Tracy's Theme

Last updated
"Tracy's Theme"
Single by Spencer Ross
A-side "Tracy's Theme"
B-side "Thanksgiving Day" Parade
Released1959
Recorded1959
Genre Pop
Label Columbia
Songwriter(s) Robert Ascher
Producer(s) Robert Mersey (uncredited)

"Tracy's Theme" is a 1959 instrumental written by Robert Ascher and recorded by producer, conductor and arranger Robert Mersey under the name "Spencer Ross". [1] The fictitious name may have been used because Mersey was under contract to a record label other than Columbia, which released "Tracy's Theme", at the time of the recording. It peaked at #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1960, after being used as the theme for a TV production of The Philadelphia Story .

Contents

Origin

As part of the December 7, 1959 airing on NBC of a new television production of The Philadelphia Story, composer Robert Ascher wrote a melody to be associated with the character of Tracy Lord, [2] played by Diana Lynn on the TV special. Talent Associates, the production company that owned the special, thought the tune had hit potential, so the company worked out a deal with Columbia Records to issue it as a single. This presented a problem for Mersey, the musical director for Talent Associates, as he was under contract with the new Big Top label as its musical director as well; he had already released a single, "Bittersweet September," on the label in July 1959. [3]

Devon Music, the publishing firm of Talent Associates owned by David Susskind and Howie Richmond at the time, [1] came up with a solution. They created a fictitious artist named "Spencer Ross", and retained ownership of that pseudonym for potential future use.

"Tracy's Theme" was reviewed in the November 23, 1959 issue of Billboard , two weeks before The Philadelphia Story aired. [4] Another Ascher melody from a Talent Associates production, "Thanksgiving Day Parade" from the November 27, 1959 airing of Miracle on 34th Street , was used as the B-side.

Neither Mersey nor the fictitious Ross were the real stars of the recording; Vincent J. "Jimmy" Abato, a one-time member of Glenn Miller's orchestra, played the hypnotic melody on the alto saxophone, [5] with the accompaniment of strings and a repeated percussion beat.

Reaction

A reported 20 million viewers watched the special presentation of The Philadelphia Story. [6] With the single already on the market, and promotional copies in the hands of radio stations, it was only a matter of time before the popular theme started to sell; "Tracy's Theme" entered the Billboard Hot 100 on January 4, 1960 [7] and reached a peak of #13 on February 22. [8] In the Billboard Top Singles of 1960 ranking at the end of the year, it finished #81. [9]

After "Tracy's Theme" became a hit, Mersey received permission to use the Spencer Ross pseudonym on his next Big Top single, "Theme of a Lonely Evening" backed with "Bobby's Blues", [1] but after that, the rights to the Ross name reverted to Devon Music. Two more Spencer Ross singles and a full-length LP, which included "Tracy's Theme" in addition to non-Mersey productions, were issued on Columbia before the end of 1960.

Cover versions

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "Bob Mersey to Big Top" (PDF). Billboard. March 28, 1960. p. 17. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  2. ↑ "Desert Sun 5 December 1959". Cdnc.ucr.edu.
  3. ↑ Mersey, Bob. "Bittersweet September". 45cat. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  4. ↑ "Special Merit Spotlight: Pop Disc Jockey Programming" (PDF). Billboard. November 23, 1959. p. 39. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  5. ↑ "Recordings". Vincent J. Abato 1919-2008. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  6. ↑ "Columbia Records ad" (PDF). Billboard. January 11, 1960. p. 31. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  7. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2007). Top Pop Singles 1955-2006. Menomonee Falls, Wis.: Record Research, Inc. p. 726. ISBN   978-0-89820-172-7.
  8. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2006). Billboard Hot 100 Annual 1955-2005. Menomonee Falls, Wis.: Record Research, Inc. p. 71. ISBN   978-0-89820-168-0.
  9. ↑ "Billboard Top 100 - 1960". Archived from the original on 2014-01-02. Retrieved 2011-01-12.
  10. ↑ "Theme from a Summer Place - Billy Vaughn & His Orchestra". AllMusic.
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