Am I Blue?

"Am I Blue?" is a song written by Harry Akst and Grant Clarke in 1929, and was a big hit that year for Ethel Waters in the movie On with the Show. It has become a standard and has been covered by numerous artists.

Eddie Cochran version

"Am I Blue"
Single by Eddie Cochran
A-side	"Drive In Show"
Released	1957
Format	7" single
Recorded	May–August 1957, Gold Star Studios
Genre	Rockabilly
Label	Liberty 55087
Writer(s)	Harry Akst Grant Clarke
Producer(s)	Simon Jackson
Eddie Cochran singles chronology
"One Kiss" (1957) "Drive In Show" (1957) Twenty Flight Rock (1957)

Eddie Cochran recorded his version of "Am I Blue" sometime between May and August 1957. It was released on the B-side of Liberty Records single 55087. The A-side was "Drive In Show" which rose to number 82 on the Billboard charts.

Personnel used in the recording session:

• Eddie Cochran - guitars, ukulele, vocals
• Perry Botkin - rhythm guitar
• Connie "Guybo" Smith - double bass
• The Johnny Mann Chorus - backing vocals

Cher version

"Am I Blue?"
Single by Cher
from the album Bittersweet White Light
B-side	"How Long Has This Been Going On"
Released	1973
Recorded	1973
Genre	Pop
Length	3:47
Label	MCA
Writer(s)	Clarke, Akst
Producer(s)	Snuff Garrett and Sonny Bono
Cher singles chronology
"Don't Hide Your Love" (1973) "Am I Blue?" (1973) "Half-Breed" (1973)

	"Am I Blue?" (Cher version)
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American singer-actress Cher recorded and released "Am I Blue" in 1973. It was released on single and the album Bittersweet White Light.

Chart performance Cher version

Chart (1973)	Peak position
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)	111

Other versions

• Annette Hanshaw recorded the song on May 31, 1929
• A recording of the song in a medley with "Blue Room" was made on July 14, 1942 by Eddy Duchin and released by Columbia Records as catalog number 36746, with the flip side a medley of "Sometimes I'm Happy" and "Pretty Baby.^[1]"
• In 1944, the song was performed by Hoagy Carmichael and Lauren Bacall in the Howard Hawks directed film To Have and Have Not.
• The tune is played in a scene in the Warner Bros. cartoon Booby Hatched, when a duck is sitting on her eggs, her teeth chattering from the cold.
• In 1954, Dinah Washington recorded the song for the album After Hours with Miss "D"
• In 1957, early teen idol Ricky Nelson included the song on his debut album Ricky.
• Eddie Cochran, an early performer of rock and roll music, also recorded the song in 1957.
• In 1961, Fats Domino recorded the song for the album Let the Four Winds Blow.
• Brenda Lee recorded her version for the album Reflections In Blue (1967).
• In 1972, Bette Midler recorded the song for her album The Divine Miss M (1972).
• In 1973, Cher released the song as the first and only single from her album of standards, Bittersweet White Light. It missed the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at 111 in Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles.
• "Am I Blue?" was performed by the character of Batman (sung by Kevin Conroy, Batman's voice actor) in the 2004 episode of the animated series Justice League Unlimited, "This Little Piggy". Wonder Woman hums the tune at the end of that episode.
• In 1969, Judy Garland and Johnnie Ray performed an (unreleased) duet cover of the song.
• Barbra Streisand recorded a version of "Am I Blue" (with a comedic ending) for her 1975 film Funny Lady.
• In 1978, Robert Gordon recorded the song for his Rock Billy Boogie album.
• Diane Lane sang it in the 1984 film The Cotton Club; it was not released on the soundtrack of the movie.
• Linda Ronstadt recorded the song for her album For Sentimental Reasons (1986).
• The deposed Qing emperor Henry Puyi (played by John Lone) sings the song during his 1925-31 playboy days in the Japanese concession of Tianjin in The Last Emperor (1987) by Bernardo Bertolucci.
• Charlie Rich recorded the song in 1991 for his 1992 release Pictures and Paintings.
• Jeri Southern covered the song on her 2009 album Romance in the Dark.
• Billie Holiday's version of the song appeared in the 2009 movie Public Enemies.
• In 2012, the song was sung by Rachael MacFarlane in the episode Love, AD Style in the animated sitcom American Dad!

External links

• List of "Am I Blue" versions on Second Hand Songs.

References

1. Columbia Records in the 36500 to 36999 series