Got 'Hungry Eyes'? 2012 marks the 25th anniversary of Dirty Dancing,
named one of the Top 10 Date Movies of all time by an E! Entertainment
Television poll, with worldwide box office sales of more than $214 million
since its opening in 1987. Worldwide CD sales of the best-selling
original RCA soundtrack album are in excess of 42 million copies,
11-times RIAA platinum in the U.S. alone.
A cornerstone of '80s pop culture, Dirty Dancing reflected back on the early-'60s culture of summer vacation life at a resort in New York's Catskill Mountains (although it was filmed on location in Virginia and North Carolina).
With its heavenly mix of generation gap melodrama, well-programmed
rock, R&B, Latin and pre-disco music, coming-of-age sexuality among
its teens, and of course plenty of laughs and "dirty dancing," the movie
has stood the test of time over the last quarter-century.
Dirty Dancing starred 27-year old Jennifer Grey (in only her sixth movie role, her follow-up to
Ferris Bueller's Day Off in 1986) as young, naive "Baby" Houseman; 25-year old Patrick Swayze (only four years into his movie career, in between
Red Dawn
, which co-starred Grey, and Steel Dawn) as the sultry dance instructor Johnny Castle; and veteran character actor Jerry Orbach (four years before he began his 13-year stint on "Law & Order") as Baby's father, Dr. Jake Houseman.
Responding to the feedback from loyal fans around the world, Legacy Recordings says that it will release
DIRTY DANCING: THE DELUXE ANNIVERSARY EDITION, which presents the original 12-song album of 1987, along with new
bonus features. This special commemorative project reflects Legacy's
direct survey of a portion of the millions of Dirty Dancing fans
on Facebook who responded and wished to maintain the experience of the
original release by showcasing the original running order of the album
as it was first released, without bonus tracks. This special fan
edition CD package will be available everywhere September 25
th through RCA/Legacy, a division of SONY MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT.
The recording company said in a press release that the 25th Anniversary Dirty Dancing Special Edition "will contain a number of exciting additions specifically requested
by the fans, starting with the package's dedication to the movie's star,
the late Patrick Swayze (1952-2009)."
The image-driven CD booklet contains six ready-to-frame art cards
showing iconic images from the movie, plus a newly-designed bumper
sticker. Fans also voted on the CD cover image from four images
proposed by Legacy, and overwhelmingly chose to retain the original
"Lift" image.
"From the birth, 25 years ago," writes executive producer Jimmy Ienner,
"to the never-ending success of the movie and the soundtracks, I'm very
proud of all my great producers and the extremely talented artists that
contributed so much to the very satisfying rollercoaster ride called Dirty Dancing.
I'm also very indebted to anyone involved in any way on the music and
the film sides of this wonderful journey. Lastly, but no less
important, to the devoted fans around the world for the unbelievable
continued support. Keep carrying the watermelons and enjoying the
lifts."
The accompanying booklet includes behind-the-scenes liner notes written by the song producers, starting with Jimmy Ienner. The stellar producers themselves then offer their own thoughts, including:
- Eric Carmen, singer and producer of "Hungry Eyes";
- Leon Medica, producer of "Where Are You Tonight?" (sung by Tom Johnston);
- Alfie Zappacosta, singer and producer of "Overload"; and
- Michael Lloyd, producer of "She's Like the Wind" (written and sung by Patrick Swayze), "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" sung by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes, and "Yes" sung by Merry Clayton;
The Dirty Dancing soundtrack album soared on the wings of the original chart hits "Hungry Eyes" (Billboard
Hot 100 #4); "She's Like the Wind" (Hot 100 #3); and the Grammy®,
Oscar, and Golden Globe Award-winning "(I've Had) The Time of My Life"
(Hot 100 #1). Those three songs were among the six original new songs
produced for the soundtrack album, which spent 96 weeks on the Billboard 200 albums chart spanning 1987-'88-'89, including 18 weeks at #1. The other four original tracks are:
- "Yes" performed by Merry Clayton (produced by Michael Lloyd);
- "Overload" performed, co-written and produced by Zappacosta; and
- "Where Are You Tonight? " performed by Tom Johnston.
The Dirty Dancing soundtrack album also included five
well-chosen pop classics that were featured in the movie. Those five
hits, all dating from the 1950s and '60s, are:
- "Be My Baby" by the Ronettes (Hot 100 #2, 1963);
- "Stay" by Maurice Williams & the Zodiacs (Hot 100 #1, 1960);
- "Hey Baby" by Bruce Channel (Hot 100 #1, 1962);
- "Love Is Strange / Mickey & Sylvia (Hot 100 #11, 1957); and
- "In The Still Of The Night" by the Five Satins (Hot 100 #24, 1956).
The final track was recorded by former RCA group the Blow Monkeys from England, their cover of Lesley Gore's 1964 hit, "You Don't Own Me."
DIRTY DANCING: THE DELUXE ANNIVERSARY EDITION
(RCA/Legacy
88725 43528 2, originally issued August 1987, as RCA 6408) Selections
: 1. (I've Had) The Time Of My Life / Love Theme performed by Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes 2. Be My Baby / The Ronettes 3. She's Like The Wind / Patrick Swayze (featuring Wendy Fraser) 4. Hungry Eyes / Eric Carmen 5. Stay / Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs 6. Yes / Merry Clayton 7. You Don't Own Me / The Blow Monkeys 8. Hey Baby / Bruce Channel 9. Overload / Zappacosta 10. Love Is Strange / Mickey & Sylvia 11. Where Are You Tonight? / Tom Johnston 12. In The Still Of The Night / The Five Satins.
SOURCE Legacy Recordings
