THEME = movie tunes: ‘Saturday Night Fever’, ‘Sliver’ & ‘The Breakfast Club’
This week’s entry features songs from Bee Gees, UB40 & Simple Minds….
#1 ‘Saturday Night Fever’
Written by Bee Gees members Barry, Robin & Maurice Gibb, “Stayin’ Alive” was released 12/13/1977 as the 2nd single from this movie’s soundtrack. Considered a signature tune for this group, this single climbed the charts & claimed #1 for 4 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1978. This song also reached #3 on the Dance Club & #28 on the Adult Contemporary charts; it was also an international success, hitting the top spot in Australia, Canada (2 charts), Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand & S Africa, while reaching the Top 5 of 16 more charts.
FYI: this film debuted in theaters a day after this single was released (12/14/1977). The soundtrack is 1 of the best-selling film soundtracks of all time, featuring 5 more Bee Gees singles as well as songs by Kool & the Gang & KC & the Sunshine Band. The movie is considered one of the best of 1977 & received critical acclaim. Since, it has been referenced in other movies & TV shows. The cast includes John Travolta (who had risen to fame via “Welcome Back, Kotter”), Karen Lynn Gorney, Barry Miller, Joseph Cali, Donna Pescow & Lisa Peluso.
#2 ‘Sliver’
Originally recorded & released by Elvis Presley in late 1961, UB40’s cover was released 05/10/1993 from their 1993 album ‘Promises & Lies’. Use in this movie helped take it to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for 7 weeks; it also reached #11 on both the Adult Contemporary & Modern Rock Tracks charts. Internationally, it claimed #1 in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Finald, Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, Sweden, & England, while notching in the Top 5 of 5 other charts.
FYI: this film opened in theaters 05/21/1993 to much criticism. Based on Ira Levin’s novel of the same name, the filmmakers were forced to make extensive reshoots before release, necessitating the change of the killer’s identity. The original ending had Carly & the killer flying over a volcano where the killer confesses & veers the plane into the volcano as the end credits roll, leaving the audience to decide if they survive. The cast includes Sharon Stone, William Baldwin, Tom Berenger, Polly Walker, Colleen Camp, Martin Landau & Nicholas Pryor.
#3 ‘The Breakfast Club’
Written by Keith Forsey & Steve Schiff, “Don’t You” was released in early 1985 from this movie’s soundtrack; it claimed #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 & Top Rock Tracks charts & is Simple Minds’ only chart topper in the United States. Elsewhere, it reached #1 in Canada & Netherlands, while notching in the Top 10 in 8 other countries. In the movie, it is heard over the opening & closing credits.
FYI: this movie hit theaters 02/15/1985 to high critical acclaim, which aided in its box office success. Set in Illinois, filming was done at Maine North High School (Des Plaines IL), which had been closed 4 years earlier (1981). John Hughes shot this movie & ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’ back-to-back at the school to save time & money. Because of this, some of the same posters on the walls for this movie are seen in ‘FB’. This movie stars Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, Emilio Estevez, Anthony Michael Hall, Ally Sheedy, Paul Gleason, John Kapelos, Ron Dean & Mercedes Hall.