Some hit songs are the product of much inspiration and perspiration, labored over and fine-tuned by the writers, performers, and producers for maximum impact. And then there are those that stumble ...

The name Herb Alpert is nearly synonymous with the term "hit record." The trumpeter made a lot of them in the 1960s and '70s as leader of the Tijuana Brass, and as a producer and record executive. As ...