Mr. Blue
| "Mr. Blue" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by the Fleetwoods | ||||
| from the album Mr. Blue | ||||
| B-side | "You Mean Everything to Me" | |||
| Released | 1959 | |||
| Genre | Pop[1] | |||
| Length | 2:26 | |||
| Label | Dolton 5 | |||
| Songwriter | DeWayne Blackwell | |||
| Producer | Kearney Barton | |||
| The Fleetwoods singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Mr. Blue" is a popular song written by DeWayne Blackwell[2] that was a hit for the Fleetwoods, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in November 1959,[3] giving the group its second chart-topping hit of the year. Roy Lanham played guitar on the track, and Si Zentner played the trombone.
Chart positions
| Chart (1959) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada (CHUM Hit Parade)[4] | 1 |
| Italy | 7 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot R&B Sides[5] | 3 |
All-time charts
| Chart (1958-2018) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100[6] | 231 |
Other versions
- The song was covered in 1959 by David MacBeth, whose Joe Meek produced version[7] reached number 18 on the UK Singles Chart, spending one week in the Top 20.[8]
- Bob Dylan demoed the song with The Band in a recording that is featured on The Bootleg Series Vol. 11: The Basement Tapes Complete. He also performed the song live 26 times in 2024.[9]
- Village People construction worker David Hodo performed the song as "Kid Danger and the Skirts" on the first season of Star Search in 1983. He won his heat, but was defeated in the final by country band Sawyer Brown. The performance can be viewed on YouTube.
Pop culture
The song are briefly featured in National Lampoon's Vacation, A Brighter Summer Day as well as in the television series Watchmen. It is also featured in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Captain America: Brave New World (2025), in which Dr. Samuel Sterns / Leader (Tim Blake Nelson) created a form of mind control—which he used on various characters, including Isaiah Bradley—by using flashes of light to plant commands into their subconscious and using the song as a trigger to activate them. Sterns previously used the name "Mr. Blue" as an alias when communicating with Bruce Banner in The Incredible Hulk (2008).
See also
References
- ^ Breihan, Tom (February 13, 2018). "The Number Ones: The Fleetwoods' "Mr. Blue"". Stereogum. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
'Mr. Blue' was more a product of the pop-star studio system, and it wasn't nearly as good of a fit.
- ^ "BMI | Repertoire Search". Retrieved May 4, 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits: Eighth Edition. Record Research. p. 230.
- ^ "CHUM Hit Parade, week of November 2, 1959".
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 208.
- ^ "Billboard Hot 100 60th Anniversary Interactive Chart". Billboard. Retrieved December 10, 2018.
- ^ Joe Meek, Telstar: The Hits of Joe Meek, Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., London, 2006
- ^ "DAVID MACBETH | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- ^ "Mr. Blue | The Official Bob Dylan Site". www.bobdylan.com. Retrieved 2025-03-01.
