Out of Limits

"Out of Limits" is a 1963 surf rock instrumental piece written by Michael Z. Gordon^[3] and performed by The Marketts.

"Out of Limits"
Single by The Marketts
from the album Out of Limits!
B-side	"Bella Dalena"
Released	October 1963[1]
Recorded	1963
Genre	Surf rock[2]
Length	2:09
Label	Warner Bros.
Songwriter(s)	Michael Z. Gordon
The Marketts singles chronology
"Surfer's Stomp" (1962) "Out of Limits" (1963) "Vanishing Point" (1964)

Background

While on tour with a band called the Routers, Gordon wrote the Marketts' first release on the Warner Bros. label and their biggest hit, an instrumental called "Outer Limits". First pressings were issued as "Outer Limits", named and surf-styled after the television program of the same name. However, Rod Serling sued the Marketts for quoting the four note motif from his television show, The Twilight Zone, without his approval, which resulted in the change of the title to "Out of Limits".^[4][5] The record has been described as "an intriguing up-beat disc with a galloping rhythm".^[6]

Chart performance

The song peaked at No. 3 in February 1964 on the Hot 100 for two weeks and on Cashbox for one week. It stayed on both the Hot 100 and Cashbox for 14 weeks.^[7][8] It sold over a million copies globally,^[6] topped the charts on many U.S. radio stations,^[9] and earned Gordon a BMI award.^[10] It brought the studio group national prominence, and many radio, nightclub and personal appearances.^[6]

Cover versions

The Ventures also had a very popular version of the song that was included on their 1964 album The Ventures In Space.

Popular culture

"Out of Limits" is a popular choice for television and film soundtracks; it can be heard in:

• Pulp Fiction (1994)
• Slayground (1983)^[11]
• The Outsiders (1983)
• Mafioso: The Father, the Son (2004).^[12]
• It is also available on the compilations Billboard Top Rock'n'Roll Hits: 1964, Elvira Presents Haunted Hits and Classic Rock (Time-Life Music).
• As the theme tune for Frankie Boyle's New World Order (2017)

References

1. "The Marketts - Out of Limits".
2. Marsh, Dave (1989). The Heart of Rock & Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made. Plume. p. 361. ISBN 0-452-26305-0.
3. "Out of Limits". Repertoire.bmi.com. Archived from the original on 2006-11-24. Retrieved 2012-11-10.
4. Uslan, Michael; Clark, Dick; Solomon, Bruce (1981). Dick Clark's the First 25 Years of Rock & Roll. Dell Publishing Company. ISBN 9780440517634. It seems that the opening bars were virtually identical to those of the "Twilight Zone" theme. That was bad enough, but linking the tune with "Twilight Zone's" biggest television competitor was too much for Serling. All reissues of the single were retitled "Out of Limits
5. "Up Close With Michael Z. Gordon Of The Marketts". 2019-07-02. Archived from the original on 2019-07-02. Retrieved 2022-01-27.
6. Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. pp. 163. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
7. Whitburn, Joel (1990). The Billboard Hot 100 Charts: The Sixties (7 December 1963 through 7 March 1964). Menomonee Falls, WI: Record Research Inc. p. 386. ISBN 0-89820-074-1.
8. Hoffmann, Frank (1983). The Cash Box Singles Charts, 1950-1981. Metuchen, NJ & London: The Scarecrow Press, Inc. p. 380.
9. Burke, David. "The Marketts." Archived 2011-10-15 at the Wayback Machine, Ace Records. Accessed February 17, 2012.
10. BMI Repertoire, "Out of Limits". Accessed February 17, 2012.
11. IMDB, "Slayground" (1983)
12. IMDB, "Mafioso: The Father, The Son" (2004)