As EDER-tors of THE VOICE, we wanted to provide Linda’s fans with interesting background information on the songs Linda has recorded for SOUNDTRACK and the movies in which they are heard. It is always fun to know Linda’s thoughts on the songs, so we have included her personal reflections on each selection. During these past few months of research, we have learned so much, and we hope you will enjoy reading the following pages as much as we have enjoyed preparing them for you. (Click the links below to jump directly to the song information.)

“I have, of course, heard this song for many years - being a fan of standards. It is something I had never done, despite the fact that I sang so many songs like it. I only wanted to do it with a swing feel. It seems automatic for me. Even though the lyric is on the sad side, I don’t feel it that way. It just begs to be swung!”

MUSIC: Michel Legrand

LYRICS: Jacques Demy (French Lyrics) Norman Gimbel (English Lyrics)

PERFORMED BY (Dubbed): Catherine Deneuve and Nino Castilnuovo

FILM: THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG

FILM RELEASE (USA): December 16, 1964

DIRECTOR: Jacques Demy

SOUNDTRACK RELEASE: December 16, 1964

SYNOPSIS: The film begins with the melody of “I Will Wait For You” playing during the opening credits. A 17-year-old girl, Genevieve Emery (Catherine Deneuve) sells umbrellas in her mother’s (Anne Vernon) shop in the town of Cherbourg in Normandy, France. She meets and falls in love with 20-year-old Guy Foucher (Nino Castilnuovo), an auto mechanic. Guy is drafted by the army and must go off to war. On the night before Guy leaves, he and Genevieve passionately sing “I Will Wait For You” and they make love. “In your heart believe what in my heart I know, that forevermore I’ll wait for you.” The melody plays sadly again in the background as the train pulls away and several times more throughout the film. After Guy leaves for the war, Genevieve discovers that she is pregnant with their daughter. Her mother insists that she marry a wealthy business man, who is willing to marry her and raise her child. Genevieve doesn’t seem at all happy about the situation. As she tries to protest and then reluctantly puts on the ring, “I Will Wait For You” is heard once again. When Guy is injured and comes home early from the war, he finds that Genevieve has gotten married and has moved away. Guy becomes angry and depressed, but eventually he falls in love, marries, and has a son. After his mother dies, Guy uses his inheritance to open his own gas station. One bleak winter night, Genevieve pulls her car into Guy’s gas station during a snow storm with their daughter in the car. They go inside to talk while their daughter stays in the car. Genevieve asks Guy if he wants to meet his daughter but he does not, so they say goodbye for the last time. All the while, the sad melody of “I Will Wait For You” plays in the background.

TRIVIA:

• THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG (LES PARAPLUIES DE CHERBOURG) was written by Jacques Demy and is the first French musical in color.
• The film is unique because every word is sung, which makes it different from other musicals where spoken dialog is part of the film. It is like one long song rather than several different ones. The singing is more like conversation in tone rather than what you would hear in an opera.
• The film comes in between two other romantic films written by Demy: LOLA in 1961 and THE YOUNG GIRLS OF ROCHEFORT in 1967. Some of the same actors and characters are found in all three films.
• The singing in the movie was dubbed for each actor. The voice of Genevieve (Catherine Deneuve) was dubbed by Danielle Licari, and the voice of Guy (Nino Castilnuovo) was dubbed by Jose Bartel.
• This was Catherine Deneuve’s first major film role.
• In 1965, THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
• The film was also nominated for four additional Academy Awards in 1966: Best Original Song (“I Will Wait For You” with English lyrics), Best Original Score, Best Scoring – Adaptation or Treatment, Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen, and Best Writing, Story and Screenplay.
• THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG won the following awards: Prix Louis Delluc (1963), Palme d’Or (Cannes Film Festival, 1964), and Best Film (French Syndicate of Film Critics, 1965).
• After the release of the film, two of the theme songs became hits in English and were recorded by many artists. The two songs are “I Will Wait For You” and “Watch What Happens.” Norman Gimbel wrote the English lyrics for both songs.
• “I Will Wait For You” has been covered by many artists including: Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Andy Williams, Cher, Bobby Darin, and Connie Francis. Connie Francis’ version can be heard at the end of the FUTURAMA episode, “Jurassic Bark.”
• Roger Williams and Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass recorded Pop instrumental versions of “I Will Wait For You,” and Jazz recordings were done by Oscar Peterson and Gil Evans.
• In 1979, an English-language stage adaptation of THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG premiered at the Public Theatre. The French lyrics were translated by Sheldon Harnick.
• The film was originally done in very rich colors, but the colors faded over the years. Aware that this would happen, Demy made black and white copies in three color bands that would last much longer. In the 1990’s, Agnes Varda led a project to make a new color print from these copies.
• The film was restored in 1992 with Michel Legrand helping to remaster his score, and the DVD was released on November 26, 1997.

“Two of my best friends are Peter and Sheila Primont. Peter runs Cherry Lane Music Publishing and I really wanted to record something of his, so they sent over a list and I remembered this song from SHREK. My son loves SHREK so I took a stab at it. Surprisingly it clicked right into this slightly jazzy pop feel and quickly became one of everyone’s favorites.”

