"Blue Bayou" is the title of a song written by Roy Orbison and Joe Melson and sung by Orbison.

Roy Orbison version [link]

The plaintive ballad, "Blue Bayou", was originally released by Orbison as the A-side track on a Monument Records 45rpm single released in August 1963 backed by the rock 'n' roll track, "Mean Woman Blues" (written by Claude Demetrius and originally recorded by Elvis Presley in 1957).^[1] The song also appeared on Orbison's 1963 full-length album, In Dreams.

"Blue Bayou" reappeared on his 1989 posthumous album, A Black & White Night Live, from the 1988 television special on Cinemax.

Track listings [link]

7" vinyl [link]

US: Monument Records 824

Side one

1. "Blue Bayou" (Joe Melson, Roy Orbison) – 2:29

Side two

1. "Mean Woman Blues" (Claude Demetrius) – 2:23

Chart performance [link]

References in popular culture [link]

This song has been used in several motion pictures including:

• The Man Who Fell to Earth, Nicholas Roeg (1976) starring David Bowie
• Last Orders, Fred Schepisi (2001)
• Dreamcatcher, Lawrence Kasdan (2003)
• Man on Fire, Tony Scott (2004)

Linda Ronstadt version [link]

Linda Ronstadt took the song to #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in late 1977 – as well as #2 Country and #3 Easy Listening. The single was RIAA certified Gold (for sales of over 1 million US copies) in January 1978. It was Ronstadt's first of three Gold singles.^[5] "Blue Bayou" was later certified Platinum (for over 2 million copies sold in the United States). It was a worldwide smash and was also popular in a Spanish-language version called "Lago Azul".

Ronstadt later performed the song on an episode of The Muppet Show.

Because of this song, Dickson's Baseball Dictionary records that a "Linda Ronstadt" is a synonym for a fastball, a pitch that "blew by you."^{[citation needed]}

Track listings [link]

7" vinyl [link]

US: Asylum Records E-45431

Side one

1. "Blue Bayou" (Joe Melson, Roy Orbison) – 3:57

Side two

1. "Old Paint (traditional, arranged by Linda Ronstadt) – 3:05

Chart performance [link]

Other cover versions [link]

"Blue Bayou" has been recorded by other artists in many languages, including in the French language by France's Mireille Mathieu. Mexican singer/actress Bibi Gaytán recorded a Spanish version of this song in 1994 titled "Lago Azul", which was released as the first single from her second studio album Manzana Verde.

The song was recorded by Australian a cappella group The Idea of North and Swiss singer Paola Felix.

Andrea Corr performs "Blue Bayou" on her 2011 album Lifelines.

Chris de Burgh covered the song on his 2011 album Footsteps 2.

Ed Bruce covered the song on his 1995 Album Puzzles.

References [link]