Francis Lai

The Great Cocktail Resurgence of 1995 saw many an Esquivel-touting hipster who also extolled Francis Lai, the composer for such late ‘60s/early ‘70s "date" movies as "A Man and a Woman" and "Love Story." His Oscar-winning soundtrack for "A Man and a Woman" virtually defined Easy Listening. Its blissful, nonsensical lyrics that float over steady bossa nova beats wafted in and out of a myriad of films and commercials for years to come. Ditto for his oft-covered score to the Velveeta-schmaltz of "Love Story." To this day, Lai continues to score for movies and television in his homeland of France.