MUSIC: Adam Duritz, Charles Gillingham, Jim Bogios, David Immergluck, Matthew Malley, and David Bryson

LYRICS: Adam Duritz and Dan Vickrey

PERFORMED BY: Counting Crows

FILM: SHREK 2

FILM RELEASE (USA): May 19, 2004

DIRECTORS: Andrew Anderson, Kelly Asbury and Conrad Vernon

SOUNDTRACK RELEASE: May 19, 2004

SYNOPSIS: “Accidentally In Love” provides the background music for the opening scenes of Shrek (Mike Myers) and Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) as they honeymoon in celebration of their unlikely union, a beautiful young woman falling in love with and marrying an ogre. “Well I didn’t mean to do it but there’s no escaping your love.” Prince Charming (Rupert Everett) is very upset and angry that Fiona has been rescued by Shrek because her parents had arranged for him to rescue Fiona and marry her. When Shrek and Fiona return to the swamp after their honeymoon, they are invited to a celebration with Fiona’s parents in the Kingdom of Far Far Away. Shrek doesn’t want to go because he doesn’t want Fiona’s parents to see that they are both ogres, but he ends up giving in to Fiona. They are accompanied by Donkey (Eddie Murphy), who provides the comic relief. King Harold (John Cleese), Queen Lillian (Julie Andrews), and the people of the kingdom are shocked when they see the way Shrek and Fiona look. Dinner with Shrek, Fiona, and her parents does not go well, to say the least. The king is angry and pays a cat by the name of Puss-In-Boots (Antonio Banderas) to kill Shrek. Instead, the cat joins forces with Shrek. The prince and his mother, Fiona’s Fairy Godmother (Jennifer Saunders), are upset, and they try to figure out a way to get Shrek away from Fiona. She promises the king that the prince will marry Fiona and that Fiona will turn back to a beautiful young woman when she is kissed by the prince. Shrek decides he wants to become human and have Fiona return to being human also. Shrek and his friends are able to steal a magic potion, and Shrek becomes handsome and Fiona becomes a beautiful woman once again. Fairy Godmother hatches a plan to make Fiona fall in love with Prince Charming instead of Shrek, but the plan backfires. In the end, Shrek and Fiona let the magic potion wear off, and they happily return to being ogres. King Harold himself goes through an unusual and surprising transformation at the end of the film.

TRIVIA:

• Two soundtracks were released for SHREK 2. They are SHREK 2: THE MOTION PICTURE and SHREK 2: ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SCORE.
• “Accidentally In Love” was nominated for an Academy Award in 2005 for Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song. Counting Crows performed the song during the televised ceremony.
• That same year, it was nominated for a Golden Globe in the category of Best Original Song – Motion Picture and also for a Grammy.
• SHREK 2 was shown at the Cannes Film Festival four days before it was released in the USA.
• On the day before the film opened, the first five minutes were shown on “U-Pick Live” on Nickelodeon.
• There is an extra short film on the DVD. It is called FAR FAR AWAY IDOL. Characters from SHREK perform popular songs and you get to pick the winner. It was directed by Simon Cowell of “American Idol.”
• SHREK 2 had a budget of $150 million and is fourth in the USA on the all time box office list.
• The film was ranked #1 in box office sales for the first weekend and then again the following weekend, which was Memorial Day Weekend.
• The film spent 10 weeks in the weekly top 10 in box office sales.
• SHREK 2 was the first movie sequel that was ever nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
• Shrek’s face had 218 muscles in it, and so he could have many different expressions.
• The film was the first one to be shown at more than 4,000 theatres in the USA.
• There are many references to other films in SHREK 2. For example, Shrek and Fiona kissing on the beach is a reference to a similar scene in FROM HERE TO ETERNITY. At the end of the movie, Puss-in-Boots says he is going to the Kit-Kat Klub, the name of the club in CABARET.
• There are many word plays on famous signs in the movie: Burger Prince (Burger King), Olde Knavery (Old Navy), Romeo Drive (Rodeo Drive), Versarchery (Versace), and Farbuck’s Coffee (Starbuck’s Coffee), to name a few.

“Once in a while, a song comes along and just slays me right from the start. When I saw this song performed on the Oscars, it blew me away. The minute we decided to go for the movie album theme, I knew I had to record it.”

MUSIC: Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova

LYRICS: Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova

PERFORMED BY: Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova

FILM: ONCE

FILM RELEASE (USA): May 16, 2007

DIRECTOR: John Carney

SOUNDTRACK RELEASE: May 22, 2007

SYNOPSIS: The Guy (Glen Hansard) plays music and sings on the street in Dublin where he meets a young Czech girl selling flowers. The Girl (Markita Irglova) likes the Guy’s music and talks to him about it. She is curious to know whether he writes his own music. He tells her he does write his own music and really likes to perform it also. The Girl finds out that the Guy helps his father fix vacuum cleaners in addition to writing and performing his music, so she decides to bring her vacuum cleaner to be fixed the next day as an excuse to see him and hear his music once again. She manages to have lunch with him, and over lunch she tells him that she is also a musician. He asks her to play the piano for him, and so they visit a music store where she plays piano on a regular basis. He proceeds to teach her one of his songs, “Falling Slowly,” and she learns to play it very quickly. They begin their relationship by playing and singing the song together. They continue to write and record songs together and get to know each other very well. She discovers that his songs are written about his girlfriend who left him and moved to London . She is very positive and encouraging about his music and his life. “You have suffered enough and warred with yourself. It’s time that you won.” The Girl has a daughter and tells the Guy that she left her husband. Their personal and professional relationship continues as they write more and more songs. She helps him so much with his music career, but in the end they part ways. The Guy discovers that the Girl is still married, and in the end her husband returns to live with her in Dublin. The Guy decides to reunite with his former girlfriend in London and pursue his music there, but sadly he can’t find the Girl and leaves without being able to say one last goodbye. “Falling Slowly” plays one more time as the Guy travels to the airport and as the scene changes to focus on the Girl sitting at the piano with her daughter and husband close by.

