An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or any other sort of vocal music; all of the music is produced by musical instruments. This term is used when referring to popular music rather than to other musical genres such as European classical music. In commercial music, instrumental tracks are sometimes renditions of a corresponding release that features vocals, but may also be compositions originally conceived without vocals. An instrumental version of a song which otherwise features vocals is also known as a -1 (pronounced minus one).
Instrumentals that have reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 include
• "Theme from A Summer Place" - Percy Faith instrumental (1960)
• "Telstar" - Tornados instrumental (1962)
• "L'Amour Est Bleu (Love Is Blue)" - Paul Mauriat instrumental (1968)
• "Grazing in the Grass" - Hugh Masekela instrumental (1968)
• "Frankenstein" - Edgar Winter Group instrumental (1973)
• "Love's Theme" - Love Unlimited Orchestra instrumental (1974)
• "The Hustle" - Van McCoy instrumental (1975)
• "Theme from 'S.W.A.T.'" - Rhythm Heritage instrumental (1976)
• "A Fifth of Beethoven"- Walter Murphy" instrumental (1976)
• "Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band"- Meco" instrumental (1977)
• "Rise" - Herb Alpert instrumental (1979)
• "Chariots of Fire" - Vangelis instrumental (1981)
• "Miami Vice Theme" - Jan Hammer instrumental (1985)
Since the release of the theme to "Miami Vice", no instrumental has reached the top of the Billboard chart.
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