(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)
Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass - "This Guy's In Love With You"
Hit Number 1: June 22, 1968
Stay at Number 1: 4 Weeks
Sometimes, "lost pearls" are hidden, just waiting to be discovered by other artists. At least that was Herb Alpert's logic, a trumpet virtuoso who led his own band, the Tijuana Brass. One day, Alpert visited the office of Burt Bacharach, a famed songwriter who has worked with artists ranging from Perry Como to the Carpenters. Alpert admitted that he would often visit songwriters such as Bacharach in search for any material that had never been recorded by anyone, or in other words "lost composition" that he could use. It turned out that Bacharach did, in fact, have a song that he thought Alpert would like. That song would be "This Guy's In Love With You", which would later become the first #1 hit for Alpert, and the only #1 hit for the Tijuana Brass.
Alpert knew almost immediately that it could be the perfect song for him and his group. He liked the Bacharach feel of the song, and there were also spots in the song where he could add his horn solos, and it was perfect for Alpert's vocal range. This is a good time to point out that Alpert was not a singer. He was plenty capable of doing it, but everyone thinks of him as a trumpet player, and being the leader of his Tijuana Brass. The Tijuana Brass had been around for most of the 1960s, and by the time 1968 rolled around, Alpert had already founded his A&M Records, along with Jerry Moss. (Obviously, Alpert is the "A" in that) So Alpert was not a rookie in the music business at the time "This Guy's In Love
With You" came around. The Tijuana Brass got their name after Alpert visited Tijuana, Mexico, and he heard a mariachi band while attending a bullfight. That visit spawned not only his band's name, but their first hit "The Lonely Bull" as well. It peaked at #6 in 1962. (It's a 7) Since that, Alpert dropped other hit singles, with an obvious continuation of Mexican inspiration. Have you ever been to a sporting event, and heard this song? That's "Zorba the Greek", which is a 1965 Herb Alpert composition. Though it wasn't among his biggest hits, it still has those mariachi ties.
Now knowing all this, it makes "This Guy's In Love With You" stick out. First, there are no traces of Mexico ties, and secondly, Alpert sings in it. Along with the Tijuana Brass, Alpert first performed the song on The Beat of the Brass, a 1968 TV Special that featured him and his band. Many people flooded the telephone lines of the network after the broadcast, and Alpert figured that it might be a good idea to record the song as a single. It was a great call on his part. "This Guy's In Love With You" shot up the charts, and it became a #1 hit on the Hot 100 for 4 weeks. It was also a #1 hit on the Easy Listening chart for 10 weeks! Apparently people loved this different sound that Alpert was experimenting with. I think the song is a lovely piece of work, but I'm pretty confused about the craze that people had for it. Maybe it had to do with the times, with young men being drafted left and right into the Vietnam War, and perhaps young lovers were crazy for a sweet love ballad by a group who were stepping out of their comfort zone. That's all just speculation though.
Like I said, the song is a generic love ballad, but it's a pleasant listen. Alpert sings in a soft-hushed voice, and never reaches for any big, grand notes. Remember, the guy is a trumpeter first, a singer second. There is a steady build-up to the chorus, where piano riffs and gleaming strings take off. Which is nice, but they drown out Alpert's voice a little bit. With that steady build-up, you're also kind of expecting something a little bit grander than what you get on "This Guy's In Love With You". The "If not, I'll just die" part sounds a little awkward and out of place. With that being said though, I can still see some of the appeal of the song, and it could be a go-to song for guys who want to make that one girl fall in love with them. It has its flaws, but at the end of the day, it still does what a soft love song should do. That's being easy on the ears, and delivering the strong emotion, which is love.
Alpert is also part of some interesting Hot 100 chart history. He is the only artist to ever get to #1 with a vocal performance and an instrumental. Obviously "This Guy's In Love With You" is the vocal performance, but the instrumental wouldn't come along until 1979, after the Tijuana Brass went their separate ways. But that's another story for a different time.
GRADE: 6/10
JUST MISSED:
Not many people know of the original version of "MacArthur Park", that Donna Summer would re-record and take to #1 in 1978. (In other words, that version will eventually appear in this blog) That version is by Richard Harris, which peaked at #2 behind "This Guy's In Love With You". It's a 5.
Another song fell victim to stalling at #2 behind "This Guy's In Love With You". That would be "The Horse" by Cliff Nobles & Co., a funky/jazzy instrumental that I bet Alpert himself could've had fun with if he gave it a try. It's a 7.
10 ALERT!!!
Aretha Franklin's commanding gospel-sounding masterpiece "Think" peaked at #7 behind "This Guy's In Love With You". I ain't no psychiatrist, I ain't no doctor with degrees, but it don't take too much I.Q. to see that it's a 10.
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