How “Footloose” Helped Change The American Movie Soundtrack and Pop Films!

"Footloose" (2011) Soundtrack Atlantic Records/Warner Music Nashville

This past weekend America got its first look at the new remake of the Kevin Bacon classic film, Footloose. Back in 1984 Paramount Pictures first released this Drama/Pop film that would go on to prove to play an iconic role in 1980s Pop culture/Pop music. Now in a whole new era of dance themed films and Hip Hop hits, Paramount and MTV Films has revived this classic for a whole new generation.

 Footloose tells the story of Ren McCormack, ( originally played by Kevin Bacon in 1984) a teenager raised in Chicago, that moved with his mother to the small town of Bomont to live with his aunt and uncle. Soon after arriving, Ren who is a music fan learns the city council has banned dancing and Rock music in their town. Ultimately after falling for the local reverend’s daughter and making friends with his senior classmates, Ren goes before the city council and fights to repeal the dancing/Rock music law. He does so with hopes that his class can enjoy a prom. Ren is able to win the council over after convincing the reverend that the Bible says that people danced in celebration for the lord, in the end that is what the teens got to do, dance in celebration at the prom.

 The plot of the film is is loosely based on real life events that occurred in the small town of Elmore City, Oklahoma. Dancing was banned for almost 100 years in this city. This ban was finally lifted in 1980. That year the graduating class made history by getting permission to dance at the prom. Kent Demaret of People Magazine first reported on these events in May of 1980, in the article, You Got Trouble in Elmore City: That’s Spelled with a ‘t,’ Which Rhymes with ‘d’ and That Stands for Dancing.

 That article discusses the story of 17 year old junior class president, Rex Kennedy and explains how he respectfully said to the school board:

 “We would like to have a few nice memories.” Just like in the film, this caused a public out cry lead by the town’s, Rev. F.R. Johnson of the United Pentecostal Church.

“No good has ever come from a dance.” Johnson said in the article.
“If you have a dance somebody will crash it and they’ll be looking for only two things, women and booze. When boys and girls hold each other, they get sexually aroused. You can believe what you want, but one thing leads to another.”  

 Footloose served as the perfect outlet to discuss both sides of this issue while at the same time creating memorable characters. To talk about teenagers dancing to modern day Pop music, that meant that the soundtrack to the film was just as important to the film as any character in the film. In fact it can be argued that the film’s soundtrack was the most important character of all of them. In a world of early Madonna, a young Michael Jackson, and a still budding MTV cable channel, Paramount Pictures teamed with Columbia/CBS Records to create a compilation of Pop/Rock songs that was a snap shot of the pulse of Pop of the early 1980s. The soundtrack featured songs of a variety of tempos and emotions that were then rhythmically edited in key parts of the film like no film before it. Those songs eventually became just as big of a part in Pop music in real life, as they did in the fictional world of the film they were used in.

 1984’s Footloose soundtrack’s success was lead by the film’s theme song, “Footloose”, performed by singer/song writer, Kenny Loggins. It spent 3 weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in the spring of 1984. That was then followed by Loggins’ second consecutive #1 hit from that soundtrack, “I’m Free (Heaven Helps The Man).”  

 During that decade Loggins success came from writing and recording many hits  connected to films of the time. This was done so much that many referred to him as “The King Of The Movie Soundtrack.” Prior to Footloose, Loggins had gained success with 3 songs from the 1980 Warner Bros. film, Caddyshack. (“I’m Alright”,  “Mr. Night”, and “Lead the Way”)  Footloose then followed with Loggins contributing the theme song and the song, “I’m Free (Haven Helps The Man).” Thanks to the huge mark he left on Pop music with, Footloose, his soundtrack success would continue throughout the 80s. His hot streak kept going with hits like, “Danger Zone” and “One Of The Boys”, from Tom Cruise’s 1986 film, Top Gun, and “Meet Me Halfway” from Sylvester Stallone’s 1987 film, Over The Top.

 Even with Kenny Loggins’ massive hits on the soundtrack, the King Of The Movie Soundtrack was not alone in helping making the Footloose soundtrack an unforgettable part of Pop music history. Out of the 9 songs on Columbia’s original 1984 release of the soundtrack, 6 of them charted on the Hot 100 singles chart. Among those singles that charted  included the ballad, “Almost Paradise”, a duet by Loverboy front-man, Mike Reno and Heart’s lead singer, Ann Wilson. “Almost Paradise” reached #7 on the Hot 100, but also topped the Billboard Adult Contemporary charts as well. Another chart topper from the soundtrack was “Let’s Hear It For The Boy”, by Deniece Williams. That song topped the Billboard Hot 100, the Dance Chart, the R&B/Hip Hop Chart, and was nominated for an Academy Award for best song from a film.    Finally “Dancing in The Sheets” by Shalmar, and “Holding Out For A Hero” by Bonnie Tyler, both also managed to crack the Top 40 as well. The Soundtrack hit #1 on the Billboard 200 album chart on April 21, 1984, and stayed there until June 30, 1984. It went on to sell over 9 million albums. The music has reached iconic status, paving the way for the marketing ideas of other music themed films that followed in the future. Some of the blockbuster soundtracks that followed in the same vain include 1987’s Dirty Dancing, 1992’s, The Bodyguard, 2001’s Save The Last Dance, 2002’s  8 Mile, and of course Touchstone Pictures’ Step Up film series. (2006, 2008, 2010)

