During the vibrant decades of the 1970s, 80s, and 90s, movie soundtrack albums emerged as a cultural phenomenon, captivating audiences with their incredible music!
To commemorate my recent conversation with actor Paul Pape, who starred in the iconic 1970s film “Saturday Night Fever” (one of my all-time favorite soundtrack albums), I’ve created this fun blog post highlighting some of the most popular soundtrack albums from the later part of the 20th century. I hope it brings back fond memories and reminds you of why we were all so captivated by these albums when they were first released. Enjoy!
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SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER
Released by RSO Records on November 15, 1977, the soundtrack for "Saturday Night Fever" is considered one of the best-selling soundtracks of all time. It ranks among the highest-selling soundtrack albums worldwide, with sales figures exceeding 40 million copies!
This double LP features 16 iconic disco hits, including songs written by the Bee Gees: "How Deep Is Your Love," "Stayin' Alive," and "Night Fever," all of which they performed. Additionally, Yvonne Elliman's version of "If I Can't Have You" is included. Remarkably, all four tracks reached No. 1 on the US charts. The album was a massive commercial success and won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1979.
One of the standout tracks from the "Saturday Night Fever" soundtrack is the Bee Gees' "Stayin' Alive." This disco anthem not only topped the charts upon its release but also became emblematic of both the film and the era it represented.
This soundtrack is widely considered to be one of the greatest and most influential disco albums of all time. The album was added to the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress in 2012 for being "culturally, historically, and/or aesthetically significant".
GREASE
Originally released by RSO Records on April 14, 1978, two months before the film's debut, the original motion picture soundtrack for "Grease" is a classic pop album featuring songs that continue to be popular today.
This soundtrack has sold over 30 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling albums of all time and ranking among the highest-selling soundtracks ever. The song "You're the One That I Want," performed by stars John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, reached No. 1 in both the U.S. and the UK.
In addition to performances by John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, the album includes songs by the rock and roll revival group Sha Na Na, as well as the hit song "Grease," which was written by Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees and sung by Frankie Valli of The Four Seasons. This song also achieved No. 1 status in the U.S.
The most successful songs from the soundtrack were written specifically for the film. They included the Billboard number-one hits "Grease", "You're the One That I Want" and the Academy Award-nominated "Hopelessly Devoted to You". The song lost Best Original Song to "Last Dance" from the film "Thank God It's Friday" at the 51st Academy Awards.
The soundtrack album ended 1978 as the second-best-selling album of the year in the United States, exceeded only by another soundtrack album, from the film "Saturday Night Fever", which also starred Travolta. The album was nominated for Album of the Year at the 21st Annual Grammy Awards.
FOOTLOOSE
The soundtrack album to the Paramount motion picture "Footloose" had a strong rock sound that perfectly matched the movie's theme. Originally released in 1984, the nine-track album reached number one on the US Billboard 200 chart on April 21, 1984, and maintained that position until June 23, 1984.
The album includes popular tracks such as "Footloose" and "I'm Free (Heaven Helps the Man)", both by Kenny Loggins, "Holding Out for a Hero" by Bonnie Tyler (co-written and produced by Jim Steinman), "Girl Gets Around" by Sammy Hagar, "Never" by Australian rock band Moving Pictures, "Let's Hear It for the Boy" by Deniece Williams, "Somebody's Eyes" by Karla Bonoff, "Dancing In The Sheets" by Shalamar, and the romantic theme "Almost Paradise" by Mike Reno from Loverboy and Ann Wilson of Heart (co-written by Eric Carmen). The soundtrack ultimately sold over 9 million copies in the USA.
It contained six Billboard Hot 100 Top 40 hits, three of which reached the Top 10, including two number-one hits, "Footloose" and "Let's Hear It for the Boy". "Almost Paradise”, reached number seven, plus "Somebody's Eyes" climbed to number 16 on the Adult Contemporary chart. The songs "Footloose" and "Let's Hear It for the Boy" were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song.
FLASHDANCE
The original soundtrack for the 1983 film “Flashdance” features a mix of pop and rock songs that perfectly capture the vibe of the 1980s. It was released on April 11, 1983, by Casablanca Records and achieved unexpected success.
When the film became a surprise hit, the soundtrack sold out within days, leaving the record company scrambling to fulfill orders that totaled half a million copies. Music videos for several songs on the soundtrack were created using scenes from the film. One notable single, "Maniac" by Michael Sembello, gained significant popularity; it was frequently played on MTV and reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
The soundtrack, compiled by Giorgio Moroder, features several hit songs, including "Maniac," and the Academy Award-winning "Flashdance... What a Feeling." This iconic song was written for the film by Moroder, with lyrics by Keith Forsey and sung by Irene Cara. It reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in May 1983. Interestingly, the word "Flashdance" is not actually heard in the lyrics.
Other songs in the film include "Lady, Lady, Lady", performed by Joe Esposito, "Gloria" and "Imagination" performed by Laura Branigan, and "I'll Be Here Where the Heart Is", performed by Kim Carnes.
The soundtrack album sold 700,000 copies during its first two weeks on sale and has gone on to sell over six million copies in the U.S. alone. In 1984, the album won the Grammy Award for Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or a Television Special.
TOP GUN
The "Top Gun" soundtrack is one of the most popular soundtracks of all time, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart for five non-consecutive weeks during the summer and fall of 1986. It was released by Columbia Records in 1986.
