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Thread: The song or soundtrack is more popular than the movie

  1. #1
    Pendulumswingingdoomsday Rune Blackwings's Avatar
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    The song or soundtrack is more popular than the movie

    I was listening to Olivia Newton John's "Magic", which was from Xanadu, and began thinking of movies where songs were still being played long after the film has spun off into obscurity. Xanadu had a couple of songs that still are played despite the movie being forgettable-"Magic", the Newton John duet with Cliff Richard "Suddenly" and arguably ELO's "All Over the World" and "I'm Alive", although not with the popularity of the other two songs. (The Pan Pacific Auditorium, which was Xanadu in the movie, unfortunately is no longer around by the way).

    Another, despite having an impressive line up for the soundtrack and Michael Pare', Streets of Fire is known for one song still getting airplay today-Dan Hartman's "I Can Dream About You" (the soundtrack also had Stevie Nicks, Tom Petty, The Fixx, and Ry Cooder, among others) and I doubt if you ask anyone to name the movie it came from today, they would be hard pressed to name it.
    "Alienated-so alien I go!"

  2. #2
    Quote Originally Posted by Rune Blackwings View Post
    I was listening to Olivia Newton John's "Magic", which was from Xanadu, and began thinking of movies where songs were still being played long after the film has spun off into obscurity. Xanadu had a couple of songs that still are played despite the movie being forgettable-"Magic", the Newton John duet with Cliff Richard "Suddenly" and arguably ELO's "All Over the World" and "I'm Alive", although not with the popularity of the other two songs. (The Pan Pacific Auditorium, which was Xanadu in the movie, unfortunately is no longer around by the way).
    I just saw the movie again a couple months ago, and I was surprised by how good it was. I was meaning to just watch the first five minutes (which includes one of the greatest special effects sequences ever), but I actually rather enjoyed the entire picture. And I was stunned to find out that one of the Muses was played by Sandahl Bergman (you really only see her face on screen for a few seconds, though), which I never knew before.


    Another, despite having an impressive line up for the soundtrack and Michael Pare', Streets of Fire is known for one song still getting airplay today-Dan Hartman's "I Can Dream About You" (the soundtrack also had Stevie Nicks, Tom Petty, The Fixx, and Ry Cooder, among others) and I doubt if you ask anyone to name the movie it came from today, they would be hard pressed to name it.
    Actually, the version of the song in the movie itself isn't even sung by Dan Hartman. It was sung by someone named Winston Ford, and it's being mimed (Milli Vanilli style) by a vocal group fronted by Stoney Jackson (who is probably best known for appearing in Michael Jackson's Beat It video). One of the other "singers" is Robert Townsend, who became well known as a director later in the 80's and 90's.

    But since you brought up Michael Pare, let's not forget your favorite picture, Eddie And The Cruisers? Anyhow, I think On The Dark Side (again, they pulled a Milli Vanilli, with Pare lip syncing to vocals sung by a real life Springsteen wannabe) was probably more successful than the movie itself. In fact, the movie was a flop upon initial release. It was only when it played on cable TV a year later that the single took off up the charts.

    I think Talking Heads' Wild Wild Life was probably more successful than True Stories, the movie it appeared in. Course, I don't David Byrne, who directed True Stories himself, was aiming for mainstream success with the film itself. As I recall, when it played locally, it played only at the local arthouse movie theater and not mainstream movie theaters. It's very much an "art film", as opposed to something like Sixteen Candles or Valley Girl.

  3. #3
    Oh, and prog connection with the above post: Stoney Jackson also once starred on a short lived drama (as an undercover investigative reporter) called The Insiders, the theme music of which was the Genesis song Just A Job To Do. I remember at the time show aired originally (yeah, I watched it, somewhat), I thought it was a Phil solo song, as I didn't have the eponymous album yet.

  4. #4
    Pendulumswingingdoomsday Rune Blackwings's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by GuitarGeek View Post
    I just saw the movie again a couple months ago, and I was surprised by how good it was. I was meaning to just watch the first five minutes (which includes one of the greatest special effects sequences ever), but I actually rather enjoyed the entire picture. And I was stunned to find out that one of the Muses was played by Sandahl Bergman (you really only see her face on screen for a few seconds, though), which I never knew before.




    Actually, the version of the song in the movie itself isn't even sung by Dan Hartman. It was sung by someone named Winston Ford, and it's being mimed (Milli Vanilli style) by a vocal group fronted by Stoney Jackson (who is probably best known for appearing in Michael Jackson's Beat It video). One of the other "singers" is Robert Townsend, who became well known as a director later in the 80's and 90's.

