"Peter Gunn" is the theme music composed by

Henry Mancini Henry Mancini ( ; born Enrico Nicola Mancini, ; April 16, 1924 – June 14, 1994) was an American composer, conductor, arranger, pianist and flautist. Often cited as one of the greatest composers in the history of film, he won four Academy Award ...

for the television show of the same name. The song was the opening track on the original soundtrack album, ''

The Music from Peter Gunn ''The Music from Peter Gunn'' is a soundtrack album to the TV series ''Peter Gunn'', composed and conducted by Henry Mancini, and released in 1959 on RCA Victor. It was the first album ever to win the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1959. ...

'', released in 1959. Mancini won an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

and two Grammys for Album of the Year and Best Arrangement.''Did They Mention the Music?'', Henry Mancini with Gene Lees, Contemporary Books, 1989, page 236

Recording and releases

In his 1989 autobiography, ''Did They Mention the Music?'', Mancini states: Mancini arranged the first single version of the song for trumpeter Ray Anthony in 1959. Recorded for

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of not ...

at Radio Recorders and featuring tenor saxophonist

Plas Johnson Plas John Johnson Jr. (born July 21, 1931) is an American soul-jazz and hard bop tenor saxophonist, probably most widely known as the tenor saxophone soloist on Henry Mancini’s "The Pink Panther Theme". He also performs on alto and baritone sa ...

, it reached number eight on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, number 12 on the

R&B chart The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...

, and number 13 in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

. Mancini has recorded several different versions of his theme music including "Señor Peter Gunn" on his 1965 album, ''The Latin Sound of Henry Mancini'', and in a new arrangement for the 1967 movie '' Gunn...Number One!''. Lyrics were added by

Jay Livingston Jay Livingston (born Jacob Harold Levison, March 28, 1915 – October 17, 2001) was an American composer best known as half of a song-writing duo with Ray Evans that specialized in songs composed for films. Livingston wrote music and Evans the ...

and

Ray Evans Raymond Bernard Evans (February 4, 1915 – February 15, 2007) was an American songwriter. He was a partner in a composing and song-writing duo with Jay Livingston, known for the songs they composed for films. Evans wrote the lyrics and Living ...

and first recorded in 1965 by

Sarah Vaughan Sarah Lois Vaughan (March 27, 1924 – April 3, 1990) was an American jazz singer. Nicknamed "Sassy" and " The Divine One", she won two Grammy Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, and was nominated for a total of nine Grammy Award ...

in an arrangement by Bill Holman on her album '' Sarah Vaughan Sings the Mancini Songbook''. Mancini also recorded a vocal version titled "Bye Bye" that is on his 1967 soundtrack album ''Gunn...Number One!''.

Other charting versions

In addition to the many different arrangements of the "Peter Gunn" theme recorded by Mancini, the music has also been recorded by numerous other artists. Versions that reached the record charts include: * An instrumental version by guitarist Duane Eddy reached number six on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

on June 25, 1959, and number 27 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 on November 14, 1960. * Deodato released a version of the song in 1976, which reached number 20 on the

US dance chart Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as th ...

, number 84 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and number 96 on the

. *

Art of Noise Art of Noise (also The Art of Noise) were an English avant-garde synth-pop group formed in early 1983 by engineer/producer Gary Langan and programmer J. J. Jeczalik, along with keyboardist/arranger Anne Dudley, producer Trevor Horn, and mus ...

released a version of the song featuring Eddy in 1986, which reached number two on the US dance chart, number eight in the UK, number 14 in Canada, and number 50 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. It was featured on their 1986 album '' In Visible Silence'', and was awarded a

Grammy 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 Rock Instrumental Performance. In Canada, the song spent 20 weeks in the top 100, and was number 84 in the year-end chart. *

The B-52's The B-52's, also styled as The B-52s, are an American new wave band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1976. The original lineup consisted of Fred Schneider (vocals, percussion), Kate Pierson (vocals, keyboards, synth bass), Cindy Wilson (vocals, ...

adapted Mancini's ostinato or riff and added lyrics for their song " Planet Claire". It is used as the opening track on the group's 1979 self-titled debut album. In

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Music ...

review, Stewart Mason describes the instrumental opening to the song as "space sounds blend nginto a jumpy, speeded-up version of Henry Mancini's 'Peter Gunn' theme mixed with sounds that could have been lifted from one of Joe Meek's ' Telstar' follow-ups, followed by a lengthy wordless vocal and organ section that recalls the theme from ''Star Trek''." Released on an EP, it reached number 24 on ''Billboard'''s Disco Hot 100 chart.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Peter Gunn (song) 1958 songs 1959 singles 1976 singles 1979 singles 1980 singles 1986 singles Songs with music by Henry Mancini Duane Eddy songs Aretha Franklin songs The Blues Brothers songs Art of Noise songs Song recordings produced by Lee Hazlewood Song recordings produced by Lester Sill Atlantic Records singles Capitol Records singles Decca Records singles MCA Records singles Television drama theme songs Songs from television series Jamie Records singles 1950s instrumentals Emerson, Lake & Palmer songs