Meco Music: Inspired by Star Wars and Other Galactic Funk

Meco Music is a blog dedicated to funk, disco, and other galactic themed tunes.

Introduction

Meco Monardo (born November 29, 1963), better known by his stage name Meco, is an American record producer, musician and composer perhaps best known for his 1977 No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 instrumental hit “Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band”, which sold two million copies in the United States and was certified double platinum by the RIAA.

Meco’s father, Emil A. Monardo Sr., was a big band virtuoso who played with bands such as The Ink Spots, The Dorsey Brothers and Glenn Miller. His mother, Julia Sciarrotta Monardo, was an accomplished singer of operatic arias who performed at Carnegie Hall and in Boston’s Symphony Hall. When Meco was seven years old his father gave him a trumpet which he played in various school bands throughout grade school and high school.

While in high school Meco started to play drums in local garage bands such as The Jades and Algone. In college he became interested in electronic music after hearing Walter Carlos’ Switched-On Bach (1968). He then attended New York University’s School of Commerce where he studied music theory and composition. After graduation he landed a job as an A&R assistant at RCA Records where he worked on projects by Tony Orlando & Dawn, Billy Joel and Barry Manilow.

The Early Years

Meco (born Domenico Monardo; November 29, 1939) is an American record producer and musician, best known for his 1977 disco hit “Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band”, which topped the US charts for two weeks. He has been nominated for four Grammy Awards. He was born in Harlem, New York, and raised in the Bronx.

Meco’s First Record

In 1977, Meco’s first disco record was “Themes from Star Wars and Other Galactic Funk”. It was an instant success, reaching number one on the Billboard charts and selling over two million copies. The album featured a disco arrangement of the main title theme from Star Wars, as well as other tracks inspired by the film. The success of the album led to Meco being commissioned to create an orchestral version of the Star Wars theme, which was used in the movie itself.

The “Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band” Single

Released in 1977, the “Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band” single was the first release from Meco, a studio project created by record producer and arranger Lionel Richie. The single was a disco version of the main theme from the Star Wars soundtrack, with the B-side featuring a disco version of the cantina band music from the film. The single was a huge success, reaching #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and becoming one of the best-selling singles of all time.

Meco’s Later Career

After the success of the Star Wars theme, Meco went on to have a very successful career in the 1970s. He had a number of hits on the disco charts and even won a Grammy for his album, Christmas in the Stars. While Meco’s career slowed down in the 1980s, he continues to tour and release new music today.

The “Theme from Superman” Single

In 1978, Meco released the “Theme from Superman”, a disco version of John Williams’ movie theme, which became a top-five hit in both the U.S. and the UK. The success of the “Theme from Superman” single led to Meco releasing an album of disco versions of other movie themes, including Star Wars and Other Galactic Funk. Although the album was not a commercial success, it did result in Meco’s second and final top-40 hit in the UK, “Ewok Celebration (Star Wars Celebration)”.

Other Meco Songs

Meco’s career began to seriously falter in the late ’80s. A number of his releases for the RCA label failed to sell, and he was quietly dropped from the roster. Meco continued to perform and release albums throughout the ’90s and 2000s, including 1996’s Christmas in the Stars: The Star Wars Christmas Album, which was reissued on CD in 2004. He also continued his work as a producer and session musician, overseeing other artists’ recordings and contributing to various soundtracks, including 1980’s Xanadu, 1988’s Scrooged, and 1990’s Dick Tracy. 2009 saw the release of Magic: The Music of Star Wars, an album of Star Wars-themed tracks that Meco had recorded over the years but never released; it also included a new version of “Cantina Band.” Christmas Party, an album of holiday songs recorded with Meco’s son Tony Monzo, arrived in 2010. Two years later, he released Themes from Batman & Other Movie Film Scores, on which he offered up his takes on music from Batman (1989), Dick Tracy (1990), Hook (1991), Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992), Addams Family Values (1993), Army of Darkness (1993), Stargate (1994), Coneheads (1993), True Lies (1994), Richie Rich (1994), Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997), Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle (2003), The Polar Express (2004), Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (2007) — all films for which he’d previously contributed music — as well as Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984).

Conclusion

Meco’s music career took off in a big way with the release of his instrumental disco version of the “Star Wars” theme in 1977. The single was a surprise hit, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and selling more than two million copies. Meco followed up his “Star Wars” success with a string of other successful disco-themed albums, including “In the Empire,” “Other Galactic Funk” and “Return of the Jedi.” While Meco’s brand of instrumental disco wasn’t to everyone’s taste, there’s no denying that he was a gifted musician and producer who had a major impact on the disco genre.