'Theme from Shaft' by Isaac Hayes

The original 'Theme From Shaft' is a soulful, funk-styled theme song to the film 'Shaft'. Written and recorded by Isaac Hayes in 1971, the song went to number on the Billboard 100 in November of 1971. The song's lyrics are a description of the film's main character John Shaft. They describe the fictional character's coolness, courage, and sex appeal. Hayes' lead vocals are backed by a trio of female singers. The song begins with its familiar high-hat beat accompanied by the wah-wah sounds of the electric guitar. Then it begins to build up as more instrumentation is added. An orchestra of strings and brass begins to play in the intro, which lasts nearly two minutes. "Orchestration became a standard ingerdient in soul music as a direct result of 'Theme from Shaft', as did extended arrangements and the smoldering red-light-in-the-bathroom sexuality (Thomas Ryan, 1996)." The year following its release, 'Theme from Shaft' won the Academy Award for Best Original Song, making Hayes the first black artist to win that honor. The song's popularity has led to its many parodies and uses in numerous television ads, television shows, other movies, and even led to its cover by internation Rai musician Malik Adouane.