A modern version of Beethoven hit No. 1 40 years ago
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Today's Morning Edition music is from Walter Murphy with "A Fifth of Beethoven," which was No. 1 on the Billboard pop chart 40 years ago today.
Murphy, a classically trained pianist, says he was inspired by two pop hits that were adapted from the music of Johann Sebastian Bach: "A Lover's Concerto" by The Toys, which came out in 1965, and "Joy" by Apollo 100, which was released in 1972.
After the success of this song, Murphy put out disco versions of "Rhapsody in Blue" and "Flight of the Bumble Bee" but neither song cracked the Top 40.
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