Almost Paradise
"Almost Paradise... Love Theme from Footloose" is the title of a duet by singers Mike Reno of Loverboy and Ann Wilson of Heart. It is one of several major hits by singer Eric Carmen and lyrics by Dean Pitchford, another being Carmen's song "Make Me Lose Control".
| "Almost Paradise... Love Theme from Footloose" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Mike Reno and Ann Wilson | |
| from the album Footloose: Original Soundtrack of the Paramount Motion Picture | |
| B-side | "Strike Zone" (by Loverboy) |
| Released | March 1984 [1] |
| Recorded | 1983 |
| Genre | Soft rock[2][3] |
| Length | 3:46 |
| Label | Columbia |
| Songwriter(s) |
|
| Producer(s) | Keith Olsen |
Reno is best known as the lead singer of the rock band Loverboy, while Wilson is the lead singer of the rock band Heart. Both bands achieved a significant amount of success in the 1980s, and Reno and Wilson were approached to record a duet for the film Footloose.
Background
Officially listed as the "Love Theme from Footloose" on the film's soundtrack, "Almost Paradise" was one of three top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart found on the soundtrack; it peaked at No. 7 and spent 13 weeks in the top 40.[4] An alternate version of the song with a slightly different musical arrangement, which has never been released, is used in the film. Other hits from this soundtrack include "Footloose" by Kenny Loggins and "Let's Hear It for the Boy" by Deniece Williams, both of which went to No. 1 on the pop chart.[5] "Almost Paradise" was also a hit on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart in the United States, where it spent one week at No. 1.[6] Both singers resumed their respective roles within their bands following this one-off recording.
Chart performance
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Personnel
Movie Version:
- Mike Reno and Ann Wilson – vocals
- Chas Sanford – electric guitar
- Keith Olsen – bass, acoustic guitar
- Bill Cuomo – keyboards, synthesizer
- Jerry Peterson – saxophone
- Jim Keltner – drums
Album Version:
- Mike Reno and Ann Wilson – vocals
- Chas Sanford – electric guitar
- Keith Olsen – bass, acoustic guitar
- Bill Cuomo – keyboards, synthesizer
- Jim Keltner – drums
Cover versions
- In 1989, Eric Carmen and Merry Clayton released a cover single, which was performed as part of the Dirty Dancing live tour.[15][16]
- In 1998, the Broadway cast of Footloose performed the song, for the 1998 Broadway musical based on the film.
- In 2011, Victoria Justice and Hunter Hayes performed the song, for the 2011 remake of the original film.[17] Their cover was released on September 22, 2011.[18][19]
- In 2017, Royce da 5'9, Kxng Crooked, Truth Ali, Iliana Eve, Jonathan Hay, Mike Smith and King Graint all collaborated on "Almost Paradise", a hip-hop interpolation of the original. The song is from The Sins of a Father Playlist compilation and it reached #28 on the Canadian Spotify Charts.[20][21]
In popular culture
- The use of "Almost Paradise" on the daytime soap opera All My Children was a significant factor in the song's success.[22]
- "Almost Paradise" was also used on the daytime serials Guiding Light and Santa Barbara.[23][24]
- Beginning with the third season, "Almost Paradise" is used as the opening theme song for the reality television show Bachelor in Paradise.
- Actress Jessica Biel performed an impromptu cover of the song's chorus during an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on July 12, 2007. [25]
See also
References
- ^ "Ann Wilson singles".
- ^ "200 Greatest Soft Rock Songs". entertainment.expertscolumn.com.
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Best of Love: 16 Great Soft Rock Hits". AllMusic.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1996). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 6th Edition (Billboard Publications)
- ^ Bronson, Fred (2003). The Billboard Book of No. 1 Hits, 5th Edition (Billboard Publications)
- ^ Hyatt, Wesley (1999). The Billboard Book of No. 1 Adult Contemporary Hits (Billboard Publications)
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W. p. 250. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "RPM Top 100 Singles - August 11, 1984" (PDF).
- ^ "RPM Top 30 AC Singles - July 21, 1984" (PDF).
- ^ "Mike Reno Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
- ^ "Mike Reno Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
- ^ "Mike Reno". wweb.uta.edu. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
- ^ "RPM Top 100 Singles of 1984- January 5, 1985" (PDF).
- ^ "Top 100 Hits of 1984/Top 100 Songs of 1984". www.musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
- ^ . Archived from the original on 2015-05-05. Retrieved 2015-05-04.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Various - Dirty Dancing - Live In Concert". Discogs. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
- ^ "Footloose (Music from the Motion Picture) by Various Artists". iTunes Store. Apple Inc. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
- ^ Hayes, Hunter [@HunterHayes] (September 22, 2011). "The premiere of my "Almost Paradise" duet w/ @VictoriaJustice from the @FootlooseMovie soundtrack is on @JustJaredJr! j.mp/vjhhap" (Tweet). Retrieved August 22, 2022 – via Twitter.
- ^ Dukes, Billy (September 23, 2011). "Hunter Hayes and Victoria Justice Debut Their New 'Footloose' Duet 'Almost Paradise' - Taste of Country". Taste of Country. from the original on September 24, 2011. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
- ^ "Spotify Charts". spotifycharts.com. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
- ^ "Almost Paradise (feat. Royce da 5'9", Truth Ali & Kxng Crooked)". Spotify. 6 October 2017. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
- ^ "August 2, 1986." Casey Kasem's American Top 40 - The 80s. Hst. Casey Kasem. iHeartRadio. KOSF, San Francisco, 2 Aug. 2020. Radio.
- ^ "GL Two Scoops: The final countdown".
- ^ "Santa Barbara".
- ^ "Jessica Biel - Jay Leno July 12, 2007". YouTube.
External links
- Single release info at discogs.com