"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. 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." 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" recording peaked at #15 on the Billboard Hot 100 the week of February 11, 1967 and #2 on the Easy Listening chart.

Andy Williams version

A vocal recording from 1967 by Andy Williams, featuring lyrics written by Tony Velona, peaked at #34 on the Billboard Hot 100 the weeks of April 29 and May 6, 1967. 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. This same version was also used in Samsung's commercial for the D820 cell phone in 2005.

Chart performance

Certifications and sales

Other recordings