This Guy's in Love with You
| "This Guy's in Love with You" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Herb Alpert | |
| from the album The Beat of the Brass | |
| B-side | "A Quiet Tear" |
| Released | April 1968 |
| Format | 7" |
| Genre | Pop |
| Length | 3:55 |
| Label | A&M |
| Writer(s) | Burt Bacharach, Hal David |
| Producer(s) | Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss |
"This Guy's in Love with You" is a song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, and recorded by Herb Alpert. Although known primarily for his trumpet playing as the leader of the Tijuana Brass, Alpert sang lead vocals on this solo recording, arranged by Bacharach.
History
As documented in a Biography cable episode featuring Bacharach, the recording originated when Alpert asked Bacharach, "Say, Burt, do you happen to have any old compositions lying around that you and Hal never recorded; maybe one I might use?" Alpert said he made it his practice to ask songwriters that particular question; often a lost "pearl" was revealed. As it happened, Bacharach recalled one, found the lyrics and score sheet, and offered it to Alpert: "Here, Herb ... you might like this one."
Alpert saw the possibilities in it for himself. The composition had a recognizable Bacharach-David feel, a spot for a signature horn solo in the bridge and in the fadeout, and it was an easy song to sing within Alpert's vocal range. He originally sang "This Guy's in Love with You" on a 1968 television special, The Beat of the Brass. In response to numerous viewer telephone calls following the broadcast, Alpert decided that the song should be released as a single recording, and it reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart in June of that year, remaining in the top position for four weeks. It was not only Alpert's first No. 1 single, but it was also the first No. 1 single for his A&M record label. The song also spent ten weeks at No. 1 on the Easy Listening chart. For the single's B-side, Alpert chose "A Quiet Tear," an album track from his first album in 1962, The Lonely Bull.
Eleven years later Alpert became the first (and only) artist to have reached the prized No. 1 position of the Billboard Hot 100 with both a vocal performance and an instrumental performance when his instrumental, "Rise", reached the top of the hit chart.
"This Guy's in Love with You" was succeeded at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 by "Grazing In The Grass", an instrumental by Hugh Masekela. On the Billboard Easy Listening chart, Alpert's song was both preceded and succeeded at No. 1 by instrumental hits from Hugo Montenegro ("The Good, the Bad and the Ugly") and Mason Williams ("Classical Gas"), respectively. Besides this hit in English, he recorded the song in Spanish and Italian.
Cover versions
| "This Girl's in Love with You" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Dionne Warwick | |
| Released | 1969 |
| Writer(s) | |
- Burt Bacharach himself recorded the song in 1990 as an instrumental with some backing vocals.
- The Lettermen covered this song on their album, The Best of the Lettermen.[1]
- Sammy Davis Jr. covered this song on the TV show Dee Time in 1968.[2]
- Johnny Mathis covered the song for his album Those Were the Days in 1968, a year after he returned to Columbia Records, his current label.
- Des O'Connor covered this song for his album I Pretend in July 1968, shortly after the original version.
- Pierre Lalonde released a French cover of the song in 1968 Une Poupée.
- Allison Durbin released a version on her 1968 album I Have Loved Me a Man (titled "This Girl's In Love").
- Dusty Springfield recorded the song for her 1968 album Dusty... Definitely.
- B. J. Thomas released a version of the song on his 1969 album Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head.
- Andy Kim released a version of the song on his 1969 album Baby I Love You.
- Spiral Starecase released a version of the song on their 1969 debut album, More Today Than Yesterday.
- Sacha Distel covered the song in 1970.
- In Italy, the song has been sung by Fred Bongusto in English and by Herb Alpert himself as well as Tony Renis in Italian with the title "Un ragazzo che ti ama" ("A guy who loves you").
- Australian group The Reels released a version as a single and on the album Beautiful in 1982. It reached No. 7 in the Australian charts.
- The Bad Plus perform this song on their 2007 release Prog (album).
- Faith No More has performed the song live in 1997, 2009, 2011, and 2015.
