Bedtime Music: Strauss - The Blue Danube

After such a long theme on rock music, I thought I'd do classical music this week. This song, The Blue Danube by Johann Strauss II, is, of course, extremely famous. And yet, there are several facts about the song that most people probably don't know. For example:

The original title is An der schönen blauen Donau or On the Beautiful Blue Danube. The waltz was first performed on February 9, 1867.

The original waltz had lyrics (see the Wikipedia page on The Blue Danube for the lyrics to the choral version). There is also an alternative version of the lyrics, written by Franz von Gernerth, entitled Donau so blau or Danube So Blue.

The original choral version of the waltz was only mildly successful. It was when the song was rewritten into a purely orchestral form that its popularity soared.