Flashdance (soundtrack)
Released April 11, 1983
Recorded 1982
Genre
ElectroEuro discoHi-NRGsynthpoppop rock
Length 36:52
Label Casablanca
Producer Giorgio Moroder (1, 3, 5, 8), Giorgio Moroder, Pete Bellotte (7), Phil Ramone (4, 6, 10), Ronald Magness (2), Keith Olsen (9)
Compiler Giorgio Moroder
Flashdance: Original Soundtrack from the Motion Picture is the soundtrack to the 1983 American musical and romance film Flashdance, produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer and starring Jennifer Beals and Michael Nouri. It has sold more than 20 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best selling albums of all time. The film is set in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and follows Alex, a welder and exotic dancer and her dreams of becoming a professional ballet dancer. In 1984, the album received a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year and won for Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or a Television Special.
The film’s three singles feature on the album. Two of these singles, “Flashdance…What a Feeling” by Irene Cara and “Maniac” by Michael Sembello, peaked at #1 in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. The track “Romeo” by Donna Summer was released as a promo video to MTV prior to the film’s release, composed only of outtakes from the film. However, the song was not released to radio as Summer was on the verge of releasing her 1983 album She Works Hard for the Money, and the title track was already becoming a major hit. (“She Works Hard for the Money” was actually in the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 consecutively with both “Flashdance…What a Feeling” and “Maniac”.)
The Flashdance album was massively successful, selling over 6 million copies in the U.S. and 1 million in Japan. It was certified gold by the RIAA on June 17, 1983, and became multi-platinum on October 12, 1984 and again on June 21, 1996. In addition to its own success, the album is notable for having supplanted Michael Jackson’s Thriller after the latter had remained Billboard’s number-one album for 17 weeks. Thriller would again overtake Flashdance at number one after 2 weeks. In Japan, the album topped the chart for 11 weeks in total, and became the biggest-selling album of 1983.
The music in Flashdance was supervised by Phil Ramone. There are several pieces of music used in the film that do not appear on the soundtrack album, including “Gloria” by Laura Branigan; “I Love Rock and Roll” by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts; and the “Adagio in G Minor” by Remo Giazotto. The title track “Flashdance… What a Feeling” was originally recorded by Joe Esposito before Irene Cara was asked to re-record the song as in line with the film’s female perspective.
The soundtrack was later re-released in a white-cover version with the same track listing.
In the United States the album debuted at number 166 on the Billboard 200 the week of April 30, 1983, the next week it moved to number 29 and it finally reached number one after nine weeks on chart on June 25, 1983 supplanting Michael Jackson’s Thriller after the latter had been the number-one album for 17 weeks. Flashdance remained on the chart for seventy eight weeks. The album was certified six times platinum by the RIAA on June 21, 1996 for shipments of six million units. After the advent of the Nielsen SoundScan era in 1991, the album sold a further 626,000 copies as of July 2007.
In the United Kingdom the album entered at number 40 on July 2, 1983, after two weeks, on July 16, 1983 it reached and peaked at number 9, it stayed there for two weeks before dropping to number fourteen. It remained on the chart for thirty weeks. Flashdance was certified gold by the BPI on September 21, 1983 denoting shipments of 100,000 units.
It also topped the album charts in Australia, Austria, Germany, Japan, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland.
Track listing
1. “Flashdance… What a Feeling” Giorgio Moroder, Keith Forsey, Irene Cara Irene Cara 3:53
2. “He’s a Dream” Shandi Sinnamon, Ronald Magness Shandi Sinnamon 3:28
3. “Love Theme from Flashdance” Moroder Helen St. John 3:27
4. “Manhunt” Doug Cotler, Richard Gilbert Karen Kamon 2:36
5. “Lady, Lady, Lady” Moroder, Forsey Joe Esposito 4:09
6. “Imagination” Michael Boddicker, Jerry Hey, Phil Ramone, Michael Sembello Laura Branigan 3:35
7. “Romeo” Pete Bellotte, Sylvester Levay Donna Summer 3:13
8. “Seduce Me Tonight” Moroder, Forsey Cycle V 3:31
9. “I’ll Be Here Where the Heart Is” Kim Carnes, Duane Hitchings, Craig Krampf Kim Carnes 4:36
10. “Maniac” Sembello, Dennis Matkosky Michael Sembello 4:04
Total length: 36.52
Chart positions and certifications
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