Star Wars 12/16/19

Now for something completely different.

Today's "Great Song of the '70s" is, without a doubt, one of the Greatest Movie Themes of all time. I don't really need to say much more than that--except to point out that the charts back me up! In 1977, the London Symphony Orchestra's recording went to #4 on the U.S. Adult Contemporary chart, while simultaneously hitting #10 on the Hot 100. In Canada, it went to #7.

Almost everyone knows the composer is John Williams... and the opening fanfare is so iconic, you know EXACTLY what title is! With "The Rise of Skywalker" about to be released, I thought it was the perfect time to highlight this song.

(PERSONAL NOTE: Nancy and I recently attended a showing of "The Empire Strikes Back" at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis. As the film played, the soundtrack was performed LIVE by the Minnesota Symphony Orchestra. It was an INCREDIBLE experience--being able to FEEL the music as the action unfolded onscreen. Just wow.)

ADDENDUM: A few folks have mentioned that the disco version by Meco went to #1 later in '77, and that is correct. I just went with the original soundtrack version because, well, orchestral soundtrack releases hitting the Top 10 are exceedingly rare...and, as stated above, with the new film coming out, I thought I'd pay tribute to the original!