| "Music to Watch Girls By" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by The Bob Crewe Generation | ||||
| from the album Music to Watch Girls By | ||||
| B-side | "Girls On the Rocks" | |||
| Released | December 1966 | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 2:27 | |||
| Label | DynoVoice Records | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Sid Ramin | |||
| Producer(s) | Bob Crewe | |||
| The Bob Crewe Generation singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Music to Watch Girls By" was the first Top 40 hit by Bob Crewe using his own name, recorded by his group The Bob Crewe Generation.[1] The music was composed by Sidney "Sid" Ramin.
Background
[edit]Crewe first heard the song performed in a jingle demo for a Diet Pepsi commercial, and according to Greg Adams, writing for All Music Guide, the song "exemplified the groovy state of instrumental music at that time."[1] In Bob Crewe's version, a trumpet plays the whole verse, the first time around, sounding like Herb Alpert's Tijuana brass style. The second time the verse is played, a half step up in tone from G minor to A-flat minor, a tenor saxophone plays a jazzier version, accompanied by strings, surf-style guitar (reminiscent of 1960s spy films) and a harpsichord, that play a counter-melody. The trumpets finish up the refrain, and all of the parts are played, repeating the first part in the coda, before the fade.
Chart performance
[edit]The "big-band, horn driven"[2] recording peaked at #15 on the Billboard Hot 100 the week of February 11, 1967 and #2 on the Easy Listening chart.[3][4]
| Chart (1967) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Easy Listening[5] | 2 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[6] | 15 |
Andy Williams version
[edit]| "Music to Watch Girls By" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Andy Williams | ||||
| from the album Born Free | ||||
| B-side | "The Face I Love" | |||
| Released | March 1967 | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 2:32 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Composer(s) | Sid Ramin | |||
| Lyricist(s) | Tony Velona[7] | |||
| Producer(s) | Nick De Caro | |||
| Andy Williams singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
A vocal recording from 1967 by Andy Williams, featuring lyrics written by Tony Velona, peaked at #34 on the Billboard Hot 100 the weeks of April 29 and May 6, 1967.[8][9] This version was later used in a Fiat advertisement in the UK in 1999, with the re-released single reaching the top ten in that country.[10] This same version was also used in Samsung's commercial for the D820 cell phone in 2005.
Chart performance
[edit]| Chart (1967) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles (The Official Charts Company) | 33 |
| US Billboard Easy Listening[11] | 2 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[12] | 34 |
| Chart (1999) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles (The Official Charts Company)[13] | 9 |
Certifications and sales
[edit]| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[14] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
Other recordings
[edit]- A version by Al Hirt reached #31 on the Adult Contemporary chart and #119 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1967.[15]
- A version by French singer Jean-Paul Keller with the title of "Ça S'est Arrange" with French lyrics by André Salvet and Claude Carrère was also released in 1967.[16] This version was also included in the soundtrack of A Simple Favor (film) in 2018. [17]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Adams, Greg. "Music to Watch Girls By". All Music Guide. Retrieved 2009-09-15.
- ^ Leggett, Steve. "The Best of the Bob Crewe Generation:Music to Watch Girls By". All Music Guide. Retrieved 2009-09-15.
- ^ Bob Crewe, Billboard Hot 100 – Billboard.com. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
- ^ Billboard Hot 100, Week of February 11, 1967 – Billboard.com. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 66.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2013). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012. Record Research. p. 202.
- ^ Hit Records, 1950-1975 (Google eBook)
- ^ Andy Williams, Billboard Hot 100 – Billboard.com. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
- ^ Billboard Hot 100, Week of May 6, 1967 – Billboard.com. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
- ^ "Artist Profile: Andy Williams". The Breeze. Archived from the original on 2011-07-16. Retrieved 2009-09-15.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 258.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2013). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012. Record Research. p. 913.
- ^ "officialcharts.com". officialcharts.com. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
- ^ "British single certifications – Andy Williams – Music to Watch Girls By". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
- ^ Al Hirt's "Music To Watch Girls By" Chart Positions Retrieved March 24, 2013.
- ^ title=youtube.com|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQxkLtfQqjk.Retrieved March 24, 2024.
- ^ title=IMDB|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7040874/soundtrack/ Retrieved March 24,2024.