    But since you brought up Michael Pare, let's not forget your favorite picture, Eddie And The Cruisers? Anyhow, I think On The Dark Side (again, they pulled a Milli Vanilli, with Pare lip syncing to vocals sung by a real life Springsteen wannabe) was probably more successful than the movie itself. In fact, the movie was a flop upon initial release. It was only when it played on cable TV a year later that the single took off up the charts.

    I think Talking Heads' Wild Wild Life was probably more successful than True Stories, the movie it appeared in. Course, I don't David Byrne, who directed True Stories himself, was aiming for mainstream success with the film itself. As I recall, when it played locally, it played only at the local arthouse movie theater and not mainstream movie theaters. It's very much an "art film", as opposed to something like Sixteen Candles or Valley Girl.
    Eddie and the Cruisers is a love-hate thing. It was filmed in NJ, refers to some obscure places (Palace Depression, for example, which was demolished by the time Eddie and the Cruisers was made I believe, but a replica was built and is a very impressive structure) and I actually liked the story. A lot of the acting and script writing leaved a lot to be desired, especially by the main character (who is not Eddie, but the douchey keyboardist), the depictions of Palace Depression had a crazy amount of artistic license, and WTF DOES EVERY NJ BAND IN A MOVIE SOUND LIKE SPRINGSTEEN??? A little hint about NJ's music scenes-do you know how many bands sound like Springsteen in NJ? One-Springsteen. NJ has a wide range of scenes and sounds, ranging from the Four Seasons, Sinatra and Count Basie to the Misfits and Monster Magnet-ffs, Patti Smith went to college in NJ. Eddie Rabbitt was from NJ. There is no reason in the universe that a band from NJ must sound like Springsteen!

    Pare' was more believable as the singer though than who that voice actually belonged to.

    Xanadu was actually a very entertaining movie. I am not sure why it failed as it did (there have been films with far more silly premises and stories that have raked cash in). I did not know Hartmann did not sing what was in the movie (I never saw the full movie, just excerpts from it), probably because the music video featured the Hartmann vocals.
    "Alienated-so alien I go!"

  5. #5
    [QUOTE=Rune Blackwings;789832]
    little hint about NJ's music scenes-do you know how many bands sound like Springsteen in NJ? One-Springsteen
    .

    You're forgetting Bon Jovi. He's always sounded to me like a hard rock version of Springsteen (more so than Thin Lizzy, who were also accused of stealing some of Springsteen's moves, even though their recording career actually predates Bruce's).
    Eddie Rabbitt was from NJ.
    Interesting. Which is worse? Born To Run, or Every Which Way But Loose?

    There is no reason in the universe that a band from NJ must sound like Springsteen!
    Except if you're making a movie, and the studio head or the producer or director or whomever says "He's from Jersey, so he should sound like Springsteen". That's the way it happens a lot of times, it's some asshole at the studio dictating things like the music in the film. There was one movie called Times Square, where the producers took the picture away from the director, and among other things, added a bunch of new wave sounds to the soundtrack that the director felt were "inappropriate" or whatever.
    Pare' was more believable as the singer though than who that voice actually belonged to.
    I haven't seen the movie in so long, I don't remember. I still think Michael Pare's best movie was The Philadelphia Experiment.
    Xanadu was actually a very entertaining movie. I am not sure why it failed as it did (there have been films with far more silly premises and stories that have raked cash in).
    Hard to tell. Maybe it was bad timing. Maybe it was overexposure, what with Olivia Newton John having just done Grease, and maybe the public decided one musical with her in it was enough.

    The sad thing is, the producers or the director or whomever was hoping the success of the movie might trigger some effort to restore and reopen the Pan Pacific Theater, which was in severe disuse at the time. It had been closed since the 60's, and I guess was in perpetual danger of being torn down. It did appear in a couple music videos, like She Sheila by The Producers and Dancing In The Sheets by Shalamar. I also remember it made a brief appearance in the movie Miracle Mile, before it finally burned down in the late 80's.
    I did not know Hartmann did not sing what was in the movie (I never saw the full movie, just excerpts from it), probably because the music video featured the Hartmann vocals.
    I saw the movie like 30 some odd years ago, probably whenever it was on HBO right after it under performed during it's theatrical run. The only thing I really remember about it is it's probably the first place i actually remember hearing Ry Cooder's slide guitar playing, after reading about him in music magazines, and stupidly never borrowing the Showtime album from the library (though I'm not sure I would have enjoyed it at the age of 10, given that I wasn't really into that kind of stuff yet).

