Almost Paradise (song)

For the Norman Petty Trio song, see Norman Petty.

"Almost Paradise... Love Theme from Footloose"
Single by Mike Reno and Ann Wilson
from the album Footloose: Original Soundtrack of the Paramount Motion Picture
B-side	"Strike Zone" (by Loverboy)
Released	March 1984[1]
Recorded	1983
Genre	Soft rock[2][3]
Length	3:46
Label	Columbia
Songwriter(s)	Eric Carmen (music) Dean Pitchford (lyrics)
Producer(s)	Keith Olsen

"Almost Paradise... Love Theme from Footloose" is the title of a duet sung by Mike Reno of Loverboy and Ann Wilson of Heart. It is one of several major hits written by singer Eric Carmen with lyricist Dean Pitchford, another being "Make Me Lose Control".

Because both of their respective bands were successful during the 1980s, Reno and Wilson were approached to record a duet for the film Footloose and its accompanying soundtrack.

Background

"Almost Paradise" was one of three top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart found on the Footloose soundtrack album; it peaked at No. 7 and spent 13 weeks in the top 40.^[4] An alternate version of the song with a slightly different musical arrangement, which has never been released, is used in the film. Other hits from this soundtrack include the film's title track by Kenny Loggins and "Let's Hear It for the Boy" by Deniece Williams, both of which went to No. 1 on the pop chart.^[5] "Almost Paradise" was also a hit on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart in the United States, where it spent one week at No. 1.^[6] Both singers Mike Reno and Ann Wilson resumed their respective roles within their bands Loverboy and Heart following this one-off recording.

Chart performance

Weekly charts Chart (1984) Peak position Australia (Kent Music Report)[7] 52 Canadian RPM Top Singles[8] 3 Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary [9] 2 Paraguay (UPI)[10] 4 US Billboard Hot 100[11] 7 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[12] 1 US CHR/Pop Airplay (Radio & Records)[13] 4

Year-end charts Chart (1984) Position Canada RPM Top Singles[14] 32 US Billboard Hot 100[15] 59