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MANHATTAN TRANSFER Chanson D'Amour

2,244 views · Published 5 February 2012 · 2:57 · Indexed 12 November 2026

Channel: daveinprogress3 · 2012 · Music

One of my favourite songs from 1977 was this Top 10 Australian hit by the American quartet Manhattan Transfer. Having heard The Manhattans' "Kiss & Say Goodbye" a year before, I wondered if this was the same group - until i saw a record cover of the whiter than white vocal group that produced this strangely out of time radio hit of 1977. Harking back to genres of yesteryear, the catchy but quaint pop hit stood out among the proliferation of disco and novelty tunes of the day. Ironically, The Manhattan Transfer's 1976 LP "Coming out" produced by wunderkind Richard Perry, was intentionally trying to remold their image, that had been decidedly established as nostalgic from their previous self titled album. But the magic surrounding "Chanson D'amour" was too good to refuse, and was a #1 hit in Britain, but curiously not a hit in their native homeland of America.

The group would continue to record albums and experiment with various styles and genres of music - jazz, swing, pop, disco, and Brazilian rhythms. The group would go on to win Grammy awards, but only manage a few Top 40 hits in the U.S, whereas Britain gave them twice that number of Top 40 hits. Their harmonies are undeniably sublime, and this 1977 hit was a perfect platform for their jazz/pop/ vocal talents. It entered the Australian charts in the last days of 1976, and would rise into the Top 10, spending the first half of 1977 in the Top 40, resulting in "Chanson D'amour" being the 30th best selling single of the year.

Enjoy!

MANHATTAN TRANSFER Chanson D'Amour

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