Mood Indigo

Duke Ellington & His Orchestra, Duke Ellington

About Mood Indigo

"Mood Indigo" is a jazz song with music by Duke Ellington and Barney Bigard and lyrics by Irving Mills.


Year:
1996
109 
#1

 The easy, fast & fun way to learn how to sing: 30DaySinger.com

You ain't never been blue; no, no, no, 
You ain't never been blue, 
Till you've had that mood indigo. 
That feelin' goes stealin' down to my shoes
While I just sit here and sigh, "Go 'long blues".

I always get that mood indigo, 
Since my baby said goodbye. 
And in the evenin' when the lights are low, 
I'm so lonely I could cry. 
'Cause there's nobody who cares about me, 
I'm just a poor fool that's bluer than blue can be. 
When I get that mood indigo, 
I could lay me down and die. 

You ain't never been blue; no, no, no, 
You ain't never been blue, 
Till you've had that mood indigo. 
That feelin' goes stealin' down to my shoes
While I just sit here and sigh, "Go 'long blues".

 The easy, fast & fun way to learn how to sing: 30DaySinger.com


Duke Ellington

Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American composer, pianist, and big-band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions. In the opinion of Bob Blumenthal of The Boston Globe, "[i]n the century since his birth, there has been no greater composer, American or otherwise, than Edward Kennedy Ellington." A major figure in the history of jazz, Ellington's music stretched into various other genres, including blues, gospel, film scores, popular, and classical. His career spanned more than 50 years and included leading his orchestra, composing an inexhaustible songbook, scoring for movies, composing stage musicals, and world tours. Several of his instrumental works were adapted into songs that became standards. Due to his invent… more »

5 fans

Written by: DUKE ELLINGTON, IRVING MILLS, BARNEY BIGARD

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind


11 facts about this song

Composer Fact
"Mood Indigo" was composed by Duke Ellington, Barney Bigard, and Irving Mills. Ellington was the leader of a jazz orchestra, Bigard was a jazz clarinetist, and Mills was a music publisher.
Year Fact
The song, considered an iconic jazz standard, was first recorded by Duke Ellington and his Orchestra in 1930.
Instrumentation Fact
The original version of "Mood Indigo" featured three main instruments: a muted trumpet, a muted trombone, and a clarinet.
Innovation Fact
The song's unique sound is due to the innovative way the instruments were arranged, with the trumpet playing in its lowest register and the clarinet in its highest, creating the illusion that the trombone was playing the melody.
Song structure Fact
"Mood Indigo" uses a 32-bar song structure, which was very common during the 20th century.
Song Title Fact
Ellington initially named the song "Dreamy Blues,” it was his manager Irving Mills who changed it to "Mood Indigo."
Recording Fact
Ellington re-recorded "Mood Indigo" numerous times over the course of his career, including making a longer, 'concert version' in 1950.
Selling Fact
The song is considered one of the most commercially successful pieces of music for Duke Ellington.
Big Band Fact
“Mood Indigo” became a showpiece for Duke Ellington’s Big Band ensemble.
Cover Version Fact
The song has been covered by countless artists, across a variety of genres. Famous covers include renditions by Louis Armstrong, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, and Nina Simone.
Influence Fact
Over the years, the song has made its impact not only in the jazz world, but it has also influenced pop, rock, and R&B musicians.

Discuss the Mood Indigo Lyrics with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add these lyrics to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Mood Indigo Lyrics." Lyrics.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Mar. 2024. <https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/1575314/Duke+Ellington/Mood+Indigo>.

    Missing lyrics by Duke Ellington?

    Know any other songs by Duke Ellington? Don't keep it to yourself!

    Watch the song video

    Mood Indigo

    139.8K
    507     7

    Browse Lyrics.com

    Quiz

    Are you a music master?

    »
    Who replaced Paul Di'Anno as lead singer of Iron Maiden?
    A Steve Harris
    B Adrian Smith
    C Bruce Dickinson
    D Dave Murray

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Chrome

    Get instant explanation for any lyrics that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Firefox

    Get instant explanation for any acronym or abbreviation that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Duke Ellington tracks

    On Radio Right Now

    Loading...

    Powered by OnRad.io


    Think you know music? Test your MusicIQ here!