    Anyway, I never actually realized the Dan Hartman version wasn't used in the actual movie until recently, I must have been researching it on WIkipedia for another post on whichever forum, and I spotted that. I remember seeing an interview with Hartman at the time the song was a hit, and he said that the producer or the director, I forget which, said he "didn't have the right look" for the movie, which is why you've got Stoney Jackson, Robert Townsend and a couple others miming the song. I'm not sure I understand why they had this other guy singing the song in the movie, but apparently, according to Wikipedia, Hartman jumped through a lot of legal hoops to get his version to be used on the soundtrack album, the single, and the video (note that Hartman is the only name listed in the byline, so it was his song to begin with).

    I didn't understand that "not the right look" thing at the time, though I now suspect what was actually meant was they wanted a younger person, with let's say a darker complexion to appear in the film.

    At any rate, the first time I saw the video, I didn't know who Dan Hartman was, having been a bit too young to have witnessed his 70's era successes, so I intially thought it was actually thought Stoney Jackson was Dan Hartman, at first, until I saw a thing on Entertainment Tonight or wherever, where they interviewed Dan Hartman and he talked about the deal.

  6. #6
    Progdog ThomasKDye's Avatar
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    Phil Collins - "Against All Odds." Who even remembers that movie?
    "Arf." -- Frank Zappa, "Beauty Knows No Pain" (live version)

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    cunning linguist 3LockBox's Avatar
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    Actually, Springsteen was approached to play Eddie as the script was fashioned for his style of music and stage performance. He said no of course. But the character was cast for a Springsteen type anyway. The vocals and studio performance of most the Cruisers music was provided by John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band.

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    cunning linguist 3LockBox's Avatar
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    -FM- Actually the soundtrack was a rather star studded affair with actual hits rather than the usual collection of B-sides and the film got a big push but failed to live up to expectations. Allegedly it provided the inspiration for WKRP in Cincinnati. And of course the title track became an instant staple of, well, FM radio.

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    cunning linguist 3LockBox's Avatar
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    About a year ago I saw the movie Breaking Away. Or at least glanced at for a few. I remember when this came on HBO decades ago and hadn't seen it in years. Boring movie and probably why its rarely played. But I remember the theme song hanging around a while and it's usually included those 'best of' comps.

  10. #10
    How many people remember The Man From Hong Kong (a.k.a. The Dragon Flies), an average Hong Kong/Australia co-produced action flick starring Jimmy Wang Yu and George Lazenby? Nobody? Because I guarantee you remember its theme song:

    Confirmed Bachelors: the dramedy hit of 1883...

  11. #11
    cunning linguist 3LockBox's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ThomasKDye View Post
    Phil Collins - "Against All Odds." Who even remembers that movie?
    A date movie. I saw it in the theater but couldn't tell who was in it or what it was about. Good call.

  12. #12
    cunning linguist 3LockBox's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Progbear View Post
    Because I guarantee you remember its theme song:
    Unfortunately I do. Never heard of the movie.

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    cunning linguist 3LockBox's Avatar
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    Just remembered another one...

    Light of Day, a forgettable movie starring Joan Jett and Michael J. Fox as siblings in a rock band spawned Light of Day, the song and video, which got a lot of run on MTV back when the movie came out, despite being a shitty song and shitty movie.

  14. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by 3LockBox View Post
    -FM- Actually the soundtrack was a rather star studded affair with actual hits rather than the usual collection of B-sides and the film got a big push but failed to live up to expectations. Allegedly it provided the inspiration for WKRP in Cincinnati. And of course the title track became an instant staple of, well, FM radio.
    If the creators of WKRP are to be believed, they had been working on their show for a couple years before FM came out. That's typically how those kind of things work, before a show actually hits the airwaves, they can spend a couple or more years shopping it around to the networks, fiddling with the details, etc, before it goes to air. Given the way things work in Hollywood, it's just likely that WKRP was actually the inspiration for FM. Besides which, apart from the fact that they're both set in a radio station, the two have virtually nothing in common.

    FM is actually a pretty good movie. I've seen it a couple times. The scene where Martin Mull freezes on the air, and then when he recovers, explains to the audience that they just heard the new Marcel Marceau single, and the later scene where he has an on air breakdown, are both classic. I've always suspected the motif hinging on the station possibly airing military recruitment commercials wasn't inspired by Jim Ladd's on air rant about the military, back in the mid 70's.
    Phil Collins - "Against All Odds." Who even remembers that movie?
    You mean besides me, of course, right? I've never actually seen it, but I know Rachel Ward was in it, and I always thought she was kinda hot.

