A Timeless Declaration of Love and Vulnerability
Oh, to be a fly on the wall, back in the spring of ’68. The world was in a state of upheaval, a whirlwind of social change and political unrest. And then, from the tranquil heart of the easy-listening world, came a melody that cut through the noise, a gentle whisper that spoke volumes. The song was “This Guy’s in Love with You,” and the voice, a surprisingly humble and heartfelt tenor, belonged to none other than Herb Alpert, a name we knew so well for his trumpet.
For many of us, this wasn’t the sound we expected from the man behind the Tijuana Brass and their raucous, instrumental hits like “The Lonely Bull.” But there it was, a tender confession that took the airwaves by storm. It’s almost impossible to overstate its impact. The song shot straight to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 on June 22, 1968, where it stayed for a remarkable four weeks. It wasn’t just a hit for Alpert; it was his first-ever number-one single. Even more impressively, it was the first time legendary songwriters Burt Bacharach and Hal David had a number one hit of their own. This single was the crowning achievement of the The Beat of the Brass album, which followed the success of the television special of the same name.
The story behind this classic is as charming as the song itself. For years, Herb Alpert had a ritual of asking songwriters if they had any unrecorded gems “tucked away in a drawer.” On a fateful day, he posed this question to his friend, Burt Bacharach. Bacharach, along with his writing partner Hal David, had penned a song originally titled “That Guy’s in Love” about a man’s anxiety over his partner’s possible unfaithfulness. However, it was not the right fit for the CBS television special The Beat of the Brass that Alpert was preparing. Alpert wanted a song he could sing directly to his wife, Sharon, on screen. David and Bacharach reworked the lyrics, transforming a tale of suspicion into a beautiful, vulnerable plea. It was a gamble, since Alpert was not a professional vocalist. He had a modest range, but it was that very lack of polish that made his delivery so incredibly sincere. The song’s meaning is a simple, yet profound, declaration of unrequited love, a desperate hope that the feeling is mutual. The lyrics, “My hands are shakin’,” and “Don’t let my heart keep breakin’,” capture the universal anxiety of confessing one’s deepest feelings. It’s a sentiment we’ve all felt at one point or another, and Alpert’s delivery, earnest and unadorned, made it feel like a private moment shared with millions.
This song wasn’t just a piece of music; it was a cultural moment. The filmed sequence from the TV special, where Alpert serenaded his wife on a Malibu beach, cemented its romantic legacy. The response was immediate and overwhelming. After the special aired on April 22, 1968, the phone lines at CBS lit up with thousands of callers asking about the song. The clamor was so intense that Alpert, who co-founded A&M Records, decided to rush-release the single. The song’s success opened the door for countless interpretations, most famously by Dionne Warwick who flipped the genders to create the equally powerful “This Girl’s in Love with You,” proving the song’s timeless and universal message. Decades later, it remains a poignant reminder of a simpler time, when a quiet melody and a sincere voice could capture the entire world’s attention.