Blue Room (The Orb song)

"Blue Room" is a song by English electronic music duo the Orb. It was released as a single on 8 June 1992 through Big Life Records. The full 39-minute version features a number of samples, including a small portion of the beginning of "Mysterious Traveller" by Weather Report and a damaged portion of "Happy Birthday to You" by Marilyn Monroe at the end. An edited version of the song appears on the album U.F.Orb.

"Blue Room"
Single by the Orb
from the album U.F.Orb
B-side	"Towers of Dub" (remix)
Released	8 June 1992 (1992-06-08)[1]
Genre	Ambient house
Length	39:58
Label	Big Life WAU! Mr. Modo
Songwriter(s)	Alex Paterson Miquette Giraudy Steve Hillage Kris Weston John Joseph Wardle
Producer(s)	Alex Paterson Kris Weston
The Orb singles chronology
"Perpetual Dawn" (1991) "Blue Room" (1992) "Assassin" (1992)
Audio sample
Sample from the Orb's 40 minute version of "Blue Room" file help

"Blue Room" is the longest single to ever appear on the UK Singles Chart, at 39 minutes and 58 seconds.^[2] It entered the listing at position 12 and peaked at number eight the next week. In Ireland, the song reached number 28, and in the United States, it peaked at number 46 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart.

Background

After a number of maxi-singles had been excluded from the UK Singles Chart (or like how Prince's "Gett Off" maxi-single ended up on the UK Albums Chart),^[3][4] the chart compilers Chart Information Network, decided to include a rule alongside the usual 25 minute maximum playing time, which allowed 'maxi singles' to run to 40 minutes^[5] if only one title was listed amongst the single's tracks.^[6] The Orb thus decided to record a 39:58 version of "Blue Room" for a special release, as there would be only one track on the single. The title "Blue Room" is a reference to the supposed Blue Room of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, which was investigated as a possible UFO evidence-holding room.^[7]

In addition to being the longest UK chart hit, "Blue Room" is also "possibly the most amelodic song ever to chart anywhere," according to Trouser Press.^[8]

Top of the Pops performance

The Orb caused controversy when appearing on Top of the Pops to promote the single. Instead of performing, Alex Paterson and Kris Weston, the latter holding a toy sheep, played a chess-like game whilst passing a globus cruciger back and forth. The performance had a profound impact on Robbie Williams, then a member of Take That, who later declared "that Top of the Pops changed my life".^[9]

Track listings

UK CD1[10] "Blue Room" – 39:58 UK CD2[11] "Blue Room" (radio 7) – 4:08 "Blue Room" (excerpt 605) – 5:58 "Towers of Dub" (Mad Professor remix) – 14:51 UK 12-inch and cassette single[12][13] "Blue Room" (part 1) – 18:45 "Blue Room" (part 2) – 19:01

US 12-inch single[14] A1. "Blue Room" (Frank de Wulf remix) – 7:37 A2. "Blue Room" (excerpt 606) – 10:00 B1. "Assassin" (Oasis of Rhythms mix) – 15:17 European maxi-CD single[15] "Blue Room" (radio 7) – 4:08 "Blue Room" – 39:58 "Blue Room" (excerpt 605) – 5:58 "Towers of Dub" (Mad Professor remix) – 14:51

Charts

Chart (1992–1993)	Peak position
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[16]	48
Ireland (IRMA)[17]	28
UK Singles (OCC)[18]	8
US Dance Club Play (Billboard)[19]	46