    Light of Day, a forgettable movie starring Joan Jett and Michael J. Fox as siblings in a rock band spawned Light of Day, the song and video, which got a lot of run on MTV back when the movie came out, despite being a shitty song and shitty movie.
    I don't think I ever saw that one on MTV. Said shitty song, believe it or not, was actually written by...SURPRISE! Bruce Springsteen. Apparently, he played it in concert on occasion. The thing I remember about that movie was that it was actually shot in Cleveland, but as seems to be typical with such things, they manage to shoot it in such a fashion that there's nothing really recognizable as "Cleveland" in the film, unless you hung out at the Euclid Tavern or worked at the steel mill. It's not like when they shoot a movie in Chicago or NYC or see all kinds of shit that peg the location as the respective city.

    And bringing up Michael J. Fox reminds me of all the incongruities relating to the school dance scene in Back To The Future (e.g. a mediocre Eddie Van Halen wannabe somehow being conversant on Chuck Berry licks, playing a guitar that didn't exist during the time frame of the scene in question, and in any case would have most likely been unplayable for him, plus the solo itself not actually being possible on that guitar, and the fact that the band doesn't sound like they're playing the song for the very first time).

  15. #15
    Just about anything from Purple Rain. I would imagine that almost nobody under 35 even remembers that it was a soundtrack album and not a regular album.

  16. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by Facelift View Post
    Just about anything from Purple Rain. I would imagine that almost nobody under 35 even remembers that it was a soundtrack album and not a regular album.
    Well, other than the fact that people under the age of 35 seem to have sense of history in general, I would disagree with you. Purple Rain plays regularly on TV, was a big hit in the first place, and Prince was such an iconic figure. I think anyone who is aware of the album knows it's the soundtrack to a successful movie.
    'Separate Lives' is another Collins one which has endured when the film- White Nights- hasn't.
    Don't forget Lionel Ritchie's Say You Say Me, which was also in that movie. That was a pretty big hit, too. In fact, I think it might have been bigger than Separate Lives.

    And on the topic of Phil Collins, the songs he did for the movie Buster (in which he also starred) I think might have been bigger than the movie itself.

    And then there's Madonna's Live To Tell, which was originally written for the soundtrack to a movie called At Close Range, which starred her husband at the time, Sean Penn. As I recall, the movie was a flop, but the song topped the charts.

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    I would say Dusty Springfield's version of 'The Look Of Love' has had far greater reach than the oddball film it was for- Casino Royale. I wouldn't say the latter was forgotten but in my experience, it certainly doesn't get repeated as much as the 'proper' Bond films.

  18. #18
    Quote Originally Posted by JJ88 View Post
    Perhaps Peter Gabriel's Birdy and Passion? At least, I haven't watched either movie, I can't say how well known either film is these days.
    Birdy I've seen. Read the book as well. I think it was memorable, though they changed the war the main person was in.

  19. #19
    Quote Originally Posted by Progbear View Post
    How many people remember The Man From Hong Kong (a.k.a. The Dragon Flies), an average Hong Kong/Australia co-produced action flick starring Jimmy Wang Yu and George Lazenby? Nobody? Because I guarantee you remember its theme song:

    And are these guys remembered by anything else than this song?

  20. #20
    ALL ACCESS Gruno's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Facelift View Post
    Just about anything from Purple Rain. I would imagine that almost nobody under 35 even remembers that it was a soundtrack album and not a regular album.
    I disagree ten times over! It's an iconic flick and GuitarGeek has stated it gets tons of airplay to this day.

  21. #21
    ALL ACCESS Gruno's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by GuitarGeek View Post
    And then there's Madonna's Live To Tell, which was originally written for the soundtrack to a movie called At Close Range, which starred her husband at the time, Sean Penn. As I recall, the movie was a flop, but the song topped the charts.
    Great movie!

    I would guess that all of Madonna's soundtrack songs probably no longer get associated with the movie soundtracks they appeared on.