 So now in 2011 when Paramount teamed up with Spyglass Entertainment and MTV Films to remake the movie, the first questions that came to mind is how is the feel of the film going to be, and how would the new version of the film use the classic music, if at all? Well one thing is for sure; now that Footloose has been successfully turned into a popular Broadway play, (1998) it would be kind of hard to imagine that same story being told, without hearing the music involved some how. With that said, it is nice to see the steps taken to give the film and soundtrack a face lift, without losing the heart of the original idea.

The new version of the film stars, dancer turned actor, Kenny Wormald as Ren McCormack, and Country music singer/dancer and actress, Julianne Hough as Ariel Moore. For those who don’t already know, prior to scoring the lead role in Footloose, Kenny was a back up dancer for different artists. Some may remember Kenny being featured on Jennifer Lopez’s short lived MTV reality show, Dancelife in 2007. Kenny was also featured as a dancer in popular music videos for songs like, “Baby Its You” by Jojo, Christina Aguilera’s “Candyman”, Chris Brown’s “Gimme That”, and  Nelly Furtado’s “Promiscuous .” Finally Kenny got a big break when he joined Justin Timberlake on his FutureSex/LoveShow tour in 2007. His good luck continued when actor and singer, Zac Efron left the role of Ren McCormack when it was first offered to him for the remake. In many ways Kenny’s co-star, Julianne Hough does not need as big of an introduction.

 Hough is best known as a professional ball room dancer, and two time winner of ABC’s Dancing With The Stars. She is also a Country music singer signed with Mercury Records Nashville. Her debut album was released in May of 2008, topping the Country album charts. In the film world Hough has appeared in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, (Uncredited), and Burlesque, along side, Christina Aguilera and Cher. Even though Footloose is the first major leading role for both Kenny and Julianne, their music industry experience probably served them well when making the new version of this classic.  

 This is because the new version of Footloose is directed by acclaimed director, Craig Brewer. Craig is best known for directing the 2005 independent Hip Hop film, turned to MTV Films/Paramount Classics sensation, Hustle & Flow, starring Terrence Howard. In that film Brewer did everything he could to make the music of the character’s environment of Memphis Tennessee really play a definitive role in the film.  It appears that the same approach was taken in the new version of Footloose. Like Memphis in Hustle & Flow Brewer really took the sound of Footloose and re-invented the meaning behind it, while using many of the exact  same songs. The soundtrack was made to really reflect the small southern town of Bomont that the film lives in. Many of the original hits on 1984’s hit soundtrack were covered in an up beat Country sound. Some of those covers include Kenny Loggins’ “Footloose”, covered by Blake Shelton, Mike Reno and Ann Wilson’s “Almost Paradise”, covered by Hunter Hayes and Victoria Justice, Deniece Williams “Let’s Hear It For The Boy” by Jana Kramer, and Ella Mae Bowen covering “Holding Out For A Hero”, originally by Bonnie Tyler. 

 Unlike the first Footloose soundtrack, The 2011 version was actually released as a joint venture between Atlantic Records and its sister label, Warner Music Nashville, rather than Columbia. This can definitely be looked at as a step in the right direction. Out of all the major labels of today, Atlantic Records and its parent company, Warner Music Group, have proven themselves as a leader in marketing movie soundtracks in the digital age of the music industry. Some of the major film soundtrack Atlantic/WMG has enjoyed success with include hits like, The Twilight Saga, (Chop Shop/Atlantic), The Transformers DreamWorks films, (Reprise/Warner Bros) Hustle & Flow (Grand Hustle/Atlantic)  Step Up 2: The Streets, and of course Step Up 3D (Atlantic) .

