"Orange Colored Sky" is a
popular song written by
Milton Delugg and
Willie Stein and published in 1950.[1] The first known recording was on July 11, 1950, on KING records catalog number 15061, with Janet Brace singing and Milton Delugg conducting the orchestra.[2]
Nat King Cole recording
The best-known version of the song was recorded by
Nat King Cole (with
Stan Kenton's orchestra) on August 16, 1950, and released by
Capitol Records as catalog number 1184. It first reached the Billboard Best Seller chart on September 22, 1950, and lasted 13 weeks on the chart, peaking at number 11.[3] (Some sites list a 1945 date for this recording, but this is apparently in error.) A number of other singers have recorded it, including Cole's daughter,
Natalie.
Other recordings
The recording by
Jerry Lester was released by
Coral Records as catalog number 60325. It debuted on the Billboard Best Seller chart on November 24, 1950, and lasted one week in the chart, peaking at No. 30.[3] Lester hosted the late-night
NBC series Broadway Open House, with co-writer Delugg as musical director. "Orange Colored Sky" has been said to be one of the first songs to become a hit through television exposure.
Screamin' Jay Hawkins' version of the song is the first track on his 1958 album At Home With Screamin' Jay Hawkins.
In Australia, Larry Stellar, with
Les Welch and his orchestra, recorded the song in January 1951. It was by Pacific Records as catalog number 10-0052.
Actor
Burt Ward of Batman fame recorded a number of tracks produced by
Frank Zappa in 1966, including "Orange Colored Sky", which was released as a 7" single on MGM Records.
The song is the title track of a 1971 album by German songwriter and composer
Bert Kaempfert.
Tony-nominated actress
Alison Fraser included the song on her solo album A New York Romance.