TRIVIA:

• “Falling Slowly” received a 2008 Academy Award for Best Original Song.
• In addition to “Falling Slowly,” Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova composed and performed all of the original songs heard in ONCE.
• The soundtrack of ONCE received two 2008 Grammy nominations and also won the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Music.
• Hansard and Irglova were collaborators before the filming of ONCE.
• Glen Hansard is a member of the Irish rock group, The Frames, and Marketa Irglova is also a professional musician. Prior to filming ONCE, Irglova had no formal training or experience in acting. Hansard also had no formal training, but he had played one minor supporting role previously.
• John Carney had originally asked Hansard to compose songs for the film and had picked Cillian Murphy to play the male lead. Murphy didn’t want to play opposite 17-year-old Irglova, who was inexperienced in acting, and didn’t want to sing Hansard’s songs.
• ONCE is set in Dublin, Ireland and cost only $160,000 to film. The film was shot in 17 days, and to save money the crew used natural lighting and shot some scenes at the homes of John Carney’s friends.
• The musical party scene was shot at Hansard’s flat, and his mother can be heard singing a solo during this scene.
• The director, John Carney, gave his salary to Hansard and Irglova.
• Hansard and Irglova became a couple in real life while on a promotional tour for the movie. They are no longer together but do remain very good friends.
• ONCE received the 2007 Independent Spirit Award for Best Foreign Film.
• Neither Hansard nor Irglova have shown any interest in pursuing an acting career after this film.
• Kris Allen, the 2009 winner of “American Idol,” sang “Falling Slowly” on Movie Night.
• A collector’s edition of ONCE was released on December 4, 2007 with additional songs and a bonus DVD with live performances and interviews about the film.
• Steven Spielberg has been quoted as saying, “A little movie called ONCE gave me enough inspiration to last the rest of the year.”

“I’ve always loved this song. I knew it could stand alone with just a piano vocal because of its beautiful melody and lyric, so I thought it might be right for me. I think our version really lets the lyrics come through. It is so sad, but then life is so often very sad.”

MUSIC: Phil Collins

LYRICS: Phil Collins

PERFORMED BY: Phil Collins

FILM: AGAINST ALL ODDS

FILM RELEASE (USA): March 2, 1984

DIRECTOR: Taylor Hackford

SOUNDTRACK RELEASE: March 2, 1984

SYNOPSIS: AGAINST ALL ODDS is the story of a football player, Terry Brogan (Jeff Bridges), who is cut by his football team after an injury. He is desperate to earn money so he accepts a job from his unsavory friend, Jake Wise (James Woods), who hires Terry to go to Mexico in search of his fugitive girlfriend, Jessie Wyler (Rachel Ward). She happens to be the daughter of the owner of the LA Outlaws, the team that cut Terry. Terry finds Jessie hiding away in Mexico , and a mutual attraction develops that soon turns to love. Jake is waiting in California for them to return, but they don’t want to go back. Jake sends one of the coaches of the Outlaws, Hank Sully (Alex Karras), to Mexico to see why Terry hasn’t returned with Jessie. In a struggle, Jessie shoots and kills Hank to save Terry, who then returns and tells Jake that he hasn’t found Jessie. However, Terry soon learns that Jessie is back in Los Angeles with Jake. Jake tells Terry that he has another job for him to do to earn the rest of the money he was promised, but Jessie tells him not to do it. The action from this point includes greed, deception, betrayal, and murder. In the end, Jessie saves Terry by murdering again, but she cannot be with him even though she loves him. The ballad “Against All Odds” perfectly sets the mood for the final scene. Terry plans to leave town and play for another football team, and Jessie must stay where she is. Jessie is crying and smiling at Terry through her tears as “Against All Odds” plays over the credits. As she watches Terry leave, she’s thinking, “You’re the only one who really knew me at all.” Sadly, a relationship between them is “against all odds.”