 Some may rightfully argue that the conflict in the original Footloose story was about teenagers and Rock music, therefore turning the music into a Country inspired sound would defeat the purpose. However it can also be argued that the soundtracks to the two different versions of the story had different goals in mind when creating their track lists. When the soundtrack for the first film was being put together in 1983, it was a completely original idea, and had the freedom to capture that current sound. However, after any movie and soundtrack becomes a hit, and the director/producers are presented with the challenge of remaking something that is considered a classic, it is important to deal with it very carefully to not disappoint fans both old and new. The Country music direction is just Craig Brewer’s way of using the music in a new way, interpreting his new vision of the already well known story. It is no different then seeing Disney’s The Lion King at the movies as a kid, then seeing it on Broadway years later. The characters are still the same, and it still features the music of Elton John, Tim Rice and Hans Zimmer, but they both are interpreted in an entirely different way.   

 It seems like everything about the major parts of the story remained the same, Brewer just did what he could to add a hipper edge to it with the music and the dancing. This version of the film is rated PG-13, rather than PG like the first one. That allows the film to go places with more graphic detail, and possibly more sexually suggestive dancing that the original could not do. These changes allow the film to fit in more with other modern dance genre films of today. Some could maybe take a brief look at 2011’s Footloose and view it as MTV/Paramounts response to Disney/Touchstone’s phenomenally successful, Step Up series, with a rhythmic Country inspired soundtrack with sex appeal. No matter which version of Footloose you like better, this new one still looks like fun! Only time will tell if the new one will have an impact on today’s generation. But so far 2011’s Footloose took in $15.5 million and placed at number two, behind Real Steel ($16.2 million) in its opening weekend. Take a listen to some of each soundtrack, and preview both films and see what you think below!

Footloose (2011) Trailer

Spyglass Entertainment/MTV Films/Paramount Pictures

Footloose 1984 Trailer

IndieProd Company Productions/Paramount Pictures

Complete Track List

Blake Shelton

“Footloose”

From Footloose (2011) Soundtrack

Atlantic Records/Warner Music Nashville

Kenny Loggins

“Footloose”

From Footloose (1984) Soundtrack

Columbia/CBS Records

Hunter Hayes & Victoria Justice

“Almost Paradise”

From Footloose (2011) Soundtrack

Atlantic Records/Warner Music Nashville

Mike Reno & Ann Wilson

“Almost Paradise”

From Footloose (1984) Soundtrack

Columbia/CBS Records

Jana Kramer

“Let’s Hear It For The Boy”

From Footloose (2011) Soundtrack

Atlantic Records/Warner Music Nashville

Deniece Williams

“Let’s Hear It For The Boy”

From Footloose (1984) Soundtrack

Columbia/CBS Records

Ella Mae Bowen

“Holding Out For A Hero”

From Footloose (2011) Soundtrack

Atlantic Records/Warner Music Nashville

Bonnie Tyler

“Holding Out For A Hero”

From Footloose (1984) Soundtrack

Columbia/CBS Records

Footlooose On Dancing With The Stars

Kenny Loggins

“I’m Free (Heaven Helps The Man)”

From Footloose (1984) Soundtrack

Columbia/CBS Records

 Related Music Film Trailers

Dirty Dancing (1987)

Vestron Pictures

The Bodyguard Trailer (1992)

Warner Bros Pictures

 Save The Last Dance (2001)

MTV Productions/Paramount Pictures

8 Mile Trailer (2002)

Imagine Entertainment/Universal Pictures

Hustle & Flow Trailer (2005)

(Written And Directed By “Footloose” (2011) Director, Craig Brewer)

MTV Films/Paramount Classic

 Step Up Tailer (2006)

Summit Entertainment/Offspring Entertainment/Touchstone Pictures

Step Up 2: The Streets Trailer (2008)

Summit Entertainment/Offspring Entertainment/Touchstone Pictures

Step Up 3: Step Up 3-D Trailer (2010)

Summit Entertainment/Offspring Entertainment/Touchstone Pictures

Burlesque Trailer (2010)

(Co-starring “Footloose” (2011) Star Julianne Hough)

De Line/Screen Gems Pictures

 Related Kenny Loggins Music

Kenny Loggins

“Danger Zone”

From Top Gun Soundtrack

Paramount Pictures/Columbia/CBS Records

Kenny Loggins

“Meet Me Halfway”

From Over The Top Soundtrack

Cannon Films/Warner Bros. Pictures/Columbia/CBS Records

Music Videos Featuring “Footloose” (2011) Star, Kenny Wormald

Jojo

“Baby Its You”

From Jojo

Da Family/Blackground/Universal Records

Christina Aguilera

“Candyman”

From Back To Basics

RCA Records/RMG

Chris Brown Featuring Lil’ Wayne

“Gimme That” (Remix)

From Chris Brown

CBE/Jive Records/Zomba Label Group

Nelly Furtado Featuring Timbaland

“Promiscuous”

From Loose

Mosley Music Group/Geffen/Interscope Records