" Theme" is an instrumental written and performed by Anton
Karas for the soundtrack to the film
The Third Man(1949).
Karas was working as a zither player when director Carol
Reed, during location scouting for the film, heard him playing
in a beer garden. Reed wanted music that wasn't waltz but would
be appropriate to the city of Vienna, in which the film was
set, so he asked Karas if he would write and record the film's
score. Karas agreed, and he wrote the theme based on a melody
in a practice book. The zither had not previously been widely
used in English or American music, but the theme became popular
with audiences of the film soon after its premiere.
This song was originally released in the U.K. in 1949, where
it was 'The Harry Lime Theme.' Following its release in the
U.S. in 1950 (see 1950 in music), "
The Third ManTheme" spent eleven weeks at number one on
Billboard's U.S. Best Sellers in Stores chart, from
April 23 to July 8. Its success led to a trend in releasing
film theme music as singles. A guitar version by Guy Lombardo
(recorded December 9, 1949, released by Decca under catalog
number 24839) also sold strongly, and four other versions
charted in the U.S. during 1950. According to Faber and Faber,
the different versions of the theme have collectively sold an
estimated forty million copies.
"
The Third ManTheme" was used in a 1982 TV mail-order
record collection,
Aerobic Dancing, with Sharon Barbano.
"The Third Man Theme" is also used as a theme for Japan
Rail's Yamanote line train station at Ebisu Station (Tokyo) in
Tokyo Japan. When a train arrives at the platform the initial
portion of this theme will play. It is known in Japan as the
"Ebisu Theme" which was used in early Ebisu beer commercials.
Ebisu train station was located at the site of the former
Yebisu#Brands beer factory which is were the station takes its
name and why the theme is used at this train station to this
day.
·
·
, Jet Harris ·
Tony Meehan ·
Brian 'Licorice'
Locking ·
Warren Bennett ·
John Rostill ·
John Farrar ·
Alan Tarney ·
Alan Hawkshaw,
The Drifters: Ian Samwell ·
Terry Smart ·
Ken Pavey ·
Norman Mitcham
The Drifters: "Feelin Fine" ·
"Jet Black" ·
The Shadows: "Saturday Dance" ·
"Apache" ·
"Man of Mystery" / "The
Stranger" ·
"FBI" ·
"The Frightened
City" ·
"Kon-Tiki" ·
"The Savage" ·
"Wonderful
Land" ·
"Guitar Tango" ·
"Dance On" ·
"Foot Tapper" ·
"Atlantis" ·
"Shindig" ·
"Geronimo" ·
"Theme for Young
Lovers" ·
"The Rise and Fall of
Flingel Bunt" ·
"Rhythm and
Greens" ·
"Genie With the Light Brown
Lamp" ·
"Mary Anne" ·
"Stingray" ·
"Don't Make My Baby
Blue" ·
"The War Lord" ·
"I Met a Girl" ·
"A Place in the
Sun" ·
"The Dreams I
Dream" ·
"Maroc 7" ·
"Tomorrow's
Cancelled' ·
"Bombay Duck" ·
"Somewhere" ·
"Running out of
World" ·
"Dear Old Mrs.
Bell" ·
"Slaughter on Tenth
Avenue" ·
"Turn Around and Touch
Me" ·
"Let Me Be the
One" ·
"Run Billy
Run" ·
"It'll Be Me
Babe" ·
"Another
Night" ·
"Love Deluxe" ·
"Don't Cry for Me
Argentina" ·
"Theme from the Deer Hunter
(Cavatina)" ·
"Rodrigo's Guitar
Concerto" ·
"Riders in the
Sky" ·
"Heart of
Glass" ·
"Equinoxe (Part
V)" ·
"Mozart Forte" ·
"
The Third Man
" ·
"Telstar" ·
"Imagine/Woman" ·
"Treat Me Nice"