One thing you notice quickly when you start collecting exotica and space age pop music is the astonsihing frequency with which certain songs were covered. These tunes are the standards of space age pop music--the benchmarks, if you will, by which arranging and instrumental virtuousity and invention can be measured.
These pages provide some background on who wrote some of the more prominent standards and when. I've lumped them into arbitrary categories and suggested the leading examples of each. In addition, you'll find a listing of numerous covers of many of these tunes for handy reference the next time you're in the mood to listen to 25 different versions of "The Third Man Theme" in a row!
- The Hawaiian Number
- Hawaiian War Chant, Hawaiian Wedding Song
- The Near Eastern Number
- Misirlou, In a Persian Market, Calcutta, Istanbul
- The Jungle Number
- Quiet Village, Moon of Manakoora
The Brazilian Number
- Tico Tico, Brazil,Baia
The Latin Number
- La Cucaracha, The Peanut Vendor, Perfidia
The European Cover Song
- Autumn Leaves, Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White, April in Portugal, The Poor People of Paris, Lisbon Antigua
The Classical Kitsch Song
- Baubles, Bangles, and Beads, Stranger in Paradise, In the Hall of the Mountain King, Sabre Dance, Full Moon and Empty Arms
The Foreign Film Theme
- The Third Man Theme, Never on Sunday, Anna, More
The American Film Theme
- Moonglow/Theme from "Picnic", Theme from "Exodus," Theme from "A Summer Place," High Noon, Theme from "The High and the Mighty"
The Sea Song
- Ebb Tide, Beyond the Sea, Red Sails in the Sunset, Harbor Lights
The R & B Number
- Harlem Nocturne, Night Train
The Juan Tizol/Duke Ellington Song
- Caravan, Perdido
The Lecuona Song
- The Breeze and I, Jungle Drums, Malaguena, Siboney, Taboo, Babalu
The Leroy Anderson Number
- Blue Tango, Fiddle-Faddle, The Syncopated Clock, Plink, Plank, Plunk!
The Mancini Number
- Peter Gunn, Moon River, Days of Wine & Roses, Baby Elephant Walk, Mr. Lucky