Lady & Gentlemen, co-producing it with Darrell Brown.{{cite AV media notes|title=Lady & Gentlemen|others=LeAnn Rimes|year=2011|type=CD|publisher=Curb Records|id=D2-79203}}

{{listen

| pos = right

| filename = Blue (LeAnn Rimes song).ogg

| title = "Blue" (1996)

| description = A 28 second sample of Rimes' "Blue"

| format = Ogg

}}

Shawn Haney of AllMusic stated the song was a "sleeper hit," a "radio-friendly airplay single" and that it should "affect listeners in a charismatic and lighthearted way."{{cite web|last=Haney |first=Shawn M. |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/blue-r237851 |title=Blue - LeAnn Rimes |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=2012-02-07}} When re-released on Lady & Gentlemen, AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine said the new recording "illustrates just how far she’s come -- how she’s become a stronger, more nuanced singer over the years."{{cite web|last=Thomas |first=Stephen |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/lady-gentlemen-r2267721/review |title=Lady & Gentlemen - LeAnn Rimes |publisher=AllMusic |date=2011-09-27 |access-date=2012-02-07 |author-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine}} Larry Flick from Billboard wrote, "What a set of pipes'... and this girl is only 13 years old. Her voice and the song's unique history are rapidly gaining attention at country radio. [...] One listen to this single, and it is obvious that "Blue" has found the appropriate home. Rimes has a clear and strong voice, and she delivers the tune with a delightful yodel and lots of power. This could easily be the hottest new thing on country radio this summer."{{cite magazine|first=Larry|last=Flick|title=Reviews & Previews: Singles|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/90s/1996/BB-1996-06-01.pdf|magazine=Billboard|date=1996-06-01|page=83|accessdate=2022-11-28|author-link=Larry Flick}}

The accompanying music video for "Blue" features Rimes sitting by Barton Springs Pool in the summer with sunglasses on while young men pass her by.{{cite web|url=http://www.cmt.com/videos/rimes_leann/46948/.jhtml |title=Videos : LeAnn Rimes : Blue |publisher=CMT|access-date=2011-11-20}}{{dead link|date=July 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} Filmed in Austin, Texas, the music video was directed by Chris Rogers and produced by Hunter Hodge for Pecos Films.{{cite magazine|title=Music Video: Production Notes - Other Cities|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xAcEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA96|date=July 27, 1996|magazine=Billboard|page=96}} The video won two

1996 Billboard Music Awards for Best Country Music Video of the Year and Best New Artist Video of the Year. Country Music Television ranked "Blue" the number four video of the year and named Rimes the Female Rising Video Star of the Year in 1996.{{cite book|title=Dream Come True: The LeAnn Rimes Story|url=https://archive.org/details/dreamcometrueleasga00sgam|url-access=registration|author= Sgammato, Jo|publisher=Ballantine Books|year=1997|isbn=0345472764}} The Houston Press and the Austin American-Statesman described that the video alluded to a Lolita theme.{{cite journal|title=The Reason of Rimes|url=https://www.houstonpress.com/music/the-reason-of-rimes-6571199?storyPage=2|journal=Houston Press|date=February 13, 1997|first=Matt|last=Weitz}}{{cite journal|title=A cab voyage of discovery|journal=Austin American-Statesman|date=January 7, 1997}}. Retrieved September 17, 2013 Archived from newslibrary.com

The music video is included on the bonus DVD for Rimes' Greatest Hits - Limited Edition album (2003){{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/Greatest-Hits-Bonus-Limited-DVD/dp/B0040ZTOSK/ref=sr_1_7?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1319727468&sr=1-7 |title=Greatest Hits: Includes Bonus Limited Edition DVD: LeAnn Rimes: Music |website=Amazon |date=2009-09-09 |access-date=2011-10-27}} and on the Region 2 music DVD releases, The Best of LeAnn Rimes (2004){{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Best-Leann-Rimes-DVD/dp/B000189KSE|title=The Best of LeAnn Rimes|publisher=Amazon.co.uk|access-date=2013-05-25}} and LeAnn Rimes: The Complete DVD Collection (2006).{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/Complete-DVD-Collection-Pal-Region/dp/B000I2JLCI |title=Leann Rimes: The Complete DVD Collection|website=Amazon |date=2009-09-09 |access-date=2011-10-27}}

• US CD single

1. "Blue" – 2:47
2. "The Light in Your Eyes" – 3:20

• UK Maxi CD singleUK Maxi CD single references:
• {{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blue-How-Do-I-Live/dp/B00000G526/ref=sr_1_3?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1319561229&sr=1-3 |title=Blue/How Do I Live: Leann Rimes: Amazon.co.uk: Music |publisher=Amazon.co.uk |access-date=2011-10-25}}
• {{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Leann-Rimes/dp/B00000G5RK/ref=sr_1_3?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1319561309&sr=1-3 |title=Blue: Leann Rimes: Amazon.com: Music |website=Amazon |access-date=2011-10-25}}

1. "Blue" – 2:47
2. "How Do I Live" – 4:27
3. "Undeniable" – 3:44

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

{{col-2}}

{{Certification Table Top}}

{{certification Table Entry|type=single|title=Blue|artist=LeAnn Rimes|region=United States|award=Platinum|relyear=1997|certyear=2023|salesamount=1,000,000|salesref={{cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IA8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA61 |title=Best-Selling Records of 1996 |magazine=Billboard|publisher=BPI Communications Inc.|date=January 18, 1997 |access-date=May 8, 2015 |page=61 |issn=0006-2510|volume=109|number=3}}}}

{{Table end}}

{{col-end}}

{{reflist|30em}}

• [https://archive.org/details/BillMack-01-18 "Blue" (1958)] by Bill Mack at archive.org
• [https://archive.today/20130119090516/http://www.cmt.com/videos/leann-rimes/46948/blue.jhtml Official Music Video] by LeAnn Rimes at CMT.com

{{LeAnn Rimes singles}}

{{Grammy Award for Best Country Song}}

{{authority control}}

Category:1956 songs

Category:1996 debut singles

Category:Country ballads

Category:Curb Records singles

Category:LeAnn Rimes songs

Category:Songs written by Bill Mack

Category:Starday Records singles

Category:Songs about heartache

Category:1950s ballads

Category:Yodeling songs