Looking for songs with blue in the title? Blue is an evocative color that inspires songwriters and musicians to some of their best work. Whether it’s talking about the joy of blue skies, blue eyes, or the sadness of feeling blue, blue is one of the most popular colors to use in songs.
Here are our top picks for songs featuring the color blue. For the most part, these are songs with blue in the title that was very popular then and remain popular today.
“Blue Suede Shoes” – Elvis Presley
Not sure the King ever wore blue suede shoes but the writer of this song surely loved their blue suede. Elvis made this song famous in 1956, making it one of the first “rock” songs he did. According to the lyrics, it’s okay to do a bunch of horrible things to the man proudly wearing his blue suede shoes, but don’t no one dare step on the shoes.
“Blue Christmas” – Elvis Presley & Martina McBride
Elvis stated clearly this was one of his favorite Christmas songs. It’s amazing to see him teamed with the then-unknown Martina McBride, who has gone on to have a solid country music career.
As the song lyrics make clear, there is very little in life sadder than being away from the ones you love at Christmas time. The song was written by Billy Hayes and Jay W. Johnson while originally recorded by Doye O’Dell in 1948.
“Blue Collar Man” – Styx
This song was written by Styx band member Tommy Shaw and released by the popular 70s band in 1978. The song was written as a tribute to a friend that had been laid off as a railroad worker. It details just how tough life can be for a man who works hard and has simple values.
It’s interesting to note the song starts with instrumentation that sounds like a motorboat engine when it’s failing to start.
“Song Sung Blue” – Neil Diamond
It’s hard to believe but this entry was written and released by the legendary Neil Diamond in 1972. It ended up flying all the way to #1 on the Billboard charts and earned Diamond his first two Grammy nominations. All of this was a surprise to the then young songwriter who stated the inspiration for this song came from the second movement of Mozart’s Piano Concerto #21. At the time, he was just looking to write a very simple tune for his debut album “Moods.”
“Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea” – George Harrison
This song has survived more than 90 years after being written in 1930 by the team of Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler. The song infers there is really nothing to fear in the Devil. Over the years, the song has been sung and recorded by music legends like Cab Calloway (Cotton Club fame), Buddy Rich, Bing Crosby, Perry Como, Ella Fitzgerald, and the late Beatles legend George Harrison on his posthumous final album, Brainwashed (see Youtube link).
“Crystal Blue Persuasion” – Tommy James & The Shondells
This hit single was composed and produced in 1969 by band members Eddie Gray, Tommy James, and Mike Vale. It’s not very often that a rock song from the 1960s was inspired by passages in the bible. In an interview, James told reports, “I took the title from the Book of Revelations [sic] in the Bible, reading about the New Jerusalem.”
The song went all the way to #2 on the Billboard charts.
“Red Roses for a Blue Lady” – Wayne Newton
It’s no secret that a man in trouble with his lady had better be making tracks to buy some red roses for a blue lady. This poignant ballad does a wonderful job of capturing the desperation a man feels when he is telling the florist what he needs to do.
The song was written in 1948 by Sid Tepper and Roy C. Bennett (alias Roy Brodsky). In the early to mid-1960s, it became a favorite release among crooners like Wayne Newton, Vic Dana, and Andy Williams.
“Forever In Blue Jeans” – Neil Diamond
This 1979 song was written and performed by Neil Diamond. It tells the tale of a simple man pawning for the love of his life, trying to convince her a simple man has more to offer than a man of means. As one could predict, this song was soon featured in ads for blue jeans.
“Wedding Bell Blues” – The Fifth Dimension
The lady is ready to marry her man “Bill”, but Bill seems a bit reluctant. It doesn’t stop the lovelorn lady from expressing her desires and trying to convince Bill to change his mind.
The song was written and recorded in 1966 by Laura Nyro, but later made popular by the Fifth Dimension in 1969.