One of the hit singles from the soundtrack is "Danger Zone," which was recorded by singer-songwriter Kenny Loggins. The music was composed by Giorgio Moroder, and the lyrics were written by Tom Whitlock. To promote the single, a music video was released in May 1986, directed by Tony Scott. The video featured footage of Loggins singing alongside clips from the film “Top Gun,” which Scott also directed.
The song "Take My Breath Away," performed by the New Wave band Berlin, was written by Giorgio Moroder and Tom Whitlock. It was the second single from the Top Gun soundtrack album, following "Danger Zone," and was released in 1986. The song peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and went on to win both the Academy Award and the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song, bringing the band international acclaim. Following the release of Kenny Loggins's single "Danger Zone," sales of the Top Gun soundtrack exploded, selling 7 million copies in the United States alone.
DIRTY DANCING
The soundtrack for the 1987 blockbuster film "Dirty Dancing," created by Jimmy Ienner, produced two multi-platinum albums along with several hit singles. It was released on August 4, 1987, by RCA Records. The album went on to sell 32 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling albums of all time.
The standout song from the soundtrack, "(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life," performed by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes, won several prestigious awards, including the Academy Award for Best Original Song, the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song, and the Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.
The power ballad "Hungry Eyes" performed by Eric Carmen, a former member of the band Raspberries, was released in October 1987. The song peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and No. 3 on the Cash Box Top 100 in 1988.
Additionally, actor Patrick Swayze also recorded the song “She's Like the Wind" for the soundtrack to the film "Dirty Dancing." Released in December 1987, the song features additional vocals from singer Wendy Fraser. The ballad reached number three on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Adult Contemporary chart.
The "Dirty Dancing" soundtrack spent 18 weeks at number one on the Billboard 200 album sales chart and achieved platinum status 14 times, selling more than 32 million copies worldwide. It also led to a follow-up multi-platinum album released in February 1988, titled “More Dirty Dancing”.
The soundtrack held the number one spot on the Billboard album chart for over four months. As of July 2022, the album has sold more than 14 million copies.
THE BODYGUARD
The soundtrack album from the film “The Bodyguard” was released by Arista Records on November 17, 1992. It achieved global success, reaching number one in eighteen countries and entering the top ten in many others.
The soundtrack features five songs which became hit singles for Whitney Houston: "I Will Always Love You" (a cover of the Dolly Parton song), "I'm Every Woman" (a cover of the Chaka Khan song), the two Oscar-nominated songs, "I Have Nothing" and "Run to You", along with "Queen of the Night".
The album became the best-selling soundtrack of all time, with sales exceeding 50 million copies worldwide, and won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year. The singles "I Have Nothing" and "Run to You" received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Furthermore, Houston's rendition of "I Will Always Love You" sold over 24 million copies globally, making it the best-selling single by a female artist of all time.
PURPLE RAIN
One of the most popular soundtrack albums of all time is for the 1984 romantic rock musical drama film "Purple Rain", which was scored by and starred Prince in his acting debut.
The album produced two chart-topping singles, "When Doves Cry" and the opening track "Let's Go Crazy". Additionally, "Purple Rain" reached number two on the charts. "Purple Rain" also became Prince's first album to reach number one on the Billboard 200.
The album spent 24 consecutive weeks at the top of the Billboard 200 chart and remained on the chart for a total of 167 weeks. Both "When Doves Cry" and "Let's Go Crazy" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, while "Purple Rain" peaked at number two and "I Would Die 4 U" reached number eight. This album is considered Prince's commercial peak, with total sales of 25 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling albums of all time.
Prince and the Revolution won Grammy Awards for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal and Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media. Additionally, Prince won the Academy Award for Best Original Song Score for the film "Purple Rain". The soundtrack alone sold over 15 million copies in the United States and 25 million worldwide.
TITANIC
Director James Cameron wrote the film “Titanic” while listening to the music of the Irish new-age musician Enya. After Enya declined an invitation to compose for the film, Cameron chose James Horner instead.
Horner secretly wrote the film's ending theme, "My Heart Will Go On," with lyricist Will Jennings, as Cameron did not want any pop songs included in the movie. Céline Dion agreed to record a demo at the urging of her husband, René Angélil. Horner waited until Cameron was in a good mood before presenting the song. After playing it several times, Cameron expressed his approval.
"My Heart Will Go On" became a massive hit worldwide. It was released as a single internationally by Columbia and Epic on November 24, 1997, and was included on Dion's album “Let's Talk About Love” (1997) as well as the “Titanic” soundtrack.
Considered Dion's signature song, "My Heart Will Go On" topped the charts in more than 25 countries and was the best-selling single of 1998. With worldwide sales estimated at over 18 million copies, it is the second-best-selling single by a woman in music history and one of the best-selling singles of all time.
The song won the 1998 Academy Award for Best Original Song and dominated the 1999 Grammy Awards, taking home Record of the Year—marking the first time this award was won by a Canadian—Song of the Year, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, and Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television. Additionally, it won the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song in 1998.
Some facts are taken from IMDB & Wikipedia.
Don't miss the chance to listen to my fascinating podcast interview with actor Paul Pape, best known for his role as "Double J" in the iconic film “Saturday Night Fever” on my podcast HOLLYWOOD OBSESSED! Click the links below to listen now!
Episode 97 - HERE
Episode 98 - HERE