TRIVIA:

• The song was originally titled “How Can You Just Sit There?” and was originally written for Phil Collins’ first solo album, FACE VALUE (1981). He left it off the album because he thought there were too many ballads already. It was one of the songs he wrote for his first wife, who left him.
• The soundtrack recording was produced by Arif Mardin, who also did the string arrangement. Phil Collins sang and played drums, and Rob Mounsey played piano and keyboard bass.
• The song was recorded in two days, one in New York and the other in Los Angeles. The mixes were done over the phone.
• The song was released as a single in 1984 and became Collins’ third top ten single in the UK.
• “Against All Odds” was #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 in the United States for three weeks in 1984.
• It was Collins’ only #1 single as a solo artist on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.
• The song won a Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance in 1985.
• It was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song. Phil Collins was the only nominee in the category who was not asked to sing his song during the show, so he sat in the audience and watched Ann Reinking perform it. His reaction from his seat was a very awkward moment. Collins lost to Stevie Wonder’s song, “I Just Called To Say I Love You.”
• A live version of the song was recorded in 1990 on the B Side of the single “Do You Remember?”
• “Against All Odds” was first part of a Phil Collins album on his HITS compilation.
• A live performance of the song can be found on Collins’ SERIOUS HITS… LIVE! The music video was #1 for a few weeks on MTV, and it was #4 at the end of 1984 in MTV’s year-end top 20 video countdown.
• Before Linda, “Against All Odds” was covered by many artists including Mariah Carey.
• The song has been performed six times on “American Idol” by Katharine McPhee, Corey Clark, George Huff, Jessica Sierra, Scott Savol, and Ramiele Mulubay.

“This one was suggested to me. I remembered the movie because it starred two of my favorite actors, Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn. Again I just heard it fast and swinging. The lyrics are just there to ‘serve the swing’ for me. Some might disagree with the speed, but I love it.”

MUSIC: Henry Mancini

LYRICS: Johnny Mercer

PERFORMED BY: Chorus

FILM: CHARADE

FILM RELEASE (USA): December 5, 1963

DIRECTOR: Stanley Donen

SOUNDTRACK RELEASE: December 5, 1963

SYNOPSIS: The characters and events in CHARADE are not what they appear to be, and this is underscored every time the theme song is played throughout the film. An instrumental version of “Charade” is first heard in the opening credits during which the body of Regina Lampert’s (Audrey Hepburn) husband is thrown from a train. At a ski resort, Regina meets Peter Joshua (Cary Grant), and thus begins a plot in which nothing is as it seems. “When we played our charade, we were like children posing, playing at games, acting out names, guessing the parts we played.” Regina was planning to divorce her husband, but when she returns to Paris she finds out that her husband has been murdered and her home has been stripped of everything. Four men show up at the funeral and act very strangely as Regina watches and wonders who they are and how they knew her husband. After the funeral, she is called to the American Embassy and meets a man who says his name is Hamilton Bartholomew (Walter Matthau). Through her conversation with him, she discovers that her husband and four men had stolen a $250,000 fortune and buried it and that her husband had dug it up secretly and sold it. He tells her she must have the fortune somewhere, but she can’t find a thing. She returns to her empty apartment with “Charade” playing softly in the background. Bartholomew, who is not who he says he is, offers to help her find the money. Meanwhile, Regina is very attracted to Peter, even though he keeps changing his identity. One by one, Charles’ four accomplices (the four strangers who came to his funeral) all end up dead. The instrumental version of “Charade” is heard several more times in the background, but the lyrics are only sung by a chorus when Peter and Regina are on a romantic boat ride. The film comes to a climax when the real identities of Peter Joshua and Hamilton Bartholomew are revealed. At the same time, both realize that Charles had bought three very rare stamps to hide the money, but Regina had given them to her friend’s son for his stamp collection. The movie closes with a wild chase on foot, ending with the death of Carson Dyle, who has been posing as Hamilton Bartholomew and who killed the other four men. Regina then discovers that Peter is really a government official, and the charade is over. In the end, he promises to marry her if she turns over the stamps to him.

TRIVIA:

• The soundtrack for CHARADE was recorded over the first three days of July, 1963.
• In 1964, “Charade” was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song.
• The instrumental version of “Charade” can be heard throughout the movie. In one scene, a vocal version can be heard in the background.
• Henry Mancini often partnered with Blake Edwards because most of his work was on the lighter side. For songs with a sad tone, he partnered with Johnny Mercer as he did for “Charade.”
• Andy William covered “Charade” in 1964, and the song peaked at #100 on the Billboard chart.
• Janet Seidel recorded the song on her album, “CHARADE – The HENRY MANCINI SONGBOOK” in 2008.
• Cary Grant turned down the role when he was originally asked, and the studio considered Natalie Wood and Warren Beatty for the leads.
• Since there was a 26 year age difference between Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant, he insisted the she pursue him and not the other way around.
• CHARADE was filmed on location in Paris.
• In 1964, Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant were nominated for Golden Globe Awards for Best Motion Picture Actress and Actor in a Musical Comedy.
• In the same year, the film won the Edgar Allen Poe Award for Best Motion Picture.
• The movie was remade in 2002 and was titled THE TRUTH ABOUT CHARLIE.

“Sometimes the songs you don’t think will be the highlights surprise you by becoming just that. This is a sexier, slightly jazzy version that seems to serve the song really well. Gotta love those Bee Gees!”

