The disc climbed all the way to number one in the UK singles chart. However all follow-ups sank without trace, and the group became known there as a one-hit wonder. Even in their U.S. homeland, later revivals in the same vein as "Blue Moon" - "Heartaches" and "Melancholy Baby" - were much less successful.
In August of 1961, Knauss and Bricker left and were replaced by Alan Johnson (brother of Fred) and Walt Maddox. Mundy left soon after, leaving the group a quartet.
In 1962, Harp and Alan Johnson left, and were replaced by Richard Harris and William Herndon. There was a brief reunion of the original members in 1973. The group made several recordings in 1975 with Harp back on lead.
By the early 1990s the group was Johnson, Maddox, Harris, Jules Hopson and Richard Merritt.
The group split around 1995. Fred Johnson formed his own group with new members, while the other four members recruited new bass Ted Smith. Maddox won a lawsuit against Sunny James Svetnic, the manager of Johnson's group, for trademark infringement in 1996. Svetnic died in 2002.
Johnson reunited with Harp, Mundy, and Knauss in 1999 for the PBS special Doo Wop 50 with a fifth member.
Blue Moon
The Marcels Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(Ba-bom-a-bom-bom)
(Ba-bom-a-bom-bom)
(Ba-dang-a-dang-dang)
(Ba-ding-a-dong-ding)
Blue moon, moon, moon, blue moon (dip-de-dip-dip)
Moon, moon, moon, blue moon (dip-de-dip-dip)
(Ba-bom-a-bom-bom)
(Ba-bom-a-bom-bom)
(Ba-bom-a-bom-bom)
(Ba-dang-a-dang-dang)
(Ba-ding-a-dong-ding)
Blue moon (moon, moon, moon, blue moon)
You saw me standing alone (dip-de-dip-dip, moon, moon, moon, blue moon)
Without a dream in my heart (dip-de-dip-dip, moon, moon, moon, blue moon)
Without a love of my own (dip-de-dip-dip)
(Ba-bom-a-bom-bom)
(Ba-bom-a-bom-bom)
(Ba-bom-a-bom-bom)
(Ba-dang-a-dang-dang)
(Ba-ding-a-dong-ding)
Blue moon (moon, moon, moon, blue moon)
You knew just what I was there for (dip-de-dip-dip, moon, moon, moon, blue moon)
You heard me saying a prayer for (dip-de-dip-dip, moon, moon, moon, blue moon)
Someone I really could care for (dip-de-dip-dip, ooh ah, wow-wow-wow)
And then there suddenly appeared before me
The only one my arms will ever hold
I heard somebody whisper, "Please adore me."
And when I looked, the moon had turned to gold, oh
Blue moon (moon, moon, moon, blue moon)
Now I'm no longer alone (dip-de-dip-dip, moon, moon, moon, blue moon)
Without a dream in my heart (dip-de-dip-dip, moon, moon, moon, blue moon)
Without a love of my own (dip-de-dip-dip)
(Ba-bom-a-bom-bom)
(Ba-bom-a-bom-bom)
(Ba-bom-a-bom-bom)
(Ba-dang-a-dang-dang)
(Ba-ding-a-dong-ding)
Moon (blue moon, moon, moon, blue moon)
(Dip-de-dip-dip, moon, moon, moon, blue moon)
(Dip-de-dip-dip, moon, moon, moon, blue moon)
(Dip-de-dip-dip)
(Ba-bom-a-bom-bom)
(Ba-bom-a-bom-bom)
(Ba-bom-a-bom-bom)
(Ba-dang-a-dang-dang)
(Ba-ding-a-dong-ding)
Ah (Blue moon, moon, moon, blue moon)
(Dip-de-dip-dip, moon, moon, moon, blue moon)
(Dip-de-dip-dip, moon, moon, moon, blue moon)
(Dip-de-dip-dip)
(Ba-bom-a-bom-bom)
(Ba-bom-a-bom-bom)
(Ba-bom-a-bom-bom)
(Ba-dang-a-dang-dang)
(Ba-ding-a-dong-ding)
Blue moon
The Marcels' song "Blue Moon" is a classic doo-wop track released in 1961. The song starts with rhythmic beats, followed by the repeated sound of "Ba-bom-a-bom-bom," "Ba-dang-a-dang-dang," and "Ba-ding-a-dong-ding." The lyrics talk about a blue moon, a rare occurrence that symbolizes hopelessness or loneliness. The song begins by repeatedly mentioning the "blue moon," with the lead singer switching back and forth between falsetto and bass. Then, the first verse begins, "You saw me standing alone; without a dream in my heart; without a love of my own." This describes a person who seems lost, without any clear goal in life or love.
