"Moonlighting"
Single by Al Jarreau
from the album Moonlighting: the Television Soundtrack Album
Released1987
GenrePop, smooth jazz
Length3:00
LabelMCA Records
Songwriter(s)Lee Holdridge, Al Jarreau
Producer(s)Nile Rodgers
Audio
"Moonlighting - Al Jarreau" on YouTube

"Moonlighting" is the theme song to the ABC comedy-crime drama of the same name, which ran from 1985 to 1989 and starred Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd. The theme song was performed by Al Jarreau, who wrote the song with Lee Holdridge. Jarreau recorded two complete recordings of the song, both of which were used for the series.

The complete version of the original recording is only heard during the end credits of the pilot episode. A short edit of this recording was used for the opening credits in Seasons 1–3, where only the first verse and final "who just met on the way..." are heard. A different short edit was used for the end credits.

The second recording, used from Season 4 onwards, was recorded and produced by Nile Rodgers in 1986 as part of the sessions for Jarreau's album L Is for Lover; however, it was not included on that album, a decision that Rodgers later regretted.[1] This recording, which is performed in a slightly slower tempo and a subtly different arrangement to the earlier recording, is the more familiar of the two, since it was released as a single in 1987. It reached number 23 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent one week at number one on the Adult Contemporary chart,[2] and was included on the soundtrack album for the series. The second recording was also included on Jarreau's 1996 compilation album The Best of Al Jarreau. As with the first 3 seasons, shorter edits of the recording were used for the opening and closing credits. There were two versions of this song. One has a saxophone and the other has a harmonica.

Charts

Weekly chart performance for "Moonlighting" by Al Jarreau
Chart (1987) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[3] 64
Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[4] 1
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[5] 38
Europe (European Hot 100 Singles)[6] 42
Ireland (IRMA)[7] 7
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[8] 36
UK Singles (OCC)[9] 8
US Billboard Hot 100[10] 23
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[11] 1

Awards

Track listing

  1. Moonlighting "Theme" (Extended Remix) - Al Jarreau, Lee Holdridge - 4:17
  2. Moonlighting "Theme" (7" Version) - Al Jarreau, Lee Holdridge - 3:01
  3. Golden Girl - Jimmy Felber - 5:50

In popular culture

References

  1. ^ Marchese, David (July 26, 2015). "The Deep Hidden Meaning of Nile Rodgers". Vulture. New York Media LLC. Retrieved 1 December 2018.
  2. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 125.
  3. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 154. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  4. ^ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 8109." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
  5. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0853." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
  6. ^ "European Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 4, no. 12. March 28, 1987. p. 8. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
  7. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Moonlighting". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
  8. ^ "Al Jarreau – Moonlighting". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
  9. ^ "Al Jarreau: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
  10. ^ "Al Jarreau Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
  11. ^ "Al Jarreau Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
  12. ^ "30th Annual GRAMMY Awards". Grammy Awards. March 2, 1988. Retrieved December 1, 2023. Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male - Nominees...Moonlighting (Theme) (Single) - Al Jarreau - Best Song Written Specifically For A Motion Picture Or Television - Nominees...Moonlighting (Theme from Moonlighting) - Lee Holdridge & Al Jarreau, songwriters (Al Jarreau)
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