MUSIC: Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb

LYRICS: Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb

PERFORMED BY: Yvonne Elliman

FILM: SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER

RELEASE DATE (USA): December 16, 1977

DIRECTOR: John Badham

SOUNDTRACK RELEASE: November, 1977

SYNOPSIS: SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER is the story of Tony Manero (John Travolta), a teenager from Brooklyn who spends his days working at a hardware store and his nights out with his friends drinking and showing off his dancing skills at 2001 Odyssey. The boys spend their nights pursuing girls, which leads to many problems, especially for Bobby C. (Barry Miller). Tony loves to dance and is awesome on the dance floor. Annette (Donna Pescow) has been his dance partner in the past. She seems to want a more personal relationship with Tony, but it doesn’t appear that Tony is interested in anything but a dancing partnership. “If I Can’t Have You” is first heard as the two sit at the bar discussing the upcoming competition. The song continues as Tony leaves Annette sitting at the bar alone. “Don’t know why I’m surviving every lonely day when there’s got to be no chance for me.” Before long, Tony finds another dance partner, Stephanie Mangano (Karen Lynn Gorney). He convinces Stephanie to be his new partner and drops Annette. The new couple’s relationship does not start out well, and again “If I Can’t Have You” can be heard in the background when Stephanie leaves Tony to go home alone after practice one night. Tony and Stephanie end up winning the dance competition, but he gives the prize to another couple he feels deserves it. He grabs Stephanie and runs outside. He tries to force himself on her, but she escapes. Tony ends up at Stephanie’s apartment after a night riding on the subway and apologizes to her. He tells her he is going to move from Brooklyn to Manhattan and make some changes in his life. They agree to be friends and then see what develops from there.

TRIVIA:

• The Bee Gees didn’t become involved in SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER until filming was complete.
• During the filming, John Travolta was doing his famous dance moves to music by Stevie Wonder and Boz Scaggs.
• The Bee Gees wrote the songs for SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER (ones that were not already written for their record) in one weekend without really knowing the story. All of these songs were written from 1975-1977.
• “If I Can’t Have You” was one of five songs that was already written for a record they were making.
• The soundtrack won a Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1978.
• SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER – THE ORIGINAL MOVIE SOUNDTRACK reached # 1 on Billboard’s Pop Album and Soul Album charts.
• The soundtrack sold more than 20 million copies, which was more copies than any other album in history until it was surpassed by THRILLER.
• Adam Lambert performed “If I Can’t Have You” during the 2009 season of “American Idol.”
• The original title of the movie was TRIBAL RIGHTS OF SATURDAY NIGHT, followed by SATURDAY NIGHT, and finally SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER after the Bee Gees wrote “Night Fever.”
• The film received four Golden Globe Nominations in 1978: Best Motion Picture – Musical/Comedy, Best Motion Picture Actor, Best Original Score – Motion Picture, and Best Original Song – Motion Picture.
• John Travolta was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in 1978.
• Filming in the streets often had to be stopped when teenage girls recognized John Travolta and started screaming.
• John Travolta’s mother and sister appear briefly in the film.
• John Travolta wanted his famous suit to be black instead of white, but he wouldn’t have stood out on the dance floor.

“I love the Beatles just as much as anyone except perhaps for my 10-year-old son, Jake. He has been a serious Beatles fan since he was about two and a half, so I wanted to do one of his favorites. I thought everyone would think I was crazy for suggesting it. Then Peter Collins came up with this great arrangement idea, and it went from there to being at the top of everyone’s list.”

MUSIC: John Lennon and Paul McCartney

LYRICS: John Lennon and Paul McCartney

PERFORMED BY: The Beatles

FILM: HELP!

FILM RELEASE (USA): August 25, 1965

DIRECTOR: Richard Lester

SOUNDTRACK RELEASE: August 6, 1965

SYNOPSIS: HELP! opens as a woman is about to be sacrificed by a cult led by Clang (Leo McKern), but they can’t continue the ritual because Ahme (Eleanor Bron) announces that the woman isn’t wearing “the ring.” The cult members are watching the Beatles perform “Help” when they discover that Ringo Starr is wearing the ring, and they begin throwing darts at the screen. This sets off a series of whacky adventures for the Fab Four. Ringo will try almost anything to get the ring off. Clang and his followers are determined to do anything to get the ring back so they set out on a mission to chase down John, Paul, George, and Ringo. Unfortunately, Ringo can’t give the ring back because he can’t get it off his finger. The rest of the Beatles want to save all of their lives by getting the ring off and giving it back. Complications occur when the gang of cult members is betrayed by one of its members, Ahme, who likes the Beatles and sides with them. The Beatles attempt to get help, but they are not successful in getting the ring off. “Won’t you please, please help me.” Everything goes wrong for the gang too, and the Beatles escape to Austria where the gang follows and where everything continues to go wrong. The Beatles escape again and return to England where they ask for protection from Scotland Yard. After a series of misadventures, the Beatles disguise themselves and fly to the Bahamas. The pursuit continues and eventually Ringo and Ahme are captured by the cult. Before Ringo can be sacrificed, he is able to free himself, and the ring changes hands a few times and actually ends up on Clang’s finger at one point. At the end of the film, “Help” is heard once again as the police in the Bahamas try to arrest the cult members and the Beatles run around in celebration.