The second verse goes on to explain how the blue moon knows what the singer wants and hears his prayer for someone to love. Suddenly, someone appears, and the singer hears a whisper to adore them, and as he looks, the moon turns to gold. This new meeting changes the singer's life, and he is no longer alone without a dream or love of his own. The repetition of the chorus ends the song with a desperate plea for the blue moon.
"Blue Moon" by The Marcels has been covered by countless artists and featured in many films and TV shows. With its catchy beat and lyrics, it has become an enduring classic of the doo-wop era. The song was also one of the first singles to receive a platinum record, meaning it sold more than one million copies. Overall, the song's upbeat atmosphere contradicts the melancholy subject matter, allowing listeners to enjoy the music, even when they don't fully understand the lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
Blue moon, moon, moon, blue moon (dip-de-dip-dip)
The singer is singing about the blue moon and repeating it with a rhythm of dip-de-dip-dip
Moon, moon, moon, blue moon (dip-de-dip-dip)
The singer is repeating the moon and blue moon with the same rhythm of dip-de-dip-dip
Moon, moon, moon, blue moon (dip-de-dip-dip)
The singer repeats the moon and blue moon with the same rhythm again
Blue moon (moon, moon, moon, blue moon)
The singer invites the listener to focus on the blue moon again
You saw me standing alone (dip-de-dip-dip, moon, moon, moon, blue moon)
The singer addresses someone who saw him standing alone under the blue moon
Without a dream in my heart (dip-de-dip-dip, moon, moon, moon, blue moon)
The singer admits that he had no dream in his heart while standing alone under the blue moon
Without a love of my own (dip-de-dip-dip)
The singer admits that he was standing alone under the blue moon without love in his heart
You knew just what I was there for (dip-de-dip-dip, moon, moon, moon, blue moon)
The singer is grateful to the one who knows why he was there alone under the blue moon
You heard me saying a prayer for (dip-de-dip-dip, moon, moon, moon, blue moon)
The singer believes that the listener heard him praying under the blue moon
Someone I really could care for (dip-de-dip-dip, ooh ah, wow-wow-wow)
The singer was praying for someone that he could really care for
And then there suddenly appeared before me
Suddenly, someone appeared before the singer
The only one my arms will ever hold
The singer is confident that this person is the only one he will ever hold in his arms
I heard somebody whisper, "Please adore me."
The singer heard someone whisper to him to adore her/him
And when I looked, the moon had turned to gold, oh
The singer noticed that the blue moon had turned to gold when he looked back
Now I'm no longer alone (dip-de-dip-dip, moon, moon, moon, blue moon)
The singer is not alone anymore and repeats the mention of the blue moon with the same rhythm
Without a dream in my heart (dip-de-dip-dip, moon, moon, moon, blue moon)
The singer admits that he no longer has an empty heart and repeats the mention of the blue moon with the same rhythm
Without a love of my own (dip-de-dip-dip)
The singer is happy that he found someone to love and repeats the same rhythm without mentioning the blue moon
Moon (blue moon, moon, moon, blue moon)
The singer mentions the moon again with the same rhythm and invites the listener to focus on the blue moon again
(Dip-de-dip-dip, moon, moon, moon, blue moon)
The singer repeats the same rhythm and mentions the blue moon with the moon
(Dip-de-dip-dip, moon, moon, moon, blue moon)
The singer repeats the same rhythm and mentions the blue moon again
(Dip-de-dip-dip)
The singer ends the song with the same rhythm without mentioning the blue moon
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@twonky53
American Werewolf in London !