# Song ID: Instrumental hit, lots of horns, went Top 40 in U.S. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 18, 2012, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-id-instrumental-hit-lots-of-horns-went-top-40-in-u-s/619203 "2012-04-18T20:23:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-id-instrumental-hit-lots-of-horns-went-top-40-in-u-s/619203/1 "2012-04-18T20:23:45Z")
It’s a song I hear from time to time in unexpected places. I’m not sure if “jazz” is the right genre, exactly … sounds like “loungey jazz”, if that makes any sense. The song is pretty much nothing but horns, with a good number of drawn-out notes. The song sounds like it should be the official theme song for 1960s Atlantic City or Las Vegas. You hear the tune, and you can just imagine Frank, Sammy, and Dean strutting through a casino. It definitely hit the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart, because there’s a local Top 40 station that stays strictly with Top 40 material, and they play it now and then. Timewise, I’d place it in the mid-to-late 1960s. Maybe early 1970s. Lastly, I think ESPN, at one time, used the song to class up their billiards & pool broadcasts. Thanks in advance for any clues. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-id-instrumental-hit-lots-of-horns-went-top-40-in-u-s/619203/2 "2012-04-18T20:29:39Z")
The first song that comes to mind is [Feel So Good by Chuck Mangione](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7dg8vRDM68). ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-id-instrumental-hit-lots-of-horns-went-top-40-in-u-s/619203/3 "2012-04-18T20:32:27Z")
“Feels So Good” was my first thought, too, along with Herb Alpert’s “Rise,” but both are outside the OP’s guess for the period. How about [Music to Watch Girls By](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3whUbXFXko)? ---
**Author:** ![Meltdown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Meltdown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meltdown)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-id-instrumental-hit-lots-of-horns-went-top-40-in-u-s/619203/4 "2012-04-18T20:35:16Z")
I’m going to guess [Herb Alpert](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herb_alpert#Hit_singles). Probably [Spanish Flea](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iDCPCfh_kw&feature=fvst). ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-id-instrumental-hit-lots-of-horns-went-top-40-in-u-s/619203/5 "2012-04-18T20:39:02Z")
I would guess [Taste Of Honey](http://youtu.be/z_KDPUTyDyQ) by Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass. ---
**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-id-instrumental-hit-lots-of-horns-went-top-40-in-u-s/619203/6 "2012-04-18T20:57:28Z")
How about [The Crusaders](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0ygAhakw5w&feature=endscreen&NR=1)? Lots of smooth horns here. ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-id-instrumental-hit-lots-of-horns-went-top-40-in-u-s/619203/7 "2012-04-18T21:15:45Z")
Well, there’s “[Casino Royale](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Io-jchlnvJM)”, from 1967, by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (skip the first 20 seconds, that never gets played on the radio). Does that have the same basic sound? Another one by them is “[The Lonely Bull](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEE-5rVM0LE)”. ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-id-instrumental-hit-lots-of-horns-went-top-40-in-u-s/619203/8 "2012-04-18T21:31:50Z")
Tower of Power comes to mind. Q ---
**Author:** ![sachertorte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sachertorte/32/3727_2.png) [@sachertorte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sachertorte)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-id-instrumental-hit-lots-of-horns-went-top-40-in-u-s/619203/9 "2012-04-18T21:37:56Z")
Perhaps you should spend some quality time with Shazam? [http://www.shazam.com/](http://www.shazam.com/) The application listens to music though your microphone and determines which song it is. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-id-instrumental-hit-lots-of-horns-went-top-40-in-u-s/619203/10 "2012-04-18T23:38:48Z")
> [@Morbo](#): > > I would guess [Taste Of Honey](http://youtu.be/z_KDPUTyDyQ) by Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass. That’s also what I thought of when I read the OP. Now I have a craving to listen to “Lonely Bull”. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-id-instrumental-hit-lots-of-horns-went-top-40-in-u-s/619203/11 "2012-04-19T01:26:15Z")
Thanks for the suggestions, all. None of these were it. Alpert’s trumpet is very distinctive. Mangione’s too. 99.99999% sure neither of those guys played on the tune I have in mind. It’s a much more bombastic tune than any so far proposed. Maybe when I wrote “loungey”, I gave the wrong impression. It’s almost bombastic to the point of being cheesey, which made me think “lounge”. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-id-instrumental-hit-lots-of-horns-went-top-40-in-u-s/619203/12 "2012-04-19T03:47:21Z")
Something by [Morphine](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUHZ8oRC4k8), maybe? ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-id-instrumental-hit-lots-of-horns-went-top-40-in-u-s/619203/13 "2012-04-19T04:07:01Z")
“The Stripper”? [NSFW Version](http://youtu.be/rjtrUuyAFjA) ---
**Author:** ![Number](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/number/32/242_2.png) [@Number](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Number)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-id-instrumental-hit-lots-of-horns-went-top-40-in-u-s/619203/14 "2012-04-19T05:03:54Z")
[Soulful Strut by Young Holt Unlimited](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4_r-x9MOYU)? ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-id-instrumental-hit-lots-of-horns-went-top-40-in-u-s/619203/15 "2012-04-19T06:05:56Z")
Probably not [Java](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERNdH-0OcXc), by Al Hirt. There’s a Muppet sketch using this music. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-id-instrumental-hit-lots-of-horns-went-top-40-in-u-s/619203/16 "2012-04-19T06:26:30Z")
[Take Five](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8V9VSxn2F9M)? ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-id-instrumental-hit-lots-of-horns-went-top-40-in-u-s/619203/17 "2012-04-19T14:54:06Z")
Nope, still no hits. This is a truly tough one! With no lyrics to go by, it’s all the more difficult. I can say that I don’t believe the main horn sound of the tune is a trumpet. Trumpets are too “warm” sounding. And the main horn is also not a saxophone … nowhere near that souldful. The song I’m thinking of is fairly “cold” if that makes any sense. It’s just a pure blast of horn, and something fairly high-pitched – well higher than, say, a tuba. Maybe a trombone? ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-id-instrumental-hit-lots-of-horns-went-top-40-in-u-s/619203/18 "2012-04-19T16:07:09Z")
I don’t think this could be it, it’s too well-known, but it does sort-of resemble the description in the OP: [Aaron Copland - Fanfare for the Common Man](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cr6CnG5dmvM). ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-id-instrumental-hit-lots-of-horns-went-top-40-in-u-s/619203/19 "2012-04-19T16:13:48Z")
About the only sort of thing that comes to mind that hasn’t been mentioned yet would be something by Mancini. Maybe something like [Something For Cat](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eddjmpfyPWQ)? ---
**Author:** ![LaurenIpsum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@LaurenIpsum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LaurenIpsum)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-id-instrumental-hit-lots-of-horns-went-top-40-in-u-s/619203/20 "2012-04-19T16:24:59Z")
[“One Mint Julep” by Xavier Cugat?](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jlm_bkDWD4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-id-instrumental-hit-lots-of-horns-went-top-40-in-u-s/619203.md?page=2)