TRIVIA:

• John Lennon was the primary writer of “Help,” but Paul McCartney joined Lennon at his house for two hours to complete the song.
• John Lennon was very insecure at this time, and he was actually calling out for help when he wrote the song.
• The Beatles recorded “Help” in Abby Road ’s Studio Two on April 13, 1965. It took 12 takes to complete the recording. Linda also recorded some tracks for BY MYSELF in Abby Road.
• In 2004, the song appeared at #29 on Rolling Stone magazine’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
• In an interview for Rolling Stone, John Lennon has said that “Help” was one of his favorite songs, but he wished it had been recorded slower. Linda granted his wish!
• In 1985, “Help” was used in a commercial for Ford.
• The song has been covered by many artists including Dolly Parton, Tina Turner, The Carpenters, Count Basie, and U2.
• The Beatles were experimenting with pot during the filming of the movie.
• Originally the film’s title was supposed to be EIGHT ARMS TO HOLD YOU.
• The instrumental version of “A Hard Day’s Night” can be heard in the background during the film.
• The locations of the Bahamas and the Alps were chosen because the Beatles wanted to travel to places they had never been.
• In 1966, the Beatles were nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Show.
• Also in 1966, they won second place at the Laurel Awards for Musical Performance, Male.

“I never thought I would ever sing this song, but Verve wanted an Elvis song so we chose this and I have to say that I am really glad I recorded it. What a little beauty. It has qualities similar to the classic ‘Over The Rainbow’ – a simple gorgeous melody that is married to a deceptively pure and perfect lyric.”

MUSIC: George David Weiss, Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore

LYRICS: George David Weiss, Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore

PERFORMED BY: Elvis Presley

FILM: BLUE HAWAII

FILM RELEASE (USA): November 22, 1961

DIRECTOR: Norman Taurog

SOUNDTRACK RELEASE: November 22, 1961

SYNOPSIS: Chad Gates (Elvis Presley) is released from the Army, returns home to Hawaii, and is greeted by his girlfriend, Maile Duval (Joan Blackman). When he visits his parents, his mother, Sarah Lee Gates (Angela Lansbury), tries to force him to take over the family pineapple business. Chad is upset and he goes to see Maile. He brings a music box as a gift and gives it to Maile’s grandmother, who is celebrating her birthday. When she opens it, “Can’t Help Falling In Love” begins to play and Chad sings along with the melody. “Wise men say only fools rush in, but I can’t help falling in love with you.” Chad decides to go off on his own and gets a job as a tour guide. He sets off to show five beautiful girls around Hawaii. He gets along with all of them except Ellie (Jenny Maxwell), who comes across as very snobby and spoiled. He shows them all a very good time on the island of Oahu. They then fly to the beautiful island of Kauai and check into the Coco Palms Resort. The fun continues until Maile shows up and finds Chad in a compromising situation. She doesn’t care if what she sees is innocent or not. She is furious! Ellie tries to kill herself because Chad is not romantically interested in her, but he ends up saving her life and they become friends. Chad reconciles with Maile, and they get married in one of the most famous movie wedding scenes of all time.

TRIVIA:

• Elvis Presley filmed three movies in Hawaii beginning with BLUE HAWAII (1961), which was followed by GIRLS! GIRLS! GIRLS! (1962) and PARADISE HAWAIIAN STYLE (1965). BLUE HAWAII was one of his most successful movies.
• Much of the movie was shot on the island of Kauai at the Coconut Palms Resort. This resort has not been open since Hurricane Iniki in 1992, but hopefully it is going to be reopened. While it was open, thousands of people came from all over the world to see where Elvis filmed the wedding scene.
• An error was made in the filming of one location. The view from Chad ’s parents’ home in Kahala shows Diamond Head as you would see it from Waikiki and downtown Honolulu, but Kahala is actually on the other side of Diamond Head from Waikiki.
• A few scenes were filmed on Waikiki Beach, and the hotel scenes were filmed on the property that is now the Hilton Hawaiian Village.
• The soundtrack for the film was recorded from March 21st – 23rd, 1961 at Radio Recorders in Hollywood. It remained on Billboard’s Pop Album Chart for 79 weeks, and for 20 weeks it was #1. This album sold more than two million copies and was Elvis’ thirteenth gold album.
• In 1962, the BLUE HAWAII soundtrack received a Grammy nomination in the category of Best Soundtrack Album or Recording of Original Cast from Motion Picture or Television. The same year, it was also nominated for a Golden Laurel for Top Musical and placed fourth.
• “Can’t Help Falling In Love” is based on the French song “Plaisir D’Amore” by Paul Egide Martini and was rewritten for BLUE HAWAII.
• It took 29 takes to get the song just right because Elvis had a hard time with his breathing due to the slow tempo of the song.
• In 1990, “Can’t Help Falling In Love” won an ASCAP Award for Most Performed Feature Film Standards.
• Songwriter George Weiss said that neither the movie producers nor Elvis’ associates liked the song, but Elvis insisted on recording it for BLUE HAWAII.
• Keely Smith had a hit with the song at the same time as Elvis did.
• In 1962, Perry Como recorded the song and included it on his album, BY REQUEST.
• “Can’t Help Falling In Love” can be found on Doris Day’s LOVE HIM album.
• Bruce Springsteen sometimes performed the song in his shows in the 1980’s.
• In 2006, Andrea Bocelli recorded a different version of “Can’t Help Falling In Love” for the album, AMORE, and he sang the song at the World Music Awards in 2006.
• Among the many artists who have covered and performed this song are: Harry Connick, Jr., Celine Dion, Julio Inglesias, Pearl Jam, Shirley Bassey, Bob Dylan, and The Lettermen.
• Angela Lansbury, who played Elvis’ mother, was only 35-years-old when BLUE HAWAII was released and Elvis was 26-years-old. She said it was one of her worst performances.