“True Blue” – Madonna
The uncomparable Madonna co-wrote and produced this song and the feature album “True Blie” with Stephen Bray and Patrick Leonard. For Madonna, this song was regarded as a tribute song to her ex-husband and superstar Actor Sean Penn. The song was released in 1986 and became one of the many #1 hits Madonna has logged in her amazing career.
“Blue Velvet” – Bobby Vinton
When most people think of the song “Blue Velvet” they think of its most popular version by Bobby Vinton, which hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1963. A lesser-known earlier version of the song was released by Tony Bennett in 1951. The song was covered by a few other artists before Vinton’s version made it an everlasting hit. It’s been since covered by numerous artists including Lana Del Rey.
“Blue Monday” – New Order
Released in 1983 by the English band New Order, “Blue Monday” has survived as a definitive electronic dance hit of the era. The original extended version released in 1987 is the all-time best-selling 12″ single in UK history. In 1988 the song was remixed by Quincy Jones and John Potoker with the title “Blue Monday 1988.” The song is about observing another person’s misfortune while the title never appears in the lyrics.
“Caribbean Blue” – Enya
This airy new age recording is built on tranquil, hypnotic production layers. The dreamy song compares the color of the sky with “Caribbean Blue.” The song was recorded in 1990 and released the following year, hitting top 3 on Billboard’s US Alternative Airplay chart. Although many people might consider it to be “background music,” Enya has emerged as Ireland’s all-time best-selling solo artist.
“Rhapsody In Blue” – George Gershwin
One of the most famous orchestral records ever that also marked the early jazz era was “Rhapsody In Blue” in 1924, performed by Paul Whiteman and His Concert Orchestra. The 9-minute piece was composed by George Gershwin, who played piano on the 78-rpm record. Whiteman was the most successful band leader of the twenties. Gershwin became one of the most famous 20th century instrumental composers, particularly for Hollywood films.
“Blue Jay Way” – The Beatles
“Blue Jay Way” stands out as a Beatles classic because of its psychedelic flavor on the 1967 Magical Mystery Tour album and it features George Harrison on vocals. As surreal and escapist as the song seems, it’s named after an actual street in the foggy Hollywood Hills where Harrison stayed in August 1967. The album was released in November and the TV film aired the following month on the BBC.
“Bullet the Blue Sky” – U2
“Bullet the Blue Sky” was featured on U2’s 1987 album The Joshua Tree, which sold over 25 million albums. The song was inspired by singer Bono’s trip to Nicaragua and El Salvador, where he witnessed how the people were affected by U.S. military intervention. The feedback sound of the guitar came from Bono instructing guitarist The Edge to “put El Salvador through an amplifier.”
“Blue Orchid” – The White Stripes
The White Stripes had become a well-established alternative rock band by their fifth album called Get Behind Me Satan in 2005. “Blue Orchid” was the lead-off single and one of the band’s most notable upbeat rockers. Rumors spread the song was about singer Jack White’s relationship with actress Renee Zellweger. White, however, says the song is about the entertainment industry.
“Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue” – Crystal Gayle
Country singer Crystal Gayle has blue eyes, but many pop fans might not have noticed in 1977 when “Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue” charted. She was new to the mainstream, but country fans already were familiar with three previous country smash hits. Each of these hits were written by Richard Leigh. In 2004 Gayle said Leigh wrote the song about his dog who had one brown eye and one blue eye.
“Blueberry Hill” – Fats Domino
Fats Domino’s version of “Blueberry Hill” was popularized in 1956 and two decades later on the ABC-TV show Happy Days. Written by Vincent Rose, Larry Stock and Al Lewis, the song had been recorded by multiple artists in 1940 including the Sammy Kaye Orchestra. Despite the various artists including Louis Armstrong who recorded the song during the big band era, it’s considered to be one of the most definitive early rock and roll hits.
“Behind Blue Eyes” – The Who
Songwriter Pete Townsend of The Who wrote “Behind Blue Eyes” for an abandoned album project called Lifehouse. It was supposed to be the followup album to the successful rock opera album Tommy that would venture into multimedia and showcase the relationship between a performer and an audience.
