The Third Man Theme
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| “The Third Man Theme” | ||
|---|---|---|
| Single by Anton Karas | ||
| Released | 1950 | |
| Label | Decca (UK) London (U.S.) |
|
| Writer(s) | Anton Karas | |
"The Third Man Theme" is an instrumental written and performed by Anton Karas for the soundtrack to the film The Third Man (1949).
Karas was working as a zither player when director Carol Reed, during location scouting for the film, heard him playing in a beer garden. Reed wanted music that wasn't waltz but would be appropriate to the city of Vienna, in which the film was set, so he asked Karas if he would write and record the film's score. Karas agreed, and he wrote the theme based on a melody in a practice book. The zither had not previously been widely used in English or American music, but the theme became popular with audiences of the film soon after its premiere.
This song was originally released in the U.K., where it was 'The Harry Lime Theme.' Following its release as a single in 1950 (see 1950 in music), "The Third Man Theme" spent eleven weeks at number one on Billboard's U.S. Best Sellers in Stores chart, from April 23 to July 8. Its success led to a trend in releasing film theme music as singles. A guitar version by Guy Lombardo (recorded December 9, 1949, released by Decca under catalog number 24839) also sold strongly, and four other versions charted in the U.S. during 1950.[1] According to Faber and Faber, the different versions of the theme have collectively sold an estimated forty million copies.
Contents |
[edit] Other versions
- The Beatles recorded an impromptu version during 1969, but it has never appeared on any of their "official" albums.
- The Band played it on Moondog Matinee, an album of covers.
- The Shadows released their version in 1981.
[edit] Other utilization
"The Third Man Theme" was used in a 1982 TV mail-order record collection, Aerobic Dancing, with Sharon Barbano.
| Preceded by "If I Knew You Were Comin' (I'd've Baked a Cake)" by Eileen Barton |
U.S. Billboard Best Sellers in Stores number-one single April 21, 1950-June 30, 1950 |
Succeeded by "Mona Lisa" by Nat King Cole |
| Preceded by "Music! Music! Music!" |
Cash Box magazine best selling record chart number-one record April 22, 1950–July 1, 1950 |
Succeeded by "Bewitched" |
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
- ^ "The Third Man Theme". ntl.matrix.com.br. Retrieved August 25, 2006.
[edit] References
- "The Foreign Film Theme - "The Third Man Theme" 1949". Space Age Pop Music. Retrieved August 25, 2006.