“This seems to be a love it or leave it song so I had to fight to get it on the CD. I happen to love it and I really like our version. It reminds me of the beach. All that’s missing are the kettle drums and an umbrella drink.”

MUSIC: John Barry

LYRICS: Fred Neil

PERFORMED BY: Harry Nilsson

FILM: MIDNIGHT COWBOY

FILM RELEASE (USA): May 25, 1969

DIRECTOR: John Schlesinger

SOUNDTRACK RELEASE: May 25, 1969

SYNOPSIS: “Everybody’s Talking” is first heard during the opening credits and the first few scenes as Joe Buck (Jon Voight) leaves his job as a dishwasher in Texas and heads for New York City on a bus. He has big plans to make a living off wealthy women. Flashbacks of Joe as a young boy are interwoven, and it is obvious he is haunted by people and events in his childhood. His was not a happy, carefree childhood. “Everybody’s talking at me. I don’t hear a word they’re saying, only the echoes of my mind.” When Joe gets to New York, he is very naïve and things don’t work out as planned because he gets taken advantage of by the first woman he encounters. This is the beginning of a number of unsuccessful attempts to be hired by wealthy women for sexual purposes. When Joe is at a low point in his life, he meets a con artist named Enrico “Ratso” Rizzo (Dustin Hoffman) who tricks him out of twenty dollars. Ratso ends up letting Joe live with him, and a very strong bond develops between the two men. Ratso becomes sick with tuberculosis, and Joe uses the money he earns from his tricks to take his friend to Miami for a better life. “Everybody’s Talking” is again heard as the two friends travel to Miami near the end of the movie. Sadly, Ratso dies on the bus sitting beside his friend, Joe.

TRIVIA:

• In 1968, Harry Nilsson released an album, AERIAL BALLET, which included his rendition of “Everybody’s Talking.” The song was not very popular in United States when it was released, but it was a Top 40 hit in Canada. It only became very popular when MIDNIGHT COWBOY was released the next year.
• John Barry supervised the music and wrote the score for MIDNIGHT COWBOY. He received a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Theme in 1970.
• “Everybody’s Talking” won a Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for Harry Nilsson the same year. It was his first Grammy Award and his first top 10 hit (#6) in the US and his first #1 hit in Canada.
• Bob Dylan’s “Lay Lady Lay” was supposed to be used in MIDNIGHT COWBOY, but it was replaced by “Everybody’s Talking.”
• Fred Neil wrote the song and released it in 1967 on his self-titled album. This was the first recording where he used electric instruments.
• Harry Nilsson released the song as a single in 1968, but it was pulled and released a year later when the movie came out.
• Nilsson’s recording was honored with a Grammy Hall of Fame Award 30 years later.
• In 2004, the song was #22 on the American Film Institute’s 100 Years… 100 Songs.
• In 1969, MIDNIGHT COWBOY won three Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay (based on a 1965 novel by James Leo Herlihy).
• Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman were both nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor, but John Wayne won for TRUE GRIT.
• MIDNIGHT COWBOY is the first film that was rated X to win an Academy Award in any category. After it won, the MPAA changed its rating to R.
• MIDNIGHT COWBOY was Jon Voight’s first film and first Academy Award nomination, and it was Dustin Hoffman’s second film and second nomination.
• Sylvia Miles was nominated for Best Supporting Actress with a performance that lasted under four minutes. It is one of the shortest performances ever nominated.

“I can hardly remember the movie – except for Patty Duke’s long teased hair, but I never forgot the song from the moment I heard it. It’s just a beautiful melody. Yes, the lyrics are sad. Rack up another one for love lost.”

MUSIC: Andre Previn (adapted and conducted by John Williams)

LYRICS: Dory Previn

PERFORMED BY: Dionne Warwick

FILM: VALLEY OF THE DOLLS

FILM RELEASE (USA): December 15, 1967

DIRECTOR: Mark Robson

SOUNDTRACK RELEASE: December 15, 1967

SYNOPSIS: Each time “ Valley Of The Dolls ” is played, it is associated with the character of Anne Welles (Barbara Parkins). It is first heard during the opening credits and in the first scenes where Anne leaves the New England town of Lawrenceville and travels by bus to New York City. She talks her way into a job at a talent agency where she meets one of its stars, Helen Lawson (Susan Hayward), who shocks Anne with the way she acts and speaks about her much younger rival, a singer named Neely O’Hara (Patty Duke). Anne also meets a showgirl, Jennifer North (Sharon Tate). The women sink into a world of sex, alcohol, and pills while trying to pursue their careers and men. Their lives unravel because they try to resolve their problems with “dolls” (pills). Neely struggles to get sober and plans a comeback in New York, which is ruined when she argues with Lyon Burke (Paul Burke) and she again turns to pills and alcohol. Jennifer continues to do her sexually explicit work, but she overdoses on pills and dies after being diagnosed with breast cancer. Anne gives in to the lure of “dolls” when she feels ashamed because of Neely’s affair with Lyon. The theme song is heard again as Anne lays on the beach after another binge. “Gotta get off, gonna get have to get off from this ride. Gotta get hold, gonna get, need to get hold of my pride.” Anne throws the pills away and returns home as “Valley Of The Dolls” plays in the background for the final time. She ultimately recovers and has actually learned from her experiences.

