Blue moon, blue moon, blue moon,
Keep shining bright.
Blue moon, keep on shining bright,
You're gonna bring me back my baby tonight,
Blue moon, keep shining bright.

I said blue moon of Kentucky
Keep on shining,
Shine on the one that's gone and left me blue.
I said blue moon of Kentucky
Keep on shining,
Shine on the one that's gone and left me blue.

Well, it was on one moonlight night,
Stars shining bright,
Wish blown high
Love said good-bye.

Blue moon of Kentucky
Keep on shining.
Shine on the one that's gone and left me blue.

Well, I said blue moon of Kentucky
Just keep on shining.
Shine on the one that's gone and left me blue.
I said blue moon of Kentucky
Keep on shining.
Shine on the one that's gone and left me blue.

Well, it was on one moonlight night,
Stars shining bright,
Wish blown high
Love said good-bye.

Blue moon of Kentucky
Keep on shining.
Shine on the one that's gone and left me blue.

1954, SUN 209, That's All Right / Blue Moon Of Kentucky

1954, Studio Session for Sun Records

Bill Monroe wrote and recorded Blue Moon of Kentucky (Columbia 20370) in 1947. His recording could be heard in the 1979 movie Coal Miner's Daughter. The Stanley Brothers recorded the song in 1954 (Mercury 70453).

On the evening of July 6, 1954, Elvis, Scotty Moore and Bill Black were trying to record a flip side to That's All Right (Mama), which had been recorded the previous evening. During a break, Black began fooling around with a parady of Blue Moon of Kentucky. Elvis and Scotty joined in. After a few rehearsals, Sam Phillips began taping. Two versions of the song survive from that night: a slow, more traditional version and the uptempo version that was originally released. After the slow version, Phillips could be heard to remark, "Fine, man! Hell, that's different. That's a pop song now, nearly 'bout!'" After Phillips had both sides of Elvis's first single on tape, he made a few demos and distributed them to Dewey Phillips of WHBQ, Uncle Richard of WMPS, and Sleepy-Eyed John Lepley of WHHM. It's a toss-up as who first played Blue Moon of Kentucky on the air. But it was probably Uncle Richard. In any case, the record was released on July 19. It did not chart nationally, but by September, Blue Moon of Kentucky was the number one record in Memphis. Fewer than 20,000 copies were sold. Elvis sang the song on his only appearance on the Grand Ole Opry on October 2, 1956, as well as during his first appearance on the Louisiana Hayride on October 16, 1954. Bill Monroe's original version of Blue Moon of Kentucky was rereleased after Elvis's release began getting airplay.