Chariots of Fire (instrumental)
"Chariots of Fire" is an instrumental theme written and recorded by Vangelis for the soundtrack of the 1981 film of the same name. It has been covered by numerous performers and used for various television programs and sporting events.
"Chariots of Fire"
Overview[edit]
On the film's soundtrack album, the piece is called "Titles" because of its use in the movie's opening titles sequence, but it widely became known as "Chariots of Fire".
When the single debuted at #94 on the Billboard Hot 100 during the week ending 12 December 1981, it was known as "Titles". Seven weeks later, when it moved to #68 on the Hot 100 chart dated 30 January 1982, the single was listed as "Chariots of Fire"; it stayed with that name for the remainder of its chart run. The new name made it easier for both listeners and radio DJs to identify the piece.
According to AllMusic, the track was listed as "Chariots of Fire - Titles" on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart, and simply as "Chariots of Fire" on the Adult Contemporary chart.[2] A 1989 CD single release also gave the name of the piece as "Chariots of Fire".[3]
Allegations of plagiarism[edit]
Vangelis was accused of plagiarising "Chariots of Fire" from a piece by fellow Greek composer Stavros Logaridis called "City of Violets". Vangelis won in court by persuading the judge that he had had no opportunity to hear Logaridis' piece before he composed "Chariots of Fire" and by demonstrating to the judge's satisfaction that the key musical sequence described as "the turn" (which consisted of the four notes F-G-A-G) – the only sequence where the judge noted a clear similarity between the two compositions – was already common in music, and had previously been used by Vangelis in the piece "Wake Up" by Aphrodite's Child that predated "City of Violets".[4]
Cover versions[edit]
Many cover versions of "Chariots of Fire" have been recorded in all styles by all manner of artists, including the orchestral sounds of John Williams and the Boston Pops, the electric guitars of The Shadows, the soft piano of Richard Clayderman, the pan flute of Zamfir, and the jazz of The Bad Plus.
Vocal recordings of "Chariots of Fire" have been made by Melissa Manchester, Jane Olivor, Mireille Mathieu, Demis Roussos, and others, all with the lyrics from "Race to the End" provided by Jon Anderson.[25][26][27]