TRIVIA:

• VALLEY OF THE DOLLS is based on a novel by Jacqueline Susann. It sold over 10 million copies.
• The original theme song for the film was written by Jacqueline Susann and Bob Gaudio of The Four Seasons, but it was never used.
• Andre Previn was no longer writing music for film by 1967 because he wanted to focus on conducting, but he decided to write the music for this particular film.
• It appears that Dory Previn wrote the lyrics from her own perspective as someone who was addicted to pills.
• John Williams had worked with Andre Previn prior to doing VALLEY OF THE DOLLS. He received the first of his many Academy Award Nominations for Scoring of Music, Adaptation or Treatment in 1968.
• Andre Previn received a Grammy Nomination for Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture in 1968.
• Judy Garland was supposed to play the role of Helen Lawson and would have sung “Valley Of The Dolls” in the film. She was fired after three days because of her own addiction to pills and alcohol and was replaced by Susan Hayward. Judy kept her costume and wore it in concerts all over the world.
• The theme song is closely related to the emotions of the character of Anne Welles.
• Dionne Warwick sings the song in the film. Since she was under contract to another company, Dory Previn sang it on the soundtrack.
• Dionne Warwick recorded the song with the arrangement done by John Williams, and it reached #2 on Billboard’s Top 100 in February of 1968.
• The premiere of VALLEY OF THE DOLLS took place on a voyage from Genoa, Italy to Los Angeles, California.
• Marlo Thomas, Petula Clark, Ann-Margret, Candace Bergen, Jill Ireland, and Raquel Welch were all considered for the starring roles.
• The film was not well received by the critics, but it made more money for 20 th Century-Fox than any other film in 1968.

“If I could only have ten songs to listen to for the rest of my life, then this would have to be one of them. I never get tired of it and its emotional impact on me never weakens. I recorded most of the songs on the CD live with the band, and when we did this song I got to almost the very end with only the last three soft lines to sing and I started to cry. I had to walk out of the vocal booth. The guys all understood and no one made me feel stupid. It’s just that kind of song.”

MUSIC: Michael Kamen

LYRICS: Bryan Adams and Robert John Lange

PERFORMED BY: Bryan Adams

FILM: ROBIN HOOD: PRINCE OF THIEVES

FILM RELEASE (USA): June 14, 1991

DIRECTOR: Kevin Reynolds

SOUNDTRACK RELEASE: July 2, 1991

SYNOPSIS: Robin Hood (Kevin Costner) is an English nobleman who goes off to fight in the Third Crusade with King Richard. He is captured and put in prison along with his friend, Peter (Liam Halligan), and they hatch a plan to escape from their captors. During their escape, Peter is killed, but Robin Hood escapes and saves the life of a Moor named Azeem (Morgan Freeman). Both men then return to England. In his absence, Robin Hood’s father is murdered by the Sheriff of Nottingham (Alan Rickman), and he vows to avenge his father’s death. Maid Marian (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) is not able to help him, so he decides to flee to Sherwood Forest where he joins up with a group of outlaws and becomes their leader. Together they go on their own crusade against the Sheriff of Nottingham and his henchmen. Robin Hood and his men are successful in defeating the sheriff and his men and in restoring peace to the English countryside. Maid Marian and Robin Hood profess their love for each other and wed in the end. “Everything I Do (I Do It For You)” can be heard at the conclusion of the movie during the credits. “Take me as I am, take my life. I would give it all for you, I would sacrifice.”

TRIVIA:

• The song was written specifically for the movie by the American film composer, Michael Kamen. His original idea was to have it be as if Maid Marian was singing to Robin Hood. He asked Kate Bush, Annie Lennox, and Lisa Stansfield if they were interested in recording it, but none of them were.
• David Kerschenbaum of Morgan Creek Records asked Bryan Adams to write the lyrics for someone else to record based on the score Michael Kamen had already written for the movie. After writing the song with Mutt Lange, it was decided that they would record it at Mayfair Studios in London.
• After listening to Kamen’s music, Bryan Adams read the script and then wrote the lyrics in about an hour.
• The middle eight, break, outro, and arrangement were added by Bryan Adams and producer Mutt Lange.
• Kamen and the film company were not happy with the song mostly because they wanted instruments from the period to be used, but Adams would not change it. As a result, they did not include the song until halfway through the credits at the end.
• In 1991, the song was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Song and a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Song.
• “Everything I Do (I Do It For You)” received a Grammy Award for Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television in 1992.
• “Everything I Do (I Do It For You)” was #1 for 16 weeks on the UK Singles Chart, #1 for seven weeks in the US on Billboard’s Hot 100, and #16 on Billboard’s All Time Top 100.
• It sold over three million copies in the United States and is the second best selling song after “We Are The World.”
• The song reached #1 in 30 countries including Germany, Holland, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, France, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland.
• It has been covered by many artists including: Brandi, Henry Mancini, Roger Whittaker, and Clay Aiken.
• The song was performed by Anook Desai during the 2009 season of “American Idol.”