A Swingin’ Stroll Through a ’60s Dreamscape – A Playful Tune of Admiration That Winks at Simpler Days
In the spring of 1967, Andy Williams sent Music to Watch Girls By gliding onto the charts, peaking at No. 34 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 2 on the Easy Listening chart, a breezy standout from his album Born Free, which hit No. 5 on the Billboard 200. Released in March, it wasn’t a chart-topper like his signature Moon River, but it captured the crooner’s effortless cool, selling steadily as a 45 and cementing his reign as the voice of a generation’s softer side. Written by Tony Velona with music by Sid Ramin, and produced by Nick DeCaro at Columbia’s studios, it was a lighthearted gem born from a soda ad that stuck. For those of us who caught it on the airwaves, it was a toe-tapping snapshot of a world where charm was king and the girls were worth watching.
The story of Music to Watch Girls By starts with a fizz—literally. In ’66, Diet Pepsi tapped Ramin, a Broadway arranger with an Emmy for The Rodgers & Hammerstein Jubilee, to score a commercial about “girls who make the scene.” Velona, a lyricist with a knack for catchy lines, penned the words, and the jingle aired to a jazzy beat that wouldn’t quit. Enter Williams, fresh off his NBC variety show’s success, who heard it and saw gold. He recorded it in late ’66, smoothing out the ad’s pep into a velvet swing, his voice like a martini stirred not shaken. Backed by a bouncy brass section and a rhythm that begged for a snap of the fingers, it was cut in a single session—Williams grinning through takes, they say—transforming a 30-second spot into a three-minute classic. The result? A hit that outlived the soda campaign, proving a good tune could sell more than cola.
Music to Watch Girls By is a carefree ode to the art of looking—a guy’s delighted salute to the gals who turn heads with every step. “The boys will cheer and cheer again,” Williams croons, his tone a playful nudge, celebrating the strut of mini skirts and the sway of beehives without a hint of sleaze. It’s about the joy of the moment, the thrill of a passing glance, a melody that doesn’t overthink it—just enjoys the view. For us who lived it, it’s ’67 in a nutshell—convertibles cruising Main Street, transistor radios on beach blankets, a world before complications piled up. It’s the sound of youth when flirting was an art, and music made everything brighter.
For those of us with a few more miles on the clock, Music to Watch Girls By is a sunlit memory of a decade that swung. It’s the hum of a Zenith set warming up for Andy’s show, the clink of ice in a highball as the hi-fi spun, the flutter of a summer dress catching the breeze. Back then, Williams was our guide—smooth, steady, a voice that made the ’60s feel like they’d last forever. This wasn’t a deep cut; it was a lark, a wink from a man who knew how to charm without trying too hard. It popped up later in Mad Men (2007), proving its vibe still holds. As the years blur, Music to Watch Girls By stays crisp—a little slice of ’67 that takes us back to when the girls walked by, the music played, and life felt like one long, easy groove.