"Lonely Blue Boy" (originally entitled "Danny" and sung by
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
) is a song written by
Ben Weisman
Benjamin Weisman (November 16, 1921 – May 20, 2007) was an American composer. He wrote 57 songs recorded by Elvis Presley, more than any other songwriter.
Biography
Weisman was born in Providence, Rhode Island, and grew up in Brooklyn, New Yor ...
and
Fred Wise and performed by
Conway Twitty
Harold Lloyd Jenkins (September 1, 1933 – June 5, 1993), better known by his stage name Conway Twitty, was an American singer and songwriter. Initially a part of the 1950s rockabilly scene, Twitty was best known as a country music performer. ...
. It reached #6 on the
U.S. pop chart and #27 on the
U.S. R&B chart in 1960. It was featured on his 1960 album ''
Lonely Blue Boy
''Lonely Blue Boy'' is a studio album from Conway Twitty, released in 1960. The title track reached number six on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 during the winter of 1960 and became a gold record. Although unreleased, the song had originally been re ...
''.
The song ranked #38 on
''Billboard'' magazine's
Top 100 singles of 1960.
Other versions
*
Cliff Richard and The Drifters featuring the
Mike Sammes Singers
Mike may refer to:
Animals
* Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum
* Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off
* Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and documen ...
released a version of the song as "Danny" on their 1959 album ''
Cliff
In geography and geology, a cliff is an area of rock which has a general angle defined by the vertical, or nearly vertical. Cliffs are formed by the processes of weathering and erosion, with the effect of gravity. Cliffs are common on co ...
''.
*
Marty Wilde
Marty Wilde, (born Reginald Leonard Smith; 15 April 1939) is an English singer and songwriter. He was among the first generation of British pop stars to emulate American rock and roll, scoring several 1950s hit singles including "Endless Sle ...
released a version of the song as "Danny" on the
B-side
The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...
to his 1959 single "
A Teenager in Love
"A Teenager in Love" is a song written by Doc Pomus and partner Mort Shuman. It was originally recorded by Dion and the Belmonts, and released in March 1959. It appeared on their album ''Presenting Dion and the Belmonts'' (1959). It reached numb ...
".
*
Vince Eager
Vince Eager (born Roy Taylor, 4 June 1940, Grantham, Lincolnshire, England) is an English pop singer. He was widely promoted by impresario Larry Parnes, but later quarrelled with him over his commercialising of Eddie Cochran's tragic early dea ...
released a version of the song as a single in 1960 in
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
, but it did not chart.
*
Graham Bonnet
Graham Bonnet (born 23 December 1947) is an English rock singer. He has recorded and performed as a solo artist and as a member of several hard rock and heavy metal bands including Rainbow, Michael Schenker Group, Alcatrazz, and Impellitteri.Pr ...
released a version of the song as "Danny" on his 1977 album ''Graham Bonnet''. The song peaked at number 79 in Australia.
*
Billy Hancock with The Tennessee Rockets released a version of the song as the B-side to their 1980 single "Redskin Rock 'N Roll".
*
Shakin' Stevens
Michael Barratt (born 4 March 1948), known professionally as Shakin' Stevens, is a Welsh singer and songwriter. He was the UK's biggest-selling singles artist of the 1980s.
His recording and performing career began in the late 1960s, althoug ...
released a version of the song on his 1980 album ''
Marie Marie
"Marie Marie" is a song by American rock and roll band the Blasters. It became an international success after being covered by Welsh rock and roll singer Shakin' Stevens.
Composition and releases
The song was originally released in 1980 on t ...
''.
*
The Spiders released a version of the song on their 1998 album ''Rock & Roll Renaissance''.
*
Elvis Costello and the Attractions
Declan Patrick MacManus OBE (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer-songwriter and record producer. He has won multiple awards in his career, including a Grammy Award in 2020, and has twice been nom ...
released a version of the song on the 2002 re-release of the album ''
Blood & Chocolate
''Blood & Chocolate'' is the eleventh studio album by the British rock singer and songwriter Elvis Costello, released in the United Kingdom as Demon Records XFIEND 80, and in the United States as Columbia 40518. It is his ninth album with his ...
''.
*
Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings
Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings are an English blues rock band founded and led by bassist Bill Wyman of the Rolling Stones. Other personnel have varied depending on availability, an arrangement described in ''The Telegraph'' as "a fluctuating squad ...
released a version of the song on their 2001 album ''Double Bill''.
*
The Beat Farmers
The Beat Farmers were an American rock band that formed in San Diego, California, United States, in August 1983, and enjoyed a cult following into the early 1990s before the death of drummer and sometime lead singer Country Dick Montana. Their ...
released a version of the song on their 2003 live album ''Live at the Spring Valley Inn, 1983''.
*
Dale Watson Dale Watson may refer to:
* Dale Watson (FBI), former Assistant Director for the Counterterrorism Division of the FBI
* Dale Watson (singer) (born 1962), American country singer, guitarist, songwriter and author
* Dale Watson (Jamaican footballer) ...
released a version of the song on his 2016 album ''Under the Influence''.
In popular culture
*
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
sang the original version of the song titled "Danny". It was intended to be in the 1958 film ''
King Creole
''King Creole'' is a 1958 American musical drama film directed by Michael Curtiz and based on the 1952 novel '' A Stone for Danny Fisher'' by Harold Robbins. Produced by Hal B. Wallis, the film stars Elvis Presley, Carolyn Jones, Walter Matthau, ...
'' but was cut from the final release. It was featured on the 1997 re-release of the film's
soundtrack
A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...
.
*Twitty's version was featured in the 2002 film ''
Punch-Drunk Love
''Punch-Drunk Love'' is a 2002 American Absurdist fiction, absurdist Romance film, romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, and starring Adam Sandler, Emily Watson, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Luis Guzmán, and Mary Lyn ...
'' and featured on the film's
soundtrack
A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...
.
References
1958 songs
1959 singles
1960 singles
Songs with music by Ben Weisman
Songs with lyrics by Fred Wise (songwriter)
Conway Twitty songs
Cliff Richard songs
Shakin' Stevens songs
Elvis Costello songs
Elvis Presley songs
Song recordings produced by Pip Williams
Song recordings produced by Nick Lowe
MGM Records singles
{{1950s-single-stub