"Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)" is a song performed and co-written by American singer-songwriter Christopher Cross, which was the main theme for the 1981 film ''

Arthur Arthur is a common male given name of Brittonic languages, Brythonic origin. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. The etymology is disputed. It may derive from the Celtic ''Artos'' meaning “Bear”. An ...

'' starring

Dudley Moore Dudley Stuart John Moore CBE (19 April 193527 March 2002) was an English actor, comedian, musician and composer. Moore first came to prominence in the UK as a leading figure in the British satire boom of the 1960s. He was one of the four writ ...

and

Liza Minnelli Liza May Minnelli ( ; born March 12, 1946) is an American actress, singer, dancer, and choreographer. Known for her commanding stage presence and powerful alto singing voice, Minnelli is among a rare group of performers awarded an Emmy, Grammy ...

. The song won the

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology) ...

for

Best Original Song This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

in 1981. In the US, it reached number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and on the Hot Adult Contemporary charts during October 1981, remaining at the top on the Hot 100 for three consecutive weeks. Overseas, it also went to number one on the

VG-lista VG-lista is a Norwegian record chart. It is presented weekly in the newspaper '' VG''. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continents around the world. The data are collected by Nie ...

chart in Norway and was a top-ten hit in several other countries. The song became the second and last American number-one hit by Christopher Cross. It was included as a bonus track only on the CD and cassette versions of his second album, ''

Another Page ''Another Page'' is Christopher Cross's second studio album, recorded in 1982 and released in early 1983. It was not as commercially successful as its predecessor (it was certified Gold by the RIAA, but only after his self-titled debut album ha ...

'', released in 1983. The B-side of the record, "Minstrel Gigolo", was the same song used on the back of Cross's debut single, "

Ride Like the Wind "Ride Like the Wind" is the debut single by American singer-songwriter Christopher Cross. It was released in February 1980 as the lead single from his Grammy-winning 1979 self-titled debut album. It reached number two on the US charts for four ...

". Indie pop band

Fitz and the Tantrums Fitz and the Tantrums are an American indie pop and neo soul band from Los Angeles, California, that formed in 2008. The band consists of Michael Fitzpatrick (lead vocals), Noelle Scaggs (co-lead vocals and percussion), James King (saxophone, ...

recorded a cover of this song for the soundtrack to the 2011 remake of the film.

Background

The song was written in collaboration between Cross, pop music composer Burt Bacharach, and Bacharach's frequent writing partner and then-wife

Carole Bayer Sager Carole Bayer Sager (born Carol Bayer on March 8, 1947) is an American lyricist, singer, and songwriter. Early life and career Bayer Sager was born in Manhattan, New York City, to Anita Nathan Bayer and Eli Bayer. Her family was Jewish. She grad ...

. A fourth writing credit went to Minnelli's ex-husband, Australian songwriter Peter Allen, a frequent collaborator with Bayer Sager. The line in the chorus "When you get caught between the moon and New York City" was taken from an unreleased song written by Allen and Bayer Sager. Allen came up with the line while his plane was in a holding pattern during a night arrival at

John F. Kennedy International Airport John F. Kennedy International Airport (colloquially referred to as JFK Airport, Kennedy Airport, New York-JFK, or simply JFK) is the main international airport serving New York City. The airport is the busiest of the seven airports in the Avia ...

. The song won the 1981

Academy Award for Best Original Song The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is presented to the ''songwriters'' who have composed th ...

and

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

for

. In 2004 it finished at #79 in AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs survey of the top tunes in American cinema. In 2008, Barry Manilow released a cover version for his

The Greatest Songs of the Eighties ''The Greatest Songs of the Eighties'' is Barry Manilow's 38th album, and follow-up to his 2007 album, ''The Greatest Songs of the Seventies''. This album, which features 12 songs from the decade of the 1980s, was released on November 24, 2008. ...

album.

Music video

The

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

consists of two acts, which are edited together in fade outs. In one, Christopher Cross performs the song with musicians in a recording studio, and the other is the story the song illustrates.

Personnel

* Christopher Cross – lead and backing vocals, guitar * Michael Omartian – keyboards, synthesizers, string arrangements *

Michael Boddicker Michael Lehmann Boddicker (born January 19, 1953) is an American film composer and session musician, specializing in electronic music. He is a three times National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (N.A.R.A.S.) Most Valuable Player "Synthe ...

– synthesizer programming * Steve Lukather – guitar *

Marty Walsh Martin Joseph Walsh (born April 10, 1967) is an American politician and former union official. He has been the 29th United States Secretary of Labor since March 23, 2021. A Democrat, he previously served as the 54th mayor of Boston from 2014, ...

– guitar * David Hungate – bass *

Jeff Porcaro Jeffrey Thomas Porcaro (; April 1, 1954 – August 5, 1992) was an American drummer, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known for his work with the rock band Toto but is one of the most recorded session musicians in history, working o ...

– drums * Paulinho da Costa – percussion * Ernie Watts – saxophone

Charts and certifications

Charts

Year-end charts

All-time charts

Certifications

References

{{authority control Film theme songs 1980s ballads 1981 songs 1981 singles Christopher Cross songs Liza Minnelli songs Best Original Song Academy Award-winning songs Best Original Song Golden Globe winning songs Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Cashbox number-one singles Number-one singles in Norway Oricon International Singles Chart number-one singles Songs with music by Burt Bacharach Songs written by Carole Bayer Sager Songs written by Christopher Cross Songs written by Peter Allen (musician) Songs about New York City Warner Records singles