This Guy's in Love with You

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"This Guy's in Love with You"
This Guy's in Love with You.jpg
Single by Herb Alpert
from the album The Beat of the Brass
B-side"A Quiet Tear" (from The Lonely Bull)
ReleasedApril 1968 (1968-04)
GenrePop, easy listening
Length3:55
LabelA&M
Songwriter(s)Burt Bacharach, Hal David
Producer(s)Herb Alpert, 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. An earlier recording of the song was by British singer Danny Williams titled "That Guy's in Love", which appears on his 1968 self-titled album.[1]

History[]

The song appears to have originally been written by David with lyrics to be sung by a female singer.[2]

A version was then released by Danny Williams, with lyrics about his female partner being in love with another man, some months before the Alpert version.[3]

Herb Alpert version[]

As documented in an A&E Biography episode featuring Bacharach, the recording originated when Alpert, while visiting at Bacharach's office, asked, "Say, Burt, do you happen to have any old compositions lying around that you and Hal never recorded; maybe one I might be able to 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 in his office filing cabinet, and offered it to Alpert: "Here, Herb ... you might like this one."[citation needed]

Alpert saw the possibilities in the composition for recording it 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.

Alpert 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 to the network 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, as well as the first No. 1 in the U.S. for Bacharach & David. 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" from his first album in 1962, The Lonely Bull.

Other renditions[]

Several female vocalists have rendered the song as "This Girl's in Love with You". Nancy Sinatra debuted this version live on The Ed Sullivan Show on May 26, 1968.[4] Dionne Warwick was the first to record this version of the song, which was released as a single in 1969, reaching No. 7 in the U.S. that same year. It also spent four weeks at No. 2 on the Easy Listening chart.[5] It ranked as the 64th biggest US hit of 1969.[6]

Sammy Davis Jr. recorded the song in 1969; the resulting version appeared on each of his final two albums for Reprise Records, and he performed it live in his concerts, including at one memorable appearance in Hamburg that same year.

Eydie Gormé had a hit on the U.S. Easy Listening chart with her rendition reaching number 22 during the summer of 1968. Debuting the same week, Tony Mottola had a hit on the U.S. Easy Listening chart, also reaching number 22.

Australian group the Reels released a version as a single and on the album Beautiful in 1982. It reached No. 7 on the Australian charts.[citation needed]

In July 1996 at the London Festival Hall, Noel Gallagher of Oasis sang a version of the song with Bacharach playing piano. It should also be noted that Oasis's 1994 song "Half the World Away", written by Gallagher, which first appeared as a B-side to "Whatever" and later on the compilation albums The Masterplan and Stop the Clocks, was inspired by "This Guy's in Love with You", which bears a similarity.[citation needed]

Faith No More released a live version on their 1998 double album Who Cares a Lot? and played the song on their Rock Show Special for BBC Radio 1 (2015).

Dave Koz recorded an jazz version featuring Herb Alpert for his 2010 album Hello Tomorrow.

Chart history[]

Tony Mottola cover

Chart (1968) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Easy Listening 22
Eydie Gorme cover
Chart (1968) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Easy Listening 22

References[]

  1. ^ "Cover versions of That Guy's in Love by Danny Williams | SecondHandSongs".
  2. ^ "Original versions of This Guy's in Love with You written by Burt Bacharach, Hal David | SecondHandSongs".
  3. ^ "Danny Williams – Danny Williams (1968, Vinyl)".
  4. ^ ""You'll Stay In My Heart": Nancy Interprets Bacharach & David | The Official Site of Nancy Sinatra".
  5. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 251.
  6. ^ "Top 100 Hits of 1969/Top 100 Songs of 1969". www.musicoutfitters.com.
  7. ^ "Go-Set Australian charts - 24 July 1968". www.poparchives.com.au.
  8. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – This Guy's in Love with You". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  9. ^ "Dutch Charts - dutchcharts.nl". dutchcharts.nl.
  10. ^ "flavour of new zealand - search listener". www.flavourofnz.co.nz.
  11. ^ "SA Charts 1965–March 1989". Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  12. ^ "Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. 1968-07-09. Retrieved 2018-12-31.
  13. ^ Jump up to: a b Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
  14. ^ "Australian Chart Books". www.australianchartbooks.com.au. Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2019-07-14.
  15. ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". collectionscanada.gc.ca.
  16. ^ "Top 100 Hits of 1968/Top 100 Songs of 1968". musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
  17. ^ http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/60s_files/1968YESP.html Archived 2016-10-09 at the Wayback Machine Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 28, 1968
  18. ^ "Billboard Hot 100 60th Anniversary Interactive Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  19. ^ "Go-Set Australian charts - 19 March 1969". www.poparchives.com.au.
  20. ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1969-03-24. Retrieved 2018-07-19.
  21. ^ "Cash Box Top 100 3/22/69". tropicalglen.com. Archived from the original on 2018-07-20. Retrieved 2019-07-14.
  22. ^ "RPM Top Singles of 1969". Library and Archives Canada. RPM. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
  23. ^ "Top 100 Hits of 1969/Top 100 Songs of 1969". musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
  24. ^ "1969: The Top 100 Soul/R&B Singles". RateYourMusic.

Bibliography[]

  • The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 6th Edition, 1996

External links[]

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