Mr. Blue Sky

"Mr. Blue Sky"
Single artwork
Single by Electric Light Orchestra
from the album Out of the Blue
B-side"One Summer Dream"
Released
  • 20 January 1978 (1978-01-20) (UK)[1]
StudioMusicland, Munich, Germany
Genre
Length
  • 5:06 (album version)
  • 3:44 (7-inch single)
LabelJet
Songwriter(s)Jeff Lynne
Producer(s)Jeff Lynne
Electric Light Orchestra singles chronology
"Turn to Stone"
(1977)
"Mr. Blue Sky"
(1978)
"Sweet Talkin' Woman"
(1978)
Music video
"Mr. Blue Sky" on YouTube

"Mr. Blue Sky" is a song by the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), featured on the band's seventh studio album Out of the Blue (1977). Written and produced by frontman Jeff Lynne, the song forms the fourth and final track of the "Concerto for a Rainy Day" suite on side three of the original double album. "Mr. Blue Sky" was the second single to be taken from Out of the Blue, peaking at number 6 in the UK Singles Chart[4] and number 35 in the US Billboard Charts.[5]

Promotional copies were released on blue vinyl, like the album from which the single was issued. Due to its popularity and frequent use in multiple television shows and movies, it has sometimes been described as the band's signature song.[6]

  1. ^ "BPI certifications for ELO".
  2. ^ Reed, Ryan (20 November 2019). "A Guide to Progressive rock". Tidal.
  3. ^ Pitchfork Staff (22 August 2016). "The 200 Best Songs of the 1970s". Pitchfork. Retrieved 13 October 2022. ...but ELO really committed to the symphonic concept without sacrificing hooks, as proggier bands did.
  4. ^ "Electric Light Orchestra". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 March 2013.
  5. ^ "Electric Light Orchestra - Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 5 March 2013.
  6. ^ "The Story of... 'Mr. Blue Sky' by Electric Light Orchestra". Smooth. Retrieved 10 March 2021.