Movie Music Monday – Adventures in Babysitting

Actress Penelope Ann Miller turns 61 today. She has been in so many great movies. She was in Kindergarten Cop, Carlito’s Way, Other People’s Money, The Shadow, Along Came a Spider, and so many more. I will always remember her as Brenda in Adventures in Babysitting.

Penelope plays Brenda, who runs away to a bus station. Elisabeth Shue’s character decides to go get her, and is talked into taking the kids she is babysitting. Thus begins the adventure…

The movie is set in Illinois – in Oak Park and Chicago. Chicago is known for some fantastic blues music, and some great songs appear on the soundtrack. One of my favorite cuts is from the legendary Muddy Waters.

In 1977, Muddy Waters released his Hard Again album. It was produced by Johnny Winter. The album was Waters’ first after leaving the famous Chess label. There were a couple re-recordings on the album, but new stuff, too. A great cut from that album appeared in Adventures in Babysitting. Give a listen to The Blues Had a Baby and They Named it Rock and Roll!

Muddy Waters – The Blues Had a Baby and They Named it Rock and Roll

So today you get a bonus cut. One of the greatest scenes in the movie is when Shue and her tag along kids enter a blues bar. The great Albert Collins is on stage. When the kids try to leave, Collins tells them that “nobody leaves” the bar “without singing the blues.” This leads to Shue’s character telling (“singing”) their story as a blues song. To me, it’s one of the best scenes in the movie.

Albert Collins and Elizabeth Shue – Babysitting Blues

Here is the actually scene:

Happy Birthday to Penelope Ann Miller!

Movie Music Monday – Bull Durham

Today we go back to 1988 to the film Sports Illustrated magazine called the Greatest Sports Movie of All Time – Bull Durham.

The romantic comedy starred Kevin Costner, Susan Sarandon, and Tim Robbins. The soundtrack for the movie includes some great songs from Joe Cocker, Los Lobos, and The Fabulous Thunderbirds. It also includes some bluesy tracks from Bonnie Raitt, Dr. John, Stevie Ray Vaughn and George Thorogood. You can also find John Fogerty’s baseball anthem, Centerfield, on the soundtrack.

There is one thing about movie soundtracks that has always bugged me. I hate when a movie features a song and it never makes it on to the official soundtrack. That is the case with today’s Movie Music Monday song.

It was on this day in 1950 that Billy Ward and the Dominoes stepped into the National Studios recording studio. They recorded a song that is considered to be one of the earliest to shape and generate rock and roll. It was also one of the first R&B songs to cross over and become a pop hit. That song was Sixty Minute Man.

The song was written by group member Billy Ward and his collaborator/business partner Rose Marks. The song is rooted in Blues music, and the singer brags about his sexual prowess. (Hey, it fits a romantic comedy, right?) This song had more of an R&B sound and was an early influence on Rock music.

Songfacts says that this was one of the first ever double-entendre hits. Billy Ward and His Dominoes were a big deal in the 1950s. They were one of the best-selling acts of that decade. They had three Billboard Top-40 hits by the end of the decade.

It should be noted that the song is often referred to as a “dirty blues” song. Ok, it is. The content is pretty risque for 1950. However, songs of this type are known to go back as far as the 1930’s. There were plenty of them, but this one was important to rock and roll.

“Sixty Minute Man” was banned by many radio stations and was seen as more of a novelty record. (From Wiki) “In hindsight it was an important record in several respects: it crossed the boundaries between gospel and blues. The lyrics pushed the limits of what was deemed acceptable. It appealed to many white as well as black listeners, peaking at number 17 on the pop chart. Cover versions were made by several white artists. Bill Haley and the Comets sang the song in the mid-1950s during their live shows.”

Despite being banned, the song did very well. It was released in May of 1951. By the end of the month had reached number one on the R&B chart. It held that position for an almost unprecedented 14 weeks. The single also made it to number 17 on the pop singles chart and was voted “Song of the Year” for 1951.

