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The TSOP Orchestra performing TSOP (originally performed by MFSB)
"TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)" is a 1974 recording by MFSB featuring vocals by The Three Degrees. It was written by Gamble and Huff as the theme for the American musical television program Soul Train, which specialized in African American musical performers. The single was released on the Philadelphia International Records label. It was the first television theme song to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
At the 17th Annual Grammy Awards in 1975, the song won the Grammy for Best R&B Instrumental Performance.
The song is an instrumental, featuring a blend of string instruments and a horn section. There are two vocal parts: a passage where The Three Degrees sing "People all over the world" and "Let's get it on. It's time to get down". The words "People all over the world" are not heard in the original version. The version heard on Soul Train, released on a 1975 Three Degrees album, International, had the series title sung over the first four notes of the melody, "Soul Train, Soul Train".
"TSOP" hit No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 1974 and remained there for two weeks, the first television theme song to do so.
Don Cornelius, the creator and host of Soul Train, refused to allow any references to the name of the television series when the single was released, leading Gamble and Huff to adopt the alternate title for the release.
Although it was rerecorded for future versions of the show and different themes were used during the 1970s and 1980s, "TSOP" returned in the 1980s and remained the theme song for Soul Train.
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