“Remember my name, fame!” These are the words that made the singer and actress Irene Cara famous all over the world, who passed away last weekend at the age of 63. Her music career stalled on that 1980 song and it hit Flashdance… what a feeling. But both successes were so great that his name will go down in music history.
Cara was close to becoming nothing more than a ballerina Fame. When the producers hear her voice, it’s immediately clear that the female lead in the iconic musical film can only go to one person: Irene Cara. The producers are so confident that they rewrite the film for her. So she finally gets the role of Coco Hernandez and sings the songs Fame in Out here alone in the movie.
Resulting in great success. The number Fame, written by Michael Gore and Dean Pitchford, becomes a smash hit that has a long life. If two years after the film’s 1982 release, a series is made that serves as a sequel, it will be Fame also used for that soundtrack. And once again the song rockets into the European charts.
Both Fame Self Out here alone are nominated for an Academy Award for Best Score in 1981. It is the first time in the history of film awards that two songs from the same film by the same artist receive a nomination. In the end, Cara wins the statue with Fame.
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Flashdance… what a feeling
After the success of Fame Cara focuses more on her acting career. She appears in films such as Sisters, Sisters in Kill them softly.
In 1983 Cara reached the peak of her musical career. She is then contacted by director Adrien Lyne to score the film Flash Dance. Cara is shown the final scene of the film and asked if she would like to sing the song, which doesn’t have lyrics yet. “I said I would only do it if I could also co-write the song. They agreed and the rest is history,” she says in an interview in 2018.
Cara enters the studio with producer Giorgio Moroder (best known for his work with Donna Summer) and songwriter Keith Forsey. The issue will be on paper within about four hours.
In the end, Cara doesn’t just butt in on the text of Flashdance… what a feeling, but also with the melody. “I sang the melody the way I thought it should sound. Giorgio is a fantastic composer, but he’s not a singer. Singers have to interpret the music with their singing. And then sometimes you have to adjust the melody a little bit. “
The song became a No. 1 hit in many parts of the world including the United States. In 1983, Cara again won the Academy Award for Best Score. Years later it is Flashdance… what a feeling still popular: the song has amassed around 400 million streams on Spotify in various versions.
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Problems with the record company
Unfortunately, Cara doesn’t enjoy her success much. While the whole world Flashdance… what a feeling dance, Cara is embroiled in a bitter battle with her record company. “Outwardly things didn’t look any better, but at the same time I was busy suing my record company. Everything was falling apart and I had to pretend everything was fine.”
RSO Records, where Cara was signed at the time, is in dire straits when Cara hits the big time. Many artists leave the label, but the singer receives no help from her management or a lawyer. Cara on this in 2018: “I scored two of the biggest hits of the decade and didn’t get a dime.”
When Cara proceeds to sue the record executive, she becomes persona non grata in the music industry. Other record companies are warned, because it would be difficult to work with Cara. As a result, he doesn’t get a chance to build on his success and a new album isn’t released until 1987. He acts more regularly, but there are no big hits either.
While he’s left with a few hits for Cara, he has two timeless classics to his name. The singer, who got into the entertainment industry at an early age through her parents, was especially happy for them for what she achieved. “It was their dream for me and I made it.”