THEME = movie tunes: ‘Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves’, ‘Rocky 3’ & ‘St Elmo’s Fire’
This week’s entry features songs from Bryan Adams, Survivor & John Parr….
#1 ‘Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves’
Bryan Adams, Michael Kamen & Robert John Lange wrote this song specifically for this movie & won the 1992 Best Song Written Specifically For A Motion Picture Or Television Grammy. This Adams-recorded single was released 06/18/1991 simultaneously from the film’s soundtrack & Adams’ album ‘Waking Up The Neighbours’; it spent 7 weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 chart, 16 weeks at #1 in England & 9 weeks in the top spot on Canada’s Singles Chart. in addition, this single claimed #1 on 22 charts, including a total of 3 in the United States (BH 100, Adult Contemporary & Mainstream Rock Tracks).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGoWtY_h4xo
FYI: this movie debuted in theaters 06/14/1991 & was an immediate box office hit, despite mixed reviews from critics. The “Who’s Who” style cast includes Kevin Costner (title role), Morgan Freeman, Christian Slater, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Alan Rickman, Geraldine McEwan & Sean Connery.
#2 ‘Rocky 3’
This song was written for this movie at the request of Sylvester Stallone who couldn’t get permission to use Queen’s “Another 1 Bites The Dust”. This single was released 05/29/1982 from Survivor’s 3rd album (‘Eye Of the Tiger’) & the film’s soundtrack; it claimed #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 (6 weeks), while reaching #27 on the Adult Contemporary chart. Internationally, it reached the top spot in Australia, Canada (2 charts), Finland, Ireland, Japan, Norway, South Africa & England, while notching in the Top 10 of 12 additional charts. 4 years later, the song was used in 1986’s ‘Eye Of The Tiger’ film, starring Gary Busey. Since, the song is a mainstay at sporting events across the country.
FYI: this movie hit theaters 05/28/1982 & was a box office success, partially due to the mostly-positive critical reception. This 3rd installment of the series stars Sylvester Stallone (title role), Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, Burgess Meredith, Tony Burton, Mr. T (film debut), Ian Fried & Hulk Hogan (film debut).
#3 ’St Elmo’s Fire’
This song was originally written by David Foster & John Parr for the Canadian athlete Rick Hansen, who was going around the world in his wheelchair to raise awareness for spinal cord injuries. Released June 1985 from the film’s soundtrack, this song peaked at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 (2 weeks) & #4 on the Adult Contemporary charts. Elsewhere, it claimed #1 in Canada & reached the Top 10 in 7 other countries, including England (#6).
FYI: this movie debuted 06/28/1985 & stars Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, Emilio Estevez, Ally Sheedy, Judd Nelson, Mare Winningham, Andrew McCarthy, Martin Balsam & Andie MacDowell. According to Joel Schumacher (director), many people turned down the script. In 2009, Topher Grace (“That ‘70s Show”) & Gordon Kaywin proposed a TV series adaptation, but to date, it has not progressed further.