The Marcels – Blue Moon

About The Song

The Marcels’ “Blue Moon” was the debut studio album by the American doo-wop group from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, released in 1961 on Colpix Records. This album contained the original version of The Marcels’ international number-one hit, which was a cover of the 1934 composition by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart. This song reached the peak position of #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, marking the highest achievement for The Marcels.

The song has universal themes of loneliness and longing, but also explores the transformative power of love. The original meaning behind the title was a commentary on the scarcity of true love, comparing it to a blue moon, an astronomical phenomenon where two full moons appear in the same calendar month. The title has also been used as a metaphor for a rare opportunity or event that might occur only once in a lifetime. The feelings behind this heartfelt ballad stemmed from the notion that finding true love was as rare as a blue moon.