Love's Theme
Encyclopedia
"Love's Theme" is an instrumental
piece recorded by Barry White
's Love Unlimited Orchestra and released in 1973. It is one of the few instrumental and purely orchestra
l singles to reach number one on the Billboard
Hot 100
chart in the United States
, in early 1974. The piece was included on the albums Under the Influence of Love Unlimited (by the vocal group Love Unlimited) and Rhapsody in White
.
The recording, with a large string orchestra and wah-wah guitar, is considered to be an influence to the disco
sound, which would explode in popularity the following year. The song was also popular on the Billboard Adult Contemporary
chart in the U.S., where the song spent two weeks at #1. It was also used by ABC Sports for many years as the opening theme music for its golf
coverage. In Canada
, the single saw similar success, reaching #1 on the RPM 100
National Singles Chart on March 2, 1974.
In addition, "Love's Theme" has been recorded with lyrics (penned by White's publisher, Aaron Schroeder
), with vocal versions by such artists as Love Unlimited
(on their 1974 album In Heat), Julio Iglesias
, and Andy Williams
. Enoch Light
recorded an electro-disco instrumental version of the song on his 1977 album, Disco Disque. The song is also part of Meco
's instrumental medley "Hooked On Instrumentals Part I" (from the 1985 album Hooked On Instrumentals). In May 1993, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
released their single, "Dream of Me (Based on Love's Theme)" (from their album Liberator, released the same year) on which they sang their own lyrics over a sample
of this Barry White
's composition. This single reached #24 on the UK Singles Chart
, and writing credits were given to Barry White
.
This song was covered by an American smooth jazz trumpeter Rick Braun
and by American guitarist Chuck Loeb
.
Instrumental
An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....
piece recorded by Barry White
Barry White
Barry White, born Barry Eugene Carter , was an American composer and singer-songwriter.A five-time Grammy Award-winner known for his distinctive bass voice and romantic image, White's greatest success came in the 1970s as a solo singer and with the Love Unlimited Orchestra, crafting many enduring...
's Love Unlimited Orchestra and released in 1973. It is one of the few instrumental and purely orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
l singles to reach number one on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, in early 1974. The piece was included on the albums Under the Influence of Love Unlimited (by the vocal group Love Unlimited) and Rhapsody in White
Rhapsody in White
Rhapsody in White is the debut album of American soul group The Love Unlimited Orchestra. It was a huge success for the group, who backed for and was led by Barry White for many singles such as "I'm Gonna Love You Just a Little More Baby"...
.
The recording, with a large string orchestra and wah-wah guitar, is considered to be an influence to the disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
sound, which would explode in popularity the following year. The song was also popular on the Billboard Adult Contemporary
Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States...
chart in the U.S., where the song spent two weeks at #1. It was also used by ABC Sports for many years as the opening theme music for its golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
coverage. In Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, the single saw similar success, reaching #1 on the RPM 100
RPM (magazine)
RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,...
National Singles Chart on March 2, 1974.
In addition, "Love's Theme" has been recorded with lyrics (penned by White's publisher, Aaron Schroeder
Aaron Schroeder
Aaron Schroeder was an American songwriter and music publisher.-Biography:Born Aaron Harold Schroder , he graduated from the school now known as the Fiorello H...
), with vocal versions by such artists as Love Unlimited
Love Unlimited
Love Unlimited was a female vocal trio that provided backing vocals for American R&B/soul singer Barry White on his albums and concert tours. They also found success with their own recordings. Formed in 1969, the group included Barry White’s future wife, Glodean James, her sister, Linda James, and...
(on their 1974 album In Heat), Julio Iglesias
Julio Iglesias
Julio José Iglesias de la Cueva , better known simply as Julio Iglesias, is a Spanish singer who has sold over 300 million records worldwide in 14 languages and released 77 albums. According to Sony Music Entertainment, he is one of the top 15 best selling music artists in history,...
, and Andy Williams
Andy Williams
Howard Andrew "Andy" Williams is an American singer who has recorded 18 Gold- and three Platinum-certified albums. He hosted The Andy Williams Show, a TV variety show, from 1962 to 1971, as well as numerous television specials, and owns his own theater, the Moon River Theatre in Branson, Missouri,...
. Enoch Light
Enoch Light
Enoch Henry Light was a classical violinist, bandleader, and recording engineer. As A&R chief and vice-president of Grand Award Records, he founded Command Records in 1959. Light's name was prominent on many albums both as musician and producer...
recorded an electro-disco instrumental version of the song on his 1977 album, Disco Disque. The song is also part of Meco
Meco
Meco is an American record producer and musician, as well as the name of a band or production team based around him...
's instrumental medley "Hooked On Instrumentals Part I" (from the 1985 album Hooked On Instrumentals). In May 1993, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark are a synthpop group whose founding members are originally from the Wirral Peninsula, England...
released their single, "Dream of Me (Based on Love's Theme)" (from their album Liberator, released the same year) on which they sang their own lyrics over a sample
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
of this Barry White
Barry White
Barry White, born Barry Eugene Carter , was an American composer and singer-songwriter.A five-time Grammy Award-winner known for his distinctive bass voice and romantic image, White's greatest success came in the 1970s as a solo singer and with the Love Unlimited Orchestra, crafting many enduring...
's composition. This single reached #24 on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, and writing credits were given to Barry White
Barry White
Barry White, born Barry Eugene Carter , was an American composer and singer-songwriter.A five-time Grammy Award-winner known for his distinctive bass voice and romantic image, White's greatest success came in the 1970s as a solo singer and with the Love Unlimited Orchestra, crafting many enduring...
.
This song was covered by an American smooth jazz trumpeter Rick Braun
Rick Braun
Rick Braun is a smooth jazz trumpet player.Before embarking on a solo career, Braun got his start by playing in several bands, including guitarist Jeff Golub's Avenue Blue...
and by American guitarist Chuck Loeb
Chuck Loeb
Chuck Loeb is a guitarist who performs numerous styles of music, most notably jazz. Loeb's own solo projects have generally been commercially successful crossover jazz, which has "contemporary" or "smooth" jazz....
.
See also
- List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 1974 (U.S.)
- List of number-one adult contemporary singles of 1974 (U.S.)
- List of RPM number-one singles of 1974 (Canada)