I have a radio story about the song, but that will have to wait for another blog. For now, here are the Dominoes…

Movie Music Monday

It was on this day in 1988 that Rain Man first hit theaters. The movie stars Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman.

The film won Academy Awards for Best Director (Barry Levinson), Best Picture, and Best Actor (Hoffman). The film features one of my all time favorite songs from a jazz legend.

The song At Last was written by songwriters Mack Gordon and Harry Warren. They wrote it in 1941 for the film musical Sun Valley Serenade. The following year it was rearranged and re-recorded and used in the film Orchestra Wives. It was performed in both movies by Glenn Miller and his Orchestra with vocals by Ray Eberle, and the song became a major big band hit in October 1942.

Believe it or not, another singer held the title “Queen of Soul” before Aretha Franklin. That singer was the amazing Etta James. She recorded At Last in 1961 shortly after signing with Chess records. Leonard Chess thought James was a classy ballad singer and saw pop crossover potential in her; it was his decision to back her with violin orchestrations for the song. Her version went to #2 on the R&B charts.

The song is used in Rain Man when Tom Cruise’s character is teaching Dustin Hoffman’s character to dance.

Movie Music Monday – The Naked Gun

It was on this day in 1988 that The Naked Gun premiered in theaters. It starred Leslie Nielsen and was based on the short-lived TV series, Police Squad.

Nielsen stars as Lieutenant Frank Drebin of Police Squad. George Kennedy, Ricardo Montalban, Priscilla Presley, and OJ Simpson (Yes, THAT OJ Simpson), as well. It was created by the same people who created Airplane! The jokes and puns are quick and there are many verbal and physical gags. The movie was so successful that two sequels followed.

In the film, Nielsen’s character and Presley’s character become romantically involved. There is a hilarious montage of the two together on various dates. While this montage happens, the music that plays under it is a familiar song from the 1960’s. I’m Into Something Good.

The song was written by Carole King and her writing partner Gerry Goffin. It was first recorded by Earl-Jean, the lead singer of the Cookies. Her version only went to #38 on the charts. The song became a British Invasion hit when producer Mickie Most heard Carole King’s demo and decided to cover it with a new British group, Herman’s Hermits.

The Hermits released this as their debut single. In December of 1964, their version went to #13 in America and #1 in the UK. This version is not the version used in the Naked Gun, however. It sounds similar because it is actually a rerecording done by Herman’s Hermits lead singer, Peter Noone.

For the record, the producers DID want the original Herman’s Hermits version. Songfacts.com explains what happened:

Peter Noone recorded a new version of this song for the 1988 movie The Naked Gun. Herman’s Hermits recorded for Cameo/Parkway Records, which was bought by Allen Klein, who as a result owned the rights to the songs Herman’s Hermits recorded for the label as well as tracks by The Animals, Chubby Checker, Bobby Rydell and many others. Klein rarely allowed the songs he controlled to be used in movies.

Before Allen Klein’s death in 2009, Peter Noone explained to the Forgotten Hits newsletter how this song ended up in The Naked Gun: “They wanted to use the song in the movie. Klein declined because he knew he would have to account to somebody (e.g. Paramount). As he hates to account to anyone, because he can’t cheat and lie, he had to say no. The producers and writers contacted me with their story and I said, ‘I can make a copy exactly like the original and nobody will be able to tell the difference.’ When it was done, we decided you couldn’t tell the difference so we took off the guitar and replaced it with a whahhoo machine so Klein wouldn’t say it was the original. It’s a tragedy that Klein and his witless children stop all the product they control from being in movies so they can steal ALL the money. A question: Have any songs under the Klein families’ control ever been used in movies, commercials, TV shows? Doesn’t anyone ever wonder why? Surely there would be one Herman’s Hermits song, one Animals song. One song from a Cameo / Parkway artist, one Sam Cooke song, just one, that would work in a motion picture?”

Personally, I like the 1988 remake better than the original!

