Bootleg Betty
The Story Behind Bette Midler’s Blueberry Pie
By Mister D
May 31, 2026
How In Harmony Came About
In Harmony: A Sesame Street Record (1980) was created as a children’s music compilation featuring well-known mainstream artists performing kid-friendly songs. It was produced by Lucy Simon and David Levine and released by Warner Bros. Records.
The concept was simple but unusual for the time:
Pair major pop, rock, and soul artists with original or classic children’s songs, creating a high-quality album that appealed to both kids and adults.
It also had a charitable component — proceeds supported the Children’s Television Workshop and other children’s charities.
The album was successful enough to win the Grammy Award for Best Recording for Children and chart on Billboard.
How Bette Midler’s “Blueberry Pie” Came About
Here’s what the sources confirm:
It fit the album’s concept of celebrity-driven children’s music.
The album featured artists like James Taylor, Carly Simon, The Doobie Brothers, Linda Ronstadt, and George Benson — all contributing songs with a playful, child-friendly tone. Bette’s contribution filled the “whimsical original” slot.
“Blueberry Pie” was written specifically for In Harmony.
The tracklist shows “Blueberry Pie” credited to Bette Midler, Bruce Roberts, and Carole Bayer Sager — meaning it was an original composition created for the album, not a cover.
The production credits show it was treated as a full studio recording.
The Discogs session details confirm a full band, backing vocals, and arrangement by Bruce Roberts — indicating this wasn’t a leftover track but a purpose-built recording for the project.
It aligned with Bette’s theatrical, story-song sensibility.
While not stated explicitly in the sources, the structure of the song — playful, narrative, slightly vaudeville — matches the album’s goal of making children’s music that felt elevated and artist-driven.
Why “Blueberry Pie” Stands Out
It’s one of the most original tracks on the album — most others were covers or adaptations.
It’s one of the few children’s songs Bette ever wrote.
It predates her later children’s?music contributions (like “Baby Mine” on Stay Awake).
It shows her early collaboration with Bruce Roberts and Carole Bayer Sager in a totally different context.
Summary
In Harmony came about as a Sesame Street–adjacent, celebrity-driven children’s album produced by Lucy Simon and David Levine. Bette Midler’s “Blueberry Pie” was written expressly for the project by Midler, Roberts, and Sager, recorded with a full studio team, and became one of the album’s standout originals.
Sources: Wikipedia, Grok