    "Crazy For You" & "Gambler" from Vision Quest
    "Into The Groove" from Desperately Seeking Susan
    "Who's That Girl" & "Causing A Commotion" from Who's That Girl
    "This Used to Be My Playground" from A League of Their Own
    "I'll Remember" from With Honors
    "American Pie" from The Next Best Thing
    "Beautiful Stranger" from Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
    "Die Another Day" from Die Another Day

    Some might remember the Austin Powers flick. "Who's That Girl" and "Die Another Day" might ring a bell because of the movies with the same name. Of course, with me being a fan of Madonna, I remember where each was used in a soundtrack

  22. #22
    Quote Originally Posted by Progbear View Post
    How many people remember The Man From Hong Kong (a.k.a. The Dragon Flies), an average Hong Kong/Australia co-produced action flick starring Jimmy Wang Yu and George Lazenby? Nobody? Because I guarantee you remember its theme song:

    I watched that recently, I remember it being around in the 70's and the song being played a lot. I had never actually seen it, too young at the time, and I certainly didn't miss much. A pretty ropey kung-fu cash-in, with Lazenby thrown in only for star(?)power, incongruously playing the villain.
    I only clicked on it because I thought it was going to be something more interesting...

  23. #23
    Quote Originally Posted by JJ88 View Post
    I would say Dusty Springfield's version of 'The Look Of Love' has had far greater reach than the oddball film it was for- Casino Royale. I wouldn't say the latter was forgotten but in my experience, it certainly doesn't get repeated as much as the 'proper' Bond films.
    Yeah, it certainly doesn't get the respect the Connery era Bond pictures do. And it seems like even the Moore era pictures get more airplay than Casino Royale (which I think I've only seen twice).


    I would guess that all of Madonna's soundtrack songs probably no longer get associated with the movie soundtracks they appeared on.
    I'm not sure about Desperately Seeking Susan. That one seems to turn up on cable TV every so often. So does A League Of Their Own, but I'm sure I even knew she even had a song in that picture, so I'm not sure how iconic that particular song was.

    I used to have the Vision Quest soundtrack on cassette. Always thought Gambler and Crazy For You were great songs, love the oboe line in the latter. I used to try singing that song, which is kinda silly, because I can barely sing at all, and I'm sure I was never close to singing it correctly in her register.

  24. #24
    ALL ACCESS Gruno's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by GuitarGeek View Post
    I'm not sure about Desperately Seeking Susan. That one seems to turn up on cable TV every so often.
    But... was it used within the movie to gain the association? The music video does feature movie clips.



    Quote Originally Posted by GuitarGeek View Post
    So does A League Of Their Own, but I'm sure I even knew she even had a song in that picture, so I'm not sure how iconic that particular song was.
    Iconic? We're talking popular, not iconic. As far as popularity, the song continues to get played on the radio, with decent rotation on easy listening stations as well as 80s/90s dominated playlists & countdowns. Do you frequently listen to pop radio stations that would play this tune? At any rate, the question remains: how many remember it being associated with A League Of Their Own?



    Quote Originally Posted by GuitarGeek View Post
    I used to have the Vision Quest soundtrack on cassette. Always thought Gambler and Crazy For You were great songs, love the oboe line in the latter. I used to try singing that song, which is kinda silly, because I can barely sing at all, and I'm sure I was never close to singing it correctly in her register.
    The Vision Quest soundtrack joins the list of great movie soundtracks of the 80s. It was odd to see the popularity the soundtrack had with many high school wrestling teams of the mid-late 80s.

  25. #25
    Quote Originally Posted by Gruno View Post
    Do you frequently listen to pop radio stations that would play this tune?
    Oh, good goddess, no. Teh only commercial radio I've listened to in the last 30 or so years has been classic rock radio, and even then, I haven't really listened to that in something like 9 years. Come to think of it, I don't even listen to college radio much anymore, either.
    At any rate, the question remains: how many remember it being associated with A League Of Their Own?
    Well, I can only speak for myself (which generally speaking, apparently has no connection to anyone else's thoughts, beliefs, etc), but like I said, I didn't even remember Madonna having a song in that particular movie.


    The Vision Quest soundtrack joins the list of great movie soundtracks of the 80s. It was odd to see the popularity the soundtrack had with many high school wrestling teams of the mid-late 80s.
    I remember liking the Journey song, Only The Young, a lot. Trying to remember what else was on it, I know John Waite's Change was on there, and so was that Red Rider song, Lunatic Fringe (which was the first rock song where I remember hearing pedal steel...up until I saw that video on MTV, which actually predated Vision Quest by a couple years, I only knew steel as a C&W instrument). Other than the Madonna songs, I can't remember what else was on there, though (yeah, I know, checking Wikipedia...) Wow, I didn't even remember there being Sammy Hagar or Dio songs on there, but now that I think about it, I always did like I'll Fall In Love Again.

    So since you brought it up, what do you consider to be "the great 80's movie soundtracks"? For me, numero uno is probably Heavy Metal (well, duh, what else would you expect me to say?!), numero dos might be Valley Girl, and the rest of the top ten is probably John Hughes movies (well, the top five anyway).

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