Movie Music Monday – Anchorman

Happy 53rd Birthday to the beautiful Christina Applegate. She is best remembered for her role as Kelly Bundy on TV’s Married With Children. She also starred in the title role on the TV series, Jesse. She went on to other TV roles in Samantha Who, Dead To Me, and Up All Night. She won a Primetime Emmy Award for her guest appearance on TV’s Friends.

She’s appeared on Broadway and has been in many hit films. She appeared in 1991’s Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter is Dead, 1996’s Mars Attacks, 1998’s Mafia, and 2015’s Vacation sequel. She is no stranger to comedy, and was the brilliant antagonist (Veronica Corningstone) to Will Ferrell’s Ron Burgandy in Anchorman.

Anchorman is set in 1974, so the soundtrack is full of some fantastic songs by Kansas, Jonathan Edwards, Neil Diamond, Bill Withers and Tom Jones. The one song that always sticks out to me is an Isley Brother’s classic. When Applegate’s character is brought into a conference room full of men, Who’s That Lady is playing as she walks in.

When Who’s That Lady was released, it became the Isley Brother’s first Top Ten song since It’s Your Thing in 1969. The song spent three weeks at No.6 on the pop chart and reaching No.2 on the R&B charts.

Happy Birthday, Christina!

Movie Music Monday – Walk The Line

On this day in 2005, Walk The Line opened in US theaters. The biographically film starred Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash and Reese Witherspoon as June Carter.

The movie was based off of two Cash autobiographies. The first being “Man In Black: His Own Story in His Own Words”” from 1975. The second: “Cash: The Autobiography” from 1997.

The film was praised by many and won numerous industry awards, including an Oscar for Reese Witherspoon. However, some critics found the film too constrained by Hollywood plot formulas of love and loss, ignoring the last twenty years of Cash’s life and other more socio-politically controversial reasons he was considered “the man in black.”

Johnny’s daughter, Roseanne Cash, had mixed feelings about the film. She did not enjoy the “painful” experience of seeing the film, “because it had the three most damaging events of my childhood: my parents’ divorce, my father’s drug addiction, and something else bad that I can’t remember now. I don’t resent them making it – I thought it was an honorable approach.”

The soundtrack featured nine songs sung by Joaquin Phoenix, and four songs by Reese Witherspoon. It was well received and won a Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for Motion Pictures. While there are so many songs to choose from on this soundtrack, I will go with my favorite Johnny Cash song – here is Ring of Fire.

Movie Music Monday – Karate Kid

The Karate Kid is no longer a kid! Ralph Macchio, who played Daniel in the 1984 film, turns 63 today! The movie and it’s two sequels certainly helped Macchio gain star status.

He went on to appear in the 1986 film Crossroads and appeared on Broadway opposite Robert Deniro. I loved him in the 1992 film My Cousin Vinny with Joe Pesci. He also had roles in Entourage, How I Met Your Mother and Ugly Betty. In 2018 he reprised his role as Daniel in the YouTube series Cobra Kai.

Whenever I think of the Karate Kid, I always think of the cheesy Joe Esposito song, “You’re The Best.” The song it plays over a long, dialogue-free scene where Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence win their matches in the big karate tournament on their way to a showdown in the finals. The song itself was included on the movie’s soundtrack but wasn’t released as a single.

Songfacts says, “With negligible radio play and no music video, the song lay dormant until the turn of the millennium, when waves of nostalgia – and the internet – pushed it to the fore. It became a cultural touchstone, used in various movies, TV shows and commercials to represent the indomitable – if slightly hokey – spirit of the ’80s.”

The song almost debuted in another film. The music for the song was composed by Bill Conti, who did the score for The Karate Kid. The lyrics were written by Allee Willis (who contributed to Earth, Wind and Fire’s “September” and the theme song to the show Friends). Bill Conti wrote “Gonna Fly Now” for the Rocky soundtrack. It was used again in the sequel. However, for Rock III, Sylvester Stallone wanted something different. Conti and Willis wrote “You’re The Best” for that film, but Stallone rejected it, going with “Eye of the Tiger” instead.

You’re the Best found it’s way to the Karate Kid film because, according to singer Joe Esposito, director John Avildsen loved it!

