ASCHER

TRACY’S THEME is a 1960 instrumental written by Robert Ascher and recorded by Robert Mersey under the name "Spencer Ross". The fictitious name may have been used because Mersey was under contract to a record label other than Columbia, which released "Tracy's Theme", at the time of the recording. It peaked at #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 after being used as the theme for a TV production of The Philadelphia Story.

A reported 20 million viewers watched the special presentation of The Philadelphia Story. With the single already on the market, and promotional copies in the hands of radio stations, it was only a matter of time before the popular theme started to sell; "Tracy's Theme" entered the Billboard Hot 100 on January 4, 1960 and reached a peak of #13 on February 22. In the Billboard Top Singles of 1960 ranking at the end of the year, it finished #81.