In late 1981, a very — odd? unique? standout? Casey Kasem called it “most unusual” — single entered the Billboard Hot 100. It was a medley of 14 individual classical compositions, set to a roughly disco beat and played by London’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. And it’s deliriously ridiculous. And it hit the pop top 10, peaking at #10 (see below)! Its parent album did even better, making it to #4 the same week in late January 1982. And this set off a brief fad for such medleys: Larry Elgart’s “Hooked on Swing” hit #31 later in 1982.
I love “Hooked on Classics” unironically, but I love it even more in the version I’ve posted to Soundcloud, above. In this version, taken from American Top 40‘s 1982 year-end countdown (where the song is #60), Casey Kasem IDs each piece of music as it comes in (except for coda, which, he says, “goes by too fast”). For whatever reason, I can listen to this over and over and over; I’ve played it at least a dozen times while writing this entry. And say what you will about “Hooked on Classics,” but it genuinely did introduce a lot of people — especially teenagers, I’d surmise — to classical music, and isn’t that ultimately a good thing?
Not to mention: that incessant Linn drum!
Oh Manchester, So Much To Answer For 