Most of the time, when we talk about "One Hit Wonders", we are talking about Singers, or Bands...that performed one big hit song and then faded into obscurity. In this case, I will be highlighting a "One Hit Wonder" in the form of a single song.
The man that arranged the instrumental cover of this song was a very successful Orchestra Leader by the name of Paul Mauriat. The original song, "L'amour est bleu", (Love Is Blue) was written and composed by Andre Popp and Lyricist Pierre Cour in 1967.
Paul Mauriat toured with his Orchestra and specialized in the "Easy Listening" genre of music. He is perhaps best known in the United States for his Orchestra's performance of this one song. In 1967-1968 this song spent 5 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It is the only time a French artist has ever topped the Billboard 100!
This instrumental simply stirs something in me that I cant put my finger on. Something sentimental...romantic perhaps? The simple but pronounced snare drum presence, the harpsichord riff, the almost "Chicago'ish", staccato feel of the brass punctuating the chorus...and of course the SOARING, SOARINGGGG violins/violas...they all blend together in an unlikely combination that just hits the sweet spot for me!
I decided on a simple, Mono version of the song, played off an old "45", just like I would have heard it for the first time. Gotta love YouTube!
Have a listen!
Love Is Blue
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