The synthesizer-based project was based on the theme of a villain named Jumbo, whom the lyrics reflect. The project was shelved when other band members complained about its complexities. The song ended up on the 1971 Who’s Next LP, the band’s best-selling album.
“Blue Moon” – The Marcels
The Marcels version of Blue Moon was a doo-wop version of the original that was created for the 1934 movie Manhattan Melodrama. While it was covered by many artists over the years, The Marcels were the first to do it in the doo-wop version. They added in some “dang a dang dangs,” “bom ba ba boms,” and “di di dis” to make the single surge to the top of many music lists. In fact, it’s still one of the most well-known doo-wop songs of today!
“Baby Blue Eyes” – A Rocket to the Moon
Released in 2009, this love song is in the rock/indie genre. It’s a great song about love that has a deeper meaning than what’s on the surface. It isn’t one of those screaming tracks and you can easily sing along! It tells about how much the man loves his woman and he wants to believe she’s good regardless of what she does. It’s a beautiful song that can easily get stuck in your head.
“I’m Blue” – Eiffel 65
The best thing about this song is that you can get up and dance when it starts playing! It came out in 1998 and quickly shot to the top. It follows a little blue guy that is only surrounded by blue. While on the surface it seems like it’s just a fun song about a blue guy living in a blue world, but it’s actually about sadness and not having anyone to talk to. Regardless, it’s a good song to have a dance party with!
“Blue on Black” – Kenny Wayne Shepherd
Not only did this song hit number one on the 1998 Mainstream Rock Chart, but it also won Rock Track of the Year at that year’s Billboard Music Awards. The song can be applied to so many situations, but there’s actually a silly story about how the song came about.
Kenny Wayne Shepherd’s lyric writers were sitting with him in his kitchen during a jam session. One of the writers noticed Kenny’s blue and black shirt and started writing. From there, the song just developed into what it is today!
“Courtesy of the Red, White & Blue” – Toby Keith
Released in May of 2002, this song came on the heels of the 9/11 attack. By that point, most Americans were still fearful and trying to find their new normal. Toby Keith wrote the entire song on the back of a Fantasy Football paper and had it done in about 20 minutes. He first named it the Angry American but later changed the name to what it is now. It’s one of our all-time favorite songs with blue in the title.
“Blue Eyes” – Elton John
This single from 1982 was in the top 8 hits in the U.K. and stayed at number 10 in the U.S. for over three weeks. It also made it to number one for two weeks. It has a very beautiful medley and it’s about that great love that just wasn’t meant to be. He remembers her beautiful eyes and how they would look as he was turning away.
“Blue Eyes Blue” – Eric Clapton
If you’ve seen the movie Runaway Bride, then you’ve definitely heard this song. It was written just for Eric Clapton to sing in the movie and was later released as one of his singles. It’s a song that details a relationship and how the man was falling in love. He talks about how she left him and now he’s always blue. It can work in many different situations and it’s great to sing along with!
“Blue Orchid” – The White Stripes
Blue Orchid was released to the radio stations on April 28, 2005, and it was thought that the lead singer wrote it in response to a bad breakup. While that’s denied, we could see how the lyrics could point towards that. While it only got to number 43 on the Billboard Top 100s, it did well on other charts, including getting to number nine in the U.K. It’s a good rock song that can get your adrenaline pumping.
“Baby’s Got Her Blue Jeans On” – Mel McDaniel
We’ve all heard songs about butts and this is one of our favorite songs With blue in the title. It was a number one hit in February 1985 and was actually the artist’s only number-one single. The song talks about the woman having tight blue jeans on and attracting the attention of everyone around. While it’s not suited for some situations, it’s one that can be played if you want people to get up and dance!
“Goodbye Blue Sky” – Pink Floyd
If you have the Pink Floyd album The Wall, then there’s a good chance you’ve heard this song. Just like the others on that album, it’s an extremely deep hit. It talks about a sunny day with blue skies being ruined by bombers overhead. The song is heartbreaking and beautiful at the same time. You might be in tears at the end, but it can quickly become one of your favorites!
