"Music to Watch Girls By"
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
Songwriter(s)Sid Ramin
Producer(s)Bob Crewe
The Bob Crewe Generation singles chronology
"The Whiffenpoof Song"
(1960)		 "Music to Watch Girls By"
(1966)		 "After the Ball"
(1967)

"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.

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 went to #15 on the pop chart and #2 on the Easy Listening chart.

Chart (1967) Peak
position
US Billboard Easy Listening[3] 2
US Billboard Hot 100[4] 15

Andy Williams version

"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
Composer(s)Sid Ramin
Lyricist(s)Tony Velona[5]
Producer(s)Nick De Caro
Andy Williams singles chronology
"In the Arms of Love"
(1966)		 "Music to Watch Girls By"
(1967)		 "More and More"
(1967)

A vocal recording from 1967 by Andy Williams, featuring lyrics written by Tony Velona, went to #34 in the United States. 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.[6]This same version was also used in Samsung's commercial for the D820 cell phone in 2005.

Chart performance

Chart (1967) Peak
position
UK Singles (The Official Charts Company) 33
US Billboard Easy Listening[7] 2
US Billboard Hot 100[8] 34
Chart (1999) Peak
position
UK Singles (The Official Charts Company)[9] 9

Certifications and sales

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[10] Silver 200,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Other recordings

References

  1. 1 2 Adams, Greg. "Music to Watch Girls By". All Music Guide. Retrieved 2009-09-15.
  2. ↑ Leggett, Steve. "The Best of the Bob Crewe Generation:Music to Watch Girls By". All Music Guide. Retrieved 2009-09-15.
  3. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 66.
  4. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2013). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012. Record Research. p. 202.
  5. ↑ Hit Records, 1950-1975 (Google eBook)
  6. ↑ "Artist Profile: Andy Williams". The Breeze. Archived from the original on 2011-07-16. Retrieved 2009-09-15.
  7. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 258.
  8. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2013). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012. Record Research. p. 913.
  9. ↑ "officialcharts.com". officialcharts.com. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  10. ↑ "British single certifications – Andy Williams – Music to Watch Girls By". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
  11. ↑ Al Hirt's "Music To Watch Girls By" Chart Positions Retrieved March 24, 2013.
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