"Theme from ''Close Encounters of the Third Kind''" is a 1978 instrumental hit single by composer

John Williams John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (15 November 2022)Classic Connection review ''WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who wa ...

. It is the main theme of the

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...

of the movie of the same name. The song became a hit in the United States (#13) and Canada (#12) during the winter of that year. A few months before the release of the song, Williams had released a competing version of ''

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...

'' theme music, "

Star Wars (Main Title) "Star Wars (Main Title)" is a Motif (music), musical theme composed and conducted by John Williams. The 1977 London Symphony Orchestra recording peaked at number ten on Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number thirteen in Canada ''RPM ...

," which reached number 10 on the US ''Billboard'' chart, while "

Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band "Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band" is a song recorded by Meco, taken from the album '' Star Wars and Other Galactic Funk''. It hit number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 on October 1, 1977, holding on to the spot for two weeks and peaked at no. 7 on ...

" was a number one hit for

Meco Domenico Monardo (born November 29, 1939), known as Meco, is an American record producer and musician, as well as the name of his band or production team. Meco is best known for his 1977 space disco version of the ''Star Wars'' theme from his ...

. Both artists simultaneously again issued competing versions of scores from the ''Close Encounters'' movie. This time Williams' original score came out on top, peaking at number 13, while Meco's version reached number 25. In 1979, "Theme from ''Close Encounters of the Third Kind''" won a

Grammy award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

for

best instrumental composition The Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition (including its previous names) has been awarded since 1960. The award is presented to the composer of an original piece of music (not an adaptation), first released during the eligibility year. I ...

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Gene Page cover

In 1977,

Gene Page Eugene Edgar Page Jr. (September 13, 1939 – August 24, 1998) was an American conductor, composer, arranger and record producer, most active from the mid-1960s through the mid-1980s. His sound can be heard in the arrangements he did for Jeffer ...

recorded a disco version of "Close Encounters of the Third Kind." His version peaked on the R&B chart at #30 in 1978.

References

External links

* 1978 songs 1977 singles Arista Records singles Compositions by John Williams Film theme songs Songs about extraterrestrial life 1970s instrumentals {{1970s-song-stub