Blue hour
The Blue Hour is orignally a French expression (L'Heure Bleue) which refers to the often magical hour experienced between the hours of daylight and darkness. It is also thought to relate to the Paris of pre-World War I which was considered to be a time of relative innocence before the horrors that were to follow.
The time is considered special because of the quality of the light at this time of day and for the fact that in the summer this is often when the smell of the flowers is at their strongest.
The influence of the Blue Hour in popular culture
As a result around the world there are many restaurants, theatres and hotels called "L'Heure Bleue" and there is also a women's perfume by Guerlain (1912) of the same name.
The blue hour is also a common theme in popular music and the subject appears in various songs:
- Roy Orbison - When the blue hour comes
- Turin Brakes - Blue hour
- Stephen Cummings - Blue hour
- Rod Webber - Blue hour
The Blue Hour is also a popular paperback novel by T Jefferson Parker and the name of a book by Carolyn Forché.