Theme from A Summer Place

"Theme from A Summer Place" is a song with lyrics by Mack Discant and music by Max Steiner, written for the 1959 film A Summer Place, which starred Sandra Dee and Troy Donahue. It was recorded for the film as an instrumental by Hugo Winterhalter. Originally known as the "Molly and Johnny Theme", this lush extended cue, as orchestrated by Murray Cutter, is not the main title theme of the film, but an oft-heard secondary love theme for the characters played by Dee and Donahue. The theme has become a canonical representation of the easy listening genre, and is considered by some to be the definitive easy listening track of all time.  

Following its introduction in the film by the Warner Bros. studio orchestra, the theme was recorded by many artists in both instrumental and vocal versions, and has also appeared in a number of subsequent films and television programs. The best-known
version of the theme is an instrumental version by Percy Faith and his Orchestra that was a number-one hit for nine weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1960.

Percy Faith version

Percy Faith recorded the most popular version of the theme, an instrumental orchestral arrangement, at the Columbia 30th Street Studio in New York City. It was released in September 1959 as a single on Columbia Records, credited to "Percy Faith and his Orchestra", prior to the November 1959 release of the film A Summer Place.

The single was not an immediate hit, but after it entered the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart at No. 96 on 11 January 1960, it ascended to number one in just six more weeks, on 22 February 1960, going on to set an at-the-time record of nine consecutive weeks at number one, a record that would not be broken until 1977, when "You Light Up My Life" spent ten weeks at the top of the chart.  (Perez Prado's "Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White" remained at number one for 10 weeks on the Best Sellers in Stores chart in 1955, and Elvis Presley's double-sided hit "Don't Be Cruel/ Hound Dog" remained at number one for 11 weeks on the Best Sellers in Stores and Jockeys charts in 1956, all prior to the 4 August 1958, creation of the Hot 100 chart.)

The single was also in front of five consecutive No. 2 singles, none of which ever reached the Hot 100's summit:  Jimmy Jones' "Handy Man" (29 February), Jim Reeves' "He'll Have to Go" ( 7–21 March), Bobby Rydell's "Wild One" (28 March), Paul Anka's "Puppy Love" ( 4–11 April), The Brothers Four's "Greenfields" (sometimes spelled "Green Fields") (18 April), with Elvis Presley's "Stuck on You" (25 April – 9 May) in front of "Greenfields" during its last three weeks at No. 2.

"Theme From A Summer Place" remains the longest-running number one instrumental in the history of the Hot 100. Billboard ranked Faith's version as the Number One song for 1960.  The Faith version reached number 2 in the UK Singles Chart, spending 31 weeks on the chart, and it was also a number 1 hit in Italy under the title "Scandalo Al Sole."

Faith won a Grammy Award for Record of the Year in 1961 for his recording.  This was the first movie theme and the first instrumental to win a Record of the Year Grammy.

Faith re-recorded the song twice:  first, in 1969, as a female choral version, then, in 1976, as a disco version titled "Summer Place '76."

As reported by Casey Kasem on the American Top 40 broadcast of 25 September 1976, "Theme from A Summer Place" is the biggest hit on the American charts by a Canadian artist.

In 2008 Faith's original version was ranked at number 18 on Billboard's top 100 songs during the first 50 years of the Hot 100 chart. The Billboard Book of Number One Hits called it "the most successful instrumental single of the rock era."

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

All-time charts

Other notable cover versions
"Theme from A Summer Place" has been covered by a number of artists in addition to Percy Faith, in both non-vocal instrumental versions, and with one or more vocalists either singing the Discant lyrics or a wordless melody line. The theme has also been referenced, sampled, or otherwise adapted into several other songs.

Instrumental versions
 In 1960, Billy Vaughn included an instrumental orchestral arrangement of the theme as the title cut to his album Theme From A Summer Place released on Dot Records, which peaked at number one on the Billboard LP chart.
 In 1961, Mantovani recorded an orchestral rendition of the theme for his album Mantovani Plays Music From 'Exodus' and Other Great Themes; the album reached the Top Ten on the UK charts.

Vocal versions
Most vocal versions of the theme have featured the Discant lyrics. However, some featured wordless vocals by singers who voiced the melody line.
 In 1960, British producer, bandleader and arranger Norrie Paramor released his arrangement of the theme as a single on Columbia Records, featuring wordless vocals by soprano Patricia Clarke and credited to "Norrie Paramor & His Orchestra". The single reached number 36 on the UK chart.
 In 1962, Andy Williams covered the theme for his gold-certified album Moon River and Other Great Movie Themes.
 In 1965, the male vocal group The Lettermen had a hit with their harmony arrangement of the theme, released as a single on Capitol Records; it reached number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100, and was included on their album The Hit Sounds of the Lettermen.

In popular culture
"Theme from A Summer Place" is frequently used as period background or soundtrack music in films and television programs set between 1959 and the mid-1960s. The theme from Mario Kart: Super Circuit'''s Shy Guy Beach racetrack uses the same melody as "Theme from "A Summer Place."

A parody version of "Theme from A Summer Place" appears in The Simpsons episode “Homer's Barbershop Quartet”  The character Jasper Beardley sings the tune in his audition for Homer’s quartet The Be Sharps using the title of the theme itself as the lyrics.

The song is also heard in Stephen King's mini television series Rose Red; and; the 1978 film Animal House'' in the cafeteria scene with John Belushi at food line, over stuffing his plate with food.

See also
List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 1960 (U.S.)

References

1959 singles
1962 singles
1965 singles
Percy Faith songs
The Lettermen songs
Andy Williams songs
Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles
Cashbox number-one singles
Grammy Award for Record of the Year
1950s instrumentals
Film theme songs
Love themes
Songs written for films
1959 songs
Capitol Records singles
Columbia Records singles