Music to Watch Girls By

1966 single by Bob Crewe From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"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.

B-side"Girls On the Rocks"
Length2:27
Quick facts Single by The Bob Crewe Generation, from the album ...
"Music to Watch Girls By"
Dutch release picture sleeve
Single by The Bob Crewe Generation
from the album Music to Watch Girls By
B-side"Girls On the Rocks"
ReleasedDecember 1966
GenrePop
Length2:27
LabelDynoVoice Records
SongwriterSid Ramin
ProducerBob Crewe
The Bob Crewe Generation singles chronology
"The Whiffenpoof Song"
(1960)
"Music to Watch Girls By"
(1966)
"After the Ball"
(1967)
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Background

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

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]

More information Chart (1967), Peak position ...
Chart (1967) Peak
position
US Billboard Easy Listening[5] 2
US Billboard Hot 100[6] 15
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Andy Williams version

Quick facts Single by Andy Williams, from the album Born Free ...
"Music to Watch Girls By"
Single by Andy Williams
from the album Born Free
B-side"The Face I Love"
ReleasedMarch 1967
GenrePop
Length2:32
LabelColumbia
ComposerSid Ramin
LyricistTony Velona[7]
ProducerNick De Caro
Andy Williams singles chronology
"In the Arms of Love"
(1966)
"Music to Watch Girls By"
(1967)
"More and More"
(1967)
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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

More information Chart (1967), Peak position ...
Chart (1967) Peak
position
UK Singles (The Official Charts Company) 33
US Billboard Easy Listening[11] 2
US Billboard Hot 100[12] 34
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More information Chart (1999), Peak position ...
Chart (1999) Peak
position
UK Singles (The Official Charts Company)[13] 9
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Certifications and sales

More information Region, Certification ...
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[14] Silver 200,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

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Other recordings

  • 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]
  • A version by French singer France Gall with the title of "Die schönste Musik, die es gibt" with words in German.[18]

References

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