Happy Birthday, Ralph Macchio!

Movie Music Monday – Bee Movie

It was on this day in 2007 that Jerry Seinfeld’s Bee Movie premiered. I was working at B-95 at the time and it was a natural tie-in. We had a special advanced screening and we gave away tickets to see it.

My oldest son was 5 when it came out and I remember him loving the movie. We watched it on DVD a lot. There were some great voice talents in the movie, too. Matthew Broderick, John Goodman, Rip Torn, Chris Rock, Renee Zellweger, and many others leant their voices to the film. The film also raised awareness on the importance of bees on the environment.

The soundtrack of the film consists mainly of score pieces by Rupert Gregson-Williams, but does include two pop songs. The first is Sugar, Sugar by the Archies, which was a number one song in 1969. The second was a song that was also released in 1969 – Here Comes The Sun.

It wasn’t the Beatles’ version that appeared on the soundtrack, but a cover by Sheryl Crow. The song is almost a carbon copy of the Beatles’ version. Sheryl does a great job on the song and it is a perfect song for the scene in the movie that accompanies it. No disrespect to George Harrison, because I love his vocal, but Sheryl’s voice almost works better for me.

Movie Music Monday

Today we celebrate two birthdays that have a movie tie-in. Both appeared in one of the greatest films of the 1980’s – The Blues Brothers.

First, we remember the beautiful Carrie Fisher who was born on this day in 1956. While known for Star Wars and many other films, she appears as one of Jake Blues’ jilted girlfriends. Throughout the movie, she is hell bent on killing The Blues Brothers.

Despite having some pretty powerful and amazing weapons, she never seems to be able to get the job done. In one of the most “emotional” scenes in the film, she finally confronts Jake and Elwood. Up to this point in the film, she has been silent, but when she get’s the chance to speak, she let’s Jake have it!

Jake’s list of excuses is one of my favorite part of the film.

Steve “The Colonel” Cropper turns 83 today. He was a member of the Stax house band and a member of Booker T and the MG’s. He played on tracks by Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Sam and Dave (“Play it, Steve!”), Rufus Thomas, Johnnie Taylor and more.

He is one of the most respected guitar players in the business, and he is still making music! He was one of many amazing musicians who joined the Blues Brothers Band. So it is only appropriate to play a song from the movie. Originally done by the Spencer Davis Group, here is Gimme Some Lovin’

Happy Birthday to Carrie and Steve!

Movie Music Monday – Live and Let Die

On this day in 1927, Sir Roger Moore was born. I was introduced to him by my mother, who loved watching James Bond movies. I am ashamed to admit that as a kid, Roger Moore was the only James Bond I knew. It was years later when I found out that Sean Connery was the previous 007!

Moore would play James Bond seven times in films. His first time was in Live and Let Die.

It was Paul McCartney who was approached to write the movie’s theme song for someone else to record. He agreed to write it only if his band Wings could perform it. He received a copy of the Ian Fleming novel. This was to give him an idea of what the film would be about. In 2010, Paul said:

“I got the book and it’s a very fast read. On the Sunday, I sat down and thought, OK, the hardest thing to do here is to work in that title. I mean, later I really pitied who had the job of writing Quantum Of Solace. So I thought, Live And Let Die, OK, really what they mean is live and let live and there’s the switch. So I came at it from the very obvious angle. I just thought, ‘When you were younger you used to say that, but now you say this.'”

Wings drummer, Denny Seiwell, remembers:

“We were up at the house one day and he had just read the book the night before, and he sat down at the piano and said, ‘James Bond… James Bond… da-da-dum!’, and he started screwing around at the piano. Within 10 minutes, he had that song written. It was awesome, really. Just to watch him get in there and write the song was really something I’ll remember the rest of my life.”

The song was voted the best Bond theme ever in a poll of BBC Radio 2 and 5 Live listeners conducted in 2012. The poll was done to coincide with the fiftieth anniversary of the release of Dr. No.

Happy Heavenly Birthday, to Sir Roger Moore!