- Barry Manilow recorded a version of this song, which appears on his 2006 album The Greatest Songs of the Sixties.
- Harry Connick, Jr. recorded it for the soundtrack of the film One Fine Day (1996).
- Noel Gallagher of Oasis sang the song live in 1996 at a Burt Bacharach concert at the London Festival Hall, while Bacharach accompanied him on piano and conducted the orchestra.
- Fastball recorded the song and released it on the 1997 compilation Lounge-A-Palooza, as well as on the soundtrack of the film Failure to Launch (2006).
- Dave Koz, smooth jazz saxophonist, has covered the song on his 2010 album Hello Tomorrow. Herb Alpert himself was featured on trumpet.
- Several female vocalists have rendered the song as "This Girl's in Love with You", apparently beginning with Eydie Gormé, for whom it was a Top 20 Easy Listening hit. Dionne Warwick's version was released as a single in 1969, reaching No. 7 and that same year. Aretha Franklin cut the song to serve as title cut for her This Girl's in Love with You album released in 1970. The song has also been recorded by Barbara Acklin, Petula Clark, Ella Fitzgerald, Anita Harris, Brenda Lee, Liza Minnelli, Dusty Springfield, Marva Whitney, Hildegard Knef, and She & Him.
- Julio Iglesias covered the song on his 2006 album Romantic Classics
- Eva Braun covered the song in 2002, but the recording had not been officially released until 2008 on the compilation album Off The Record.
- Grenadine covered the song on their 1994 album Nopalitos, with Jenny Toomey singing lead.
- Guy Klucevsek performed a dirge-like solo accordion version of the song, coupled with the Bacharach-David song "Who Gets the Guy?", on the 1997 Tzadik Records compilation Great Jewish Music: Burt Bacharach.
- Denny McLain, MLB baseball pitcher, on his album Denny McLain At The Organ.
- Regis Philbin, as a duet with wife Joy Philbin, 2010.
- Freedy Johnston, on tour and as radio promos in 1994.
- Till Brönner recorded a version of this song which appears on his album Oceana – 2007 (US version).
- Jimmy Ruffin covered it on his album Forever (Motown, 1970).
- Richard Clayderman recorded it for his 2005 compilation album The Anniversary Collection
- David T. Walker recorded a cover version as part of the medley on "Going Up".
- Donny Osmond recorded it for his 1972 album Portrait Of Donny
- Diana Ross and The Supremes with The Temptations on the 1968 album Join The Temptations.
- UK group These New Puritans featured an avant-garde cover of the song as the opening track on their 2013 album Field of Reeds.
- Filipino crooner Jose Mari Chan also covered his version of the song in 1973.
- Canadian singer-songwriter Mac DeMarco recorded a cover version of the song in 2014.[3]
- She & Him recorded a cover titled This Girl's In Love With You in 2014.
- Frances Madden recorded a cover titled This Girl's In Love in 2014.
- Swedish jazz singer Svante Thuresson recorded the Swedish-language cover "Du ser en man" in 1968.
References
- ↑ Video on YouTube
- ↑ Video on YouTube
- ↑ Gordon, Jeremy (September 12, 2014). "Mac DeMarco Covers "This Guy's In Love With You" for Video Introducing New Guitarist". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved September 14, 2014.
Bibliography
- The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 6th Edition, 1996
External links
- "This Guy's in Love with You" at SongFacts.com
- Burt Bacharach & Herb Alpert interviewed on the Pop Chronicles (1969)
| Preceded by "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" by Hugo Montenegro |
Billboard Easy Listening number-one single (Herb Alpert version) June 8, 1968 (10 weeks) |
Succeeded by "Classical Gas" by Mason Williams |
| Preceded by "Mrs. Robinson" by Simon and Garfunkel |
Billboard Hot 100 number one single June 22 – July 19, 1968 (4 weeks) |
Succeeded by "Grazing in the Grass" by Hugh Masekela |
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