First off, a Happy New Year to everyone in Japan who are, as I'm typing this, over nine hours into January 1 2021. I wouldn't say that it's the happiest Happy New Year on either side of the Pacific, but let's have some hope that we'll have a reverse of what happened in 2020: COVID now, no COVID by the latter half of the year.
Anyways, this might be one of the more unusual ROY articles that I've written since this particular song never hit the Billboard charts as far as I know, although it is probably one of the most recognizable television theme tunes in the United States and Canada. The TV show in question is "Entertainment Tonight" or "E.T." for short that started its run on September 14th 1981 (yes, that's right...it got the initials even before that Reese's Pieces-loving alien).
I used to watch the show in its half-hour 7pm time slot on the NBC affiliate on weeknights, and then there was the weekly review through "Entertainment This Week" on Saturday nights. Basically, I got to know what was up with the movers and shakers in Hollywood including the stars along with the latest on the escapist movies that I craved so much about back then as a high school kid. So, Mary Hart, Leeza Gibbons and John Tesh were regular names to me as hosts of the show, although they hadn't been there for the very first episode shown in the video at the top of the article.
But getting back to the music, I remember and currently cherish the original version of the theme by musician/composer Michael Mark because it is so 80s fusion and I found it so Hollywood back then. Folks who are watching the show even now (2021 will mark the 40th anniversary) may be surprised at how groovy it was back then. I knew that it had gone into a very brassy version from the late 1980s but frankly it just comes across as a sound bite now.
I stopped watching "Entertainment Tonight" once I graduated from university and headed out to Gunma Prefecture in the summer of 1989. But that original "E.T." theme has stuck me with me all these decades...along with the celebration of celebrity birthdays at the end of each show.
So, which songs were 1, 2 and 3 at the top of the Oricon chart for September 1981?
1. Imo Kin Trio -- High School Lullaby
2. Toshihiko Tahara -- Kanashimi 2 (TOO) Young （悲しみ２「ＴＯＯ」ヤング）
3. Yumi Matsutoya -- Mamotte Agetai（守ってあげたい)
I loved this particular theme also, a very cleverly assembled piece. Bright and vibrant with its melody, it was a major part of the reason i liked the show :))
ReplyDeleteYeah, "Entertainment Tonight" was part of my beloved 80s memories. Always preferred the original version but the later version with the sharp horns was pretty good, too.
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