"Blue Room" is a single by

the Orb The Orb are an English electronic music group founded in 1988 by Alex Paterson and Jimmy Cauty. Known for their psychedelic sound, the Orb developed a cult following among clubbers "coming down" from drug-induced highs. Their influential 19 ...

. It was released on 8 June 1992 on

Big Life Records Big Life was a record label established in 1987 by Jazz Summers and Tim Parry. It featured hundreds of releases from artists such as The Orb, Stare, Yazz, Junior Reid, Coldcut, De La Soul, and Damage. In 1999, the label was put into receiver ...

. The full 39-minute version features a number of samples, including a small portion of the beginning of "Mysterious Traveller" by

Weather Report Weather Report was an American jazz fusion band active from 1970 to 1986. The band was founded in 1970 by Austrian virtuoso keyboardist Joe Zawinul, American saxophonist Wayne Shorter, Czech bassist Miroslav Vitouš, American drummer and vocali ...

and a damaged portion of "Happy Birthday to You" by

Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...

at the end. An edited version of the song appears on the album ''

U.F.Orb ''U.F.Orb'' is the second studio album by English electronic music group The Orb. It was released on 6 July 1992 through the record label Big Life. Upon its release, the album reached No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart. The music database AllMusic des ...

''. "Blue Room" is the longest single to ever appear on the UK Singles Chart. It entered the listing at position 12 and peaked at number eight the next week. In Ireland, the song reached number 28, and in the United States, it peaked at number 46 on the ''Billboard''

Hot Dance Club Play Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as t ...

chart.

Background

After a number of maxi-singles had been excluded from the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

(or like Prince's "Gett Off" maxi-single ended up in the albums chart), the chart compilers

Chart Information Network The Official Charts (legal name: The Official UK Charts Company Limited) is a British inter-professional organization that compiles various "official" record charts in the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Ireland and France. In the United Ki ...

, decided to include a rule alongside the usual 25 minute maximum playing time, which allowed 'maxi singles' to run to 40 minutes if only one title was listed amongst the single's tracks. The Orb thus decided to record a 39:57 version of "Blue Room" for a special release, as there would be only one track on the single. The title "Blue Room" is a reference to the supposed Blue Room of

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB) is a United States Air Force base and census-designated place just east of Dayton, Ohio, in Greene County, Ohio, Greene and Montgomery County, Ohio, Montgomery counties. It includes both Wright and Patte ...

, which was investigated as a possible

UFO An unidentified flying object (UFO), more recently renamed by US officials as a UAP (unidentified aerial phenomenon), is any perceived aerial phenomenon that cannot be immediately identified or explained. On investigation, most UFOs are id ...

evidence-holding room.

''Top of the Pops'' performance

The Orb caused controversy when appearing on ''

Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British Record chart, music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show ...

'' to promote the single. Instead of performing,

Alex Paterson Alex Paterson (also known as Dr Alex Paterson, born Duncan Alexander Robert Paterson; 15 October 1959 in Battersea, London) is an English musician and co-founder of ambient house group The Orb, in which he has worked since its inception. Life ...

and

Kris Weston Kristian "Kris" Weston (a.k.a. Thrash) (born 1972) is a British electronic musician, record producer and remixer best known for his work as a member of The Orb. Around the beginning of his career, he worked with Andrew Weatherall on remixes of ...

, the latter holding a toy sheep, played a

chess Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to disti ...

-like game whilst passing a ''

globus cruciger The ''globus cruciger'' ( for, , Latin, cross-bearing orb), also known as "the orb and cross", is an orb surmounted by a cross. It has been a Christian symbol of authority since the Middle Ages, used on coins, in iconography, and with a sceptre ...

'' back and forth. The performance had a profound impact on

Robbie Williams Robert Peter Williams (born 13 February 1974) is an English singer and songwriter. He found fame as a member of the pop group Take That from 1990 to 1995, and achieved commercial success after launching a solo career in 1996. His debut stud ...

, who later declared "that Top of the Pops changed my life".

Track listing

12-inch: Big Life / BLRT 75 (UK) # "Blue Room (part 1)" (18:45) # "Blue Room (part 2)" (19:01) 12-inch: Mercury / 863653-1 (US) # "Blue Room (

frank de wulf Frank De Wulf (born 1968) is a Belgian DJ, musician and record label owner. He is considered one of the pioneers of the Belgian new beat and techno scene. Life and career Frank De Wulf was born in 1968 as the youngest of three sons.mad professor Mad Professor (born Neil Joseph Stephen Fraser, 1955, Georgetown, Guyana) is a Guyanese-born British dub music producer and engineer known for his original productions and remix work. He is considered one of the leading producers of dub music ...

remix)" (14:51) CD: Mercury / CDP 804 (US) # "Blue Room (edit)" (3:09) # "Blue Room (

Frank De Wulf Frank De Wulf (born 1968) is a Belgian DJ, musician and record label owner. He is considered one of the pioneers of the Belgian new beat and techno scene. Life and career Frank De Wulf was born in 1968 as the youngest of three sons.U.F.Orb ''U.F.Orb'' is the second studio album by English electronic music group The Orb. It was released on 6 July 1992 through the record label Big Life. Upon its release, the album reached No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart. The music database AllMusic des ...

Charts

References

External links

* * * * {{Authority control The Orb songs 1992 singles 1992 songs Big Life Records singles