Ages ago (well, two and half years or so) I posted about one of my favorite songs but didn't give you a way to see or hear any of the versions to which I linked. That's just silly. And so today I bring you not only a playlist of some of them but a video of Bobby Darin singing the song that made me sit up and notice him. I'd heard his silly pop songs but his take on Blue Skies made me realize what a vocal powerhouse he really was and I've adored his take on some crooner classics that Sinatra and the rest of the Rat Pack couldn't pull off half as well. (Compare Sinatra's version below with Bobby Darin's and let me know if you agree!)
Enjoy Ella Fitzgerald's Blue Skies, too, done with her usual ease and humor. I wonder if she an Bobby Darin ever sang together? If they did I can't find proof but I'd adore being proven wrong. By the way, the sound on this video is a little flat, not just Mr. Darin. Grooveshark didn't have him performing the song, though. If you want to see the very best part, skip to 1:30. That fifteen seconds proves that he owns the song, no matter how much I adore Ella and Frank and the rest. Notice how Eva Cassidy screws up the lyrics and Benny Goodman did away with them altogether.
Unexpectedly, Harry Connick, Jr. went with a sort of ragtime version of this song and skipped the vocals as well. I think that was an excellent choice on his part, the Michael Buble of the 90s though he was. And Bing is still way too sad for the lyrics. I tossed in a violin and piano instrumental, as well. (I'd no sooner posted this than I realized that I'd already posted an even longer list of Blue Skies versions about a year ago. Apparently winter makes me want to hear this song.>
Categories:
jazz,
jukebox roots,
oldies,
swing,
versions
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