Nadia's Theme
Encyclopedia
"Nadia's Theme" is a piece of music composed by Barry De Vorzon
and Perry Botkin, Jr.
that serves as the theme music
to the American
television soap opera
The Young and the Restless
.
. Two years later, Botkin Jr. composed a rearranged version of the music for The Young and the Restless
; the show debuted on March 26, 1973. The melody was later renamed "Nadia's Theme" after the ABC television network
's sports summary program Wide World of Sports lent the music for a montage of Romanian gymnast Nadia Comăneci
's routines during the 1976 Summer Olympics
; despite the title, Nadia never performed her floor exercises using this piece of music. Instead, she used a piano arrangement of a medley of the songs "Yes Sir, That's My Baby" and "Jump in the Line."
(the B-side had an instrumental of De Vorzon's song "Down the Line.”) The recording was identical to "Cotton's Dream," with a repeat from the bridge to the end edited in to lengthen the piece. It soared up to number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100
chart by December 1976, in part because of its association with Comaneci. However, A&M Records failed to credit De Vorzon as the co-writer on the first pressings of the single; he successfully sued the record label for $241,000 USD. The single was never actually released on CD
until Eric Records included it on the CD Hard-To-Find Orchestral Instrumentals II.
, Ray Conniff
, Ferrante & Teicher
, the orchestra of The Lawrence Welk Show
, and James Galway
; a semi-rock version by The Ventures
; and David Hasselhoff
's vocal rendition, which incorporated De Vorzon's and Botkin Jr.'s lyrics, for his 1997 album Lovin' Feelings.
Barry De Vorzon
Barry De Vorzon is an American singer, songwriter, producer, and composer. His first composing big hit was the rock song "Dreamin'," sung by Johnny Burnette in 1960, although he had a number-one hit previously called "Just Married," which he wrote for Marty Robbins in 1958...
and Perry Botkin, Jr.
Perry Botkin, Jr.
Perry Botkin, Jr. is an American composer, producer, arranger, and musician. He had a successful career in music for over forty years. As an arranger, he worked with Bobby Darin, Harry Nilsson, The Lettermen, Ed Ames, and Harpers Bizarre, among others...
that serves as the theme music
Theme music
Theme music is a piece that is often written specifically for a radio program, television program, video game or movie, and usually played during the title sequence and/or end credits...
to the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
The Young and the Restless
The Young and the Restless
The Young and the Restless is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in a fictional Wisconsin town called Genoa City, which is unlike and unrelated to the real life village of the same name, Genoa City, Wisconsin...
.
Origins
The melody, originally titled "Cotton's Dream," was composed, and lyrics were written for it, by De Vorzon and Botkin Jr. as incidental music for the 1971 theatrical film Bless the Beasts and ChildrenBless the Beasts and Children (film)
Bless the Beasts and Children is a 1971 film adaptation of the novel of the same name, by Glendon Swarthout, that was directed by Stanley Kramer, featuring Bill Mumy and Barry Robins.-Plot:...
. Two years later, Botkin Jr. composed a rearranged version of the music for The Young and the Restless
The Young and the Restless
The Young and the Restless is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in a fictional Wisconsin town called Genoa City, which is unlike and unrelated to the real life village of the same name, Genoa City, Wisconsin...
; the show debuted on March 26, 1973. The melody was later renamed "Nadia's Theme" after the ABC television network
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's sports summary program Wide World of Sports lent the music for a montage of Romanian gymnast Nadia Comăneci
Nadia Comaneci
Nadia Elena Comăneci is a Romanian gymnast, winner of three Olympic gold medals at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and the first female gymnast ever to be awarded a perfect score of 10 in an Olympic gymnastic event. She is also the winner of two gold medals at the 1980 Summer...
's routines during the 1976 Summer Olympics
1976 Summer Olympics
The 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1976. Montreal was awarded the rights to the 1976 Games on May 12, 1970, at the 69th IOC Session in Amsterdam, over the bids of Moscow and...
; despite the title, Nadia never performed her floor exercises using this piece of music. Instead, she used a piano arrangement of a medley of the songs "Yes Sir, That's My Baby" and "Jump in the Line."
Release
About one month after the 1976 Olympics, the song was released as a single by A&M RecordsA&M Records
A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...
(the B-side had an instrumental of De Vorzon's song "Down the Line.”) The recording was identical to "Cotton's Dream," with a repeat from the bridge to the end edited in to lengthen the piece. It soared up to number 8 on the Billboard 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 by December 1976, in part because of its association with Comaneci. However, A&M Records failed to credit De Vorzon as the co-writer on the first pressings of the single; he successfully sued the record label for $241,000 USD. The single was never actually released on CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
until Eric Records included it on the CD Hard-To-Find Orchestral Instrumentals II.
Alternate versions
Other versions of "Nadia's Theme" have been recorded, including easy listening renditions by such artists as Ronnie AldrichRonnie Aldrich
Ronnie Aldrich, born Ronald Frank Aldrich was a British easy listening and jazz pianist, arranger, conductor, and composer. The only son af a store manager, he was three years old when he started playing the piano...
, Ray Conniff
Ray Conniff
Joseph Raymond Conniff was an American bandleader and arranger best known for his Ray Conniff Singers during the 1960s.-Biography:...
, Ferrante & Teicher
Ferrante & Teicher
Ferrante & Teicher were a duo of American piano players, known for their light arrangements of familiar classical pieces, movie soundtracks, and show tunes.-Career:...
, the orchestra of The Lawrence Welk Show
The Lawrence Welk Show
The Lawrence Welk Show is an American televised musical variety show hosted by big band leader Lawrence Welk. The series aired locally in Los Angeles for four years , then nationally for another 27 years via the ABC network and first-run syndication .In the years since first-run syndication...
, and James Galway
James Galway
- External links : IMGArtists.com 15 September 2008. AllAboutJazz.com 5 August 2008.*...
; a semi-rock version by The Ventures
The Ventures
The Ventures is an American instrumental rock band formed in 1958 in Tacoma, Washington. Founded by Don Wilson and Bob Bogle, the group in its various incarnations has had an enduring impact on the development of music worldwide. With over 100 million records sold, the group is the best-selling...
; and David Hasselhoff
David Hasselhoff
David Michael Hasselhoff is an American actor, singer, producer and businessman. He is best known for his lead roles as Michael Knight in the popular 1980s US series Knight Rider and as L.A. County Lifeguard Mitch Buchannon in the series Baywatch...
's vocal rendition, which incorporated De Vorzon's and Botkin Jr.'s lyrics, for his 1997 album Lovin' Feelings.