| "Fame" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Artwork for Dutch and Belgian releases | ||||
| Single byIrene Cara | ||||
| from the albumFamesoundtrack | ||||
| B-side | "Never Alone" (performed by the Contemporary Gospel Chorus, The High School of Music and Art) | |||
| Released | May 1980 | |||
| Genre | Pop,post-disco | |||
| Length | 3:48 (7") 5:14 (12") | |||
| Label | RSO | |||
| Songwriters | ||||
| Producer | Michael Gore | |||
| Irene Cara singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Fame - Irene Cara" onYouTube | ||||
"Fame" is a song written byMichael Gore (music) andDean Pitchford (lyrics)[1] and released in 1980, that achieved chart success as the theme song to theFame film andTV series.[1] The song was performed byIrene Cara, who played the role of Coco Hernandez in the original film. It was also her debutsingle as arecording artist. The song won theAcademy Award for Best Original Song in 1980,[1] and theGolden Globe Award the same year. In 2004, it finished at number 51 onAFI's 100 Years...100 Songs survey of top tunes in American cinema.
Irene Cara played the role of Coco Hernandez in the movieFame and sang the vocals for the theme song. The music for the song was written byMichael Gore and the lyrics were written byDean Pitchford. The song earned Cara a Grammy nomination forBest 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]
The song was later used as the theme song for theFame television series, which aired from 1982 to 1987. For seasons 1-4, the song was performed byErica Gimpel who played 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 toFame.
The original promotional music video was the scene from the film. Cara only has 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 inNew York City, mainly on and aroundBroadway. It includes Cara sitting on one of New York'sYellow Cabs and dancing at the entrance to theSchool Of Performing Arts.[4]
"Fame" rose to number four on theBillboard Hot 100 in September 1980. It also reached number one on theBillboarddance chart for one week.[5] The song was re-released in the United Kingdom in July 1982, where it peaked at the top of theUK Singles Chart for three weeks following the debut of theFame TV series on the British television networkBBC One the previous month, becoming Britain's third best-selling song of 1982 behind "Eye of the Tiger" bySurvivor and "Come On Eileen" byDexys Midnight Runners and the Emerald Express, the latter of which dethroned "Fame" from the top of the UK Singles Chart.[1] It has over sold 1.07 million copies in Britain. as of September 2017[update].[6] The song also reached number one inFlanders (Belgium), Ireland, the Netherlands and New Zealand, and number three in Australia and Sweden.
Weekly singles charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[28] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| France | — | 500,000[29] |
| Netherlands (NVPI)[30] | Gold | 100,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[31] | Gold | 1,079,222[6] |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
