Fame (Irene Cara song)
"Fame" is a song written by Michael Gore (music) and Dean Pitchford (lyrics)[1] and released in 1980, that achieved chart success as the theme song to the Fame film and TV series.[1] The song was performed by Irene Cara, who played the role of Coco Hernandez in the original film. It was also her debut single as a recording artist. The song won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1980,[1] and the Golden Globe Award the same year. In 2004, it finished at number 51 on AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs survey of top tunes in American cinema.
For other uses, see Fame (disambiguation)."Fame"
"Never Alone" (performed by the Contemporary Gospel Chorus, The High School of Music and Art)
May 1980
3:48 (7")
5:14 (12")
Michael Gore
History[edit]
Irene Cara played the role of Coco Hernandez in the movie Fame and sang the vocals for the theme song. The music for the song was by Michael Gore and the lyrics were by Dean Pitchford. The song earned Cara a Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.[2] The movie became an "overnight sensation". The song won an Oscar for best film theme song in 1981. In July 1982, it was re-released on the back of the successful TV series and topped the charts in several countries, including the Netherlands, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.[3]
Fame theme song[edit]
The song was later used as the theme song for the Fame television series, which aired from 1982 to 1987. For seasons 1-4, the song was performed by Erica Gimpel who plays Cara's character, Coco on the show. For seasons 5-6, it was performed by Loretta Chandler. The song was also used in other TV shows related to Fame.
Music Video[edit]
The original promotional music video was the scene from the film. Cara had only a very short part in that scene.
To promote the re-release of the single Cara appeared in a new video shot in mid-June 1982 in New York City, mainly on and around Broadway and including Cara sitting on one of New York's Yellow Cabs and dancing at the entrance to the School Of Performing Arts.[4]