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The Top 10 Facts About the Next Blue Moon, a Song and Other Things By the Same Name   by Ed Lathrop

Have you ever wondered what the real definition of a blue moon is? Do you know when the next one will occur? How much do you know about the song "Blue Moon" and other things by the same name?

After you read this article, you will know probably, more than you ever thought you could know about everything that calls itself "Blue Moon!"

Popular things named "Blue Moon" aside from the song and the event

1. Beads. Blue Moon Beads are colorful and usually inexpensive beads. The main types are glass, Czech and both.
2. Beer. The beer by the same name is brewed by BMBC in Toronto, Canada.

Blue Moon the song

3. It was recorded by The Marcels in 1961 and spent several weeks as the number 1 song on many of the pop charts in the U.S. The Marcels took their name from a popular hairstyle. The hairstyle was one, which consisted of deep curls. The name was suggested by one of the group members' kid sisters. The Marcels were from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and formed in 1959.

4. It was written by Lorenz Hart and Richard Rogers to be a show tune for a movie called "Manhattan Melodrama" in 1934. However, the words were different in the original song. Hart wrote the now familiar words after the film had been released. The song was a slow ballad. The words "Blue moon, you saw me standing alone, without a dream in my heart, without a love of my own" were sung slowly and tearfully.

These words were part of the chorus. In fact, only the chorus is sung in the Marcels' version. Their version was not music to Richard Rogers' ears. After he heard "Bah bi ba-bah, di-dang-a-dang dang, etc, he was quoted as saying he hated it. Of course, he might have been the only one who hated this do-wop classic.

5. It was Billboard's number 7 song of the year 1961. Number 1 for 1961 was "Tossin' and Turnin'" by Bobby Lewis. Number 2 was "Big Bad John" by Jimmy Dean. 3- "Runaway" by Del Shannon.

There were many other very popular hits in 1961 such as "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", "Runaround Sue", "Michael (Row Your Boat Ashore)", "Mr. Postman", "Quarter to Three", Ray Charles' "Hit the Road, Jack" and Elvis' "Surrender."

Blue Moon the event

6. The official definition of a blue moon is: "the third full moon in a season that contains four full moons." Since a season is three months long, most seasons have three full moons. When there are four in a season, the third one is considered blue.

7. A calendar blue moon is the second full moon in a month. Since the full moon cycle is 29.53059 days and most months are longer than that, it is possible to have two full moons in one month. If there are, the second one is a calendar blue moon.

Sometimes, there is no full moon in February and two in both January and March. In this case, there are two calendar blue moons in a span of three months, but the only true "Blue Moon" is the first one in March because this full moon is the third one in a season of four.

8. Most charts calculate moon cycles based on Greenwich Mean Time. So, actually a moon may be full in your area on a different day or month. So, technically, though it would be rare, a blue moon could occur in different areas on different days, months or even seasons or years!

9. "Once in a Blue Moon" refers to a very rare event, such as the possible situation mentioned in the paragraph above.

10. The last one happened on June 7, 2007. The next one will be on December 2, 2009. If you miss that one, you will have to wait until August 31, 2012 to see another one.

There you have 10 facts, some of which are not well known, about a relatively rare occurrence in nature. So, this article has come to an end and I feel it is best to conclude is by saying:
Bah-bi-bi-bah,
Bi-ba-bah-bi-ba-bah,
Bi-bi-bah-bi-bi-bah,
Di-di-dang di-di-dang,
Di-di-di-di-dong-ding,
Blue moon.

About the Author

The author, Ed Lathrop has built a Webstite where you can print out a calendar for any year from 1753 to 10000. this Site also, has a full moon chart and complete daylight saving time information. You may visit this free Site at: Free Online Printable Calendar Also, visit America's number 1 oldies trivia site at: Oldies Music Websites.