(The Hit Hammer is where I'm reviewing each #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100. Starting from when the chart started in 1958, and eventually working my way to the present. To see my inspiration and more information about this blog, please CLICK HERE)
Henry Mancini - "Love Theme From 'Romeo and Juliet'"
Hit Number 1: June 28, 1969
Stay at Number 1: 2 Weeks
I'm not going to explain something that I'm pretty sure we all know about. Many of us, I would assume, were exposed to the story of Romeo and Juliet at some point in our lives, and know about the tragic story that ensues in it. There have been countless books and films made for the story, and each of those like to bend the plot, and create their own little version of what happens in it. There was a movie created in 1968 that probably remains as the best known version of the story today. That movie features a gloopy, soft piano ballad by music composer Henry Mancini that was especially made for it. The name of the song was simply called "Love Theme From 'Romeo and Juliet'", and it became an out-of-nowhere hit for Mancini in the summer of 1969. (When Bryan Adams was living it up. Props to anyone who gets that reference)
This wasn't Mancini's first rodeo. He's also responsible for "The Pink Panther Theme" from Pink Panther and "Moon River" from Breakfast at Tiffany's. ("Moon River" was actually a Top 20 hit for Mancini, as it peaked at #11 in 1961. It's a 7) So it's safe to say that Mancini was a pretty reliable pick if you wanted someone to put together a song for your movie. Mancini's version of the "Love Theme From 'Romeo and Juliet'" (also called "A Time for Us") is a swooning instrumental ballad, filled up by meandering piano riffs by Mancini, mellow strings, and even a choir to boot. All things considered, it's a pretty lovely song. Everything fits together nicely, no one tries to steal the show from one another, and if you consider how the movie Romeo and Juliet ends, it can be a rather haunting song.
Even though the instrumental works just fine, it's nothing more than that. It's strange to see Mancini's song hit the way it did, especially in the time that it did. Remember, in 1969 we were still seeing the Beatles in action, psychedelia was wrapping up but still around, and the bubble gum genre was picking up steam. So how does something like this become a #1 hit? I wasn't alive in 1969, so I can't speak for sure, but maybe people were loving a nice and simple instrumental throwback to the early 1960's. Or, maybe they were so fascinated by the movie Romeo and Juliet that they went out and bought anything that had to do with it. Radio stations even tried to stay away from the song, as they considered it to be too soft, but they were forced to start playing it when the music buying public helped take the movie's song to the top of the charts. While I can respect the craftsmanship that was put into it, I can never imagine myself going out of my way to listen to it, but this is the latter 1960's. People were singing songs about peace, love, and strawberry fields. Nothing made sense.
GRADE: 5/10
JUST MISSED:
CCR's second of their five #2 hits was an ultimate swamp rock banger, "Bad Moon Rising", which stalled out at #2 behind "Love Theme From 'Romeo and Juliet'". It's a 9.
ANOTHER JUST MISSED:
Blood, Sweat, & Tears also collected a second #2 hit, this time with a funky-laden, groovy song called "Spinning Wheel". It's a 6.
Комментарии