I'd Rather Be Blue

"I'd Rather Be Blue" (or "I'd Rather Be Blue over You (Than Be Happy with Somebody Else)") is a song from the 1928 Warner Bros. musical film My Man, in which it was sung by Fanny Brice.^[1]

"I'd Rather Be Blue"
Single by Fanny Brice
A-side	"I'd Rather Be Blue"
B-side	"If You Want the Rainbow (You Must Have the Rain)"
Label	Victor Talking Machine Company
Composer(s)	Fred Fisher
Lyricist(s)	Billy Rose

Composition

The song was written by Fred Fisher and Billy Rose.^[2][3][4]

Track listing

10" 78 rpm shellac record – Victor 21815, United States

A. "I'd Rather Be Blue"

B. "If You Want the Rainbow (You Must Have the Rain)"^[4][1][5]

Fanny Brice version (1928)

Fanny Brice performed the song ("Comedienne with Orchestra") on a Victor sound recording (21815-A), which can be heard on "I'd Rather Be Blue" (Victor recording on the Internet Archive).

Barbra Streisand version

"I'd Rather Be Blue over You (Than Be Happy with Somebody Else)"
Single by Barbra Streisand
from the album Funny Girl (The Original Sound Track Recording)
A-side	"Funny Girl"
B-side	"I'd Rather Be Blue over You (Than Be Happy with Somebody Else)"
Released	1968
Length	2:28
Label	Columbia Records
Composer(s)	Fred Fisher
Lyricist(s)	Billy Rose
Barbra Streisand singles chronology
"Our Corner of the Night" (1968) "I'd Rather Be Blue over You (Than Be Happy with Somebody Else)" (1968) "Honey Pie" (1969)

The song was performed by Barbra Streisand in the 1968 film Funny Girl. Her version reached number 19 on the Billboard Easy Listening chart.^[6]

Track listing

7" 45 rpm vinyl single – Columbia 4-44622, 1968, United States

1. "Funny Girl"
2. "I'd Rather Be Blue over You (Than Be Happy with Somebody Else)"^[7]

Charts

Chart (1968)	Peak position
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[8]	19

References

1. "Fanny Brice - I'd Rather Be Blue / If You Want The Rainbow (You Must Have The Rain) (Shellac) at Discogs". Discogs. February 1929. Retrieved 2018-03-22.
2. Herbert G. Goldman (October 1993). Fanny Brice: The Original Funny Girl. Oxford University Press. pp. 289–. ISBN 978-0-19-508552-5. I'd Rather Be Blue.
3. Colin Bratkovich (8 May 2014). Just Remember This. Xlibris Corporation. pp. 249–. ISBN 978-1-4836-4519-3.
4. Edwin M. Bradley (1 January 2004). The First Hollywood Musicals: A Critical Filmography of 171 Features, 1927 through 1932. McFarland. pp. 16–. ISBN 978-0-7864-2029-2.
5. Stanley Green (1999). Hollywood Musicals Year by Year. Hal Leonard Corporation. pp. 244–. ISBN 978-0-634-00765-1.
6. "I'd Rather Be Blue Over You (Than Happy With Somebody Else) Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-03-07.
7. "Barbra Streisand - Funny Girl / I'd Rather Be Blue Over You (Than Happy With Somebody Else) at Discogs". Discogs. 1968. Retrieved 2018-03-22.
8. "Barbra Streisand Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.