| Love's Theme | |
| Cover: | Loves theme by love unlimited orchestra New Zealand single.png |
| Caption: | Side A of the New Zealand single |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | The Love Unlimited Orchestra |
| Album: | Under the Influence of... Love Unlimited and Rhapsody in White |
| B-Side: | Sweet Moments |
| Released: | November 1973 |
| Recorded: | 1973 |
| Length: | (Single) (Album) |
| Label: | 20th Century/Pye International |
| Producer: | Barry White |
| Next Title: | Rhapsody in White |
| Next Year: | 1974 |
"Love's Theme" is an instrumental piece written by Barry White around 1965. Recorded and released as a single by White's Love Unlimited Orchestra in 1973, it was one of the few instrumental and purely orchestral singles to reach #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States, which it did in early 1974.[1] Billboard ranked it as #3 on the Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1974.
The song was included on two albums: 1973's Under the Influence of... Love Unlimited (by the vocal group Love Unlimited) and 1974's Rhapsody in White by the Love Unlimited Orchestra. Love Unlimited would re-release the song for their subsequent album, In Heat (1974), only this time with different orchestral arrangements and lyrics written by Aaron Schroeder.
The recording (with a large string orchestra, modified guitar and big rhythm) was considered to be an influence on the disco sound, which would increase popularity the following year. The song was also popular on the Adult Contemporary chart in the United States (spending two weeks at #1) and was also a #1 on Cash Box. For several years, a shortened version of the original instrumental release was used in the opening sequence of the television golf PGA Tour on ABC broadcasting program.
In Canada, the single was similarly successful, being a #1 on the RPM 100 National Singles Chart on March 2, 1974.[2] "Love's Theme" was sampled by the Italian group Black Box in their 1989 song "Ride on Time".[3]
In 1975–76, WPIX-TV in New York would end its 10:00pm broadcast of Harper News (later Action News) with "Love's Theme".
It was also used as the boarding music for Cathay Pacific during the 1980s[4] and as the theme song of the Brazilian soap opera Celebridade.
The 2024 PBS series Disco: Soundtrack of a Revolution explores the importance of "Love's Theme" to the history of disco music.[5]
| Chart (1973–1974) | Peak position | |
|---|---|---|
| Argentina[6] | 8 | |
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[7] | 9 | |
| Canada Top Singles (RPM)[8] | 1 | |
| Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[9] | 5 | |
| New Zealand (Listener)[10] | 12 | |
| South Africa (Springbok Radio)[11] | 1 | |
| US Easy Listening (Billboard)[12] | 1 | |
| US Hot Soul Singles (Billboard)[13] | 10 |
| Chart (1974) | Rank |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[14] | 66 |
| Canada [15] | 25 |
| South Africa [16] | 10 |
| US Billboard Easy Listening[17] | 6 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[18] | 3 |
. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012 . Joel Whitburn . 2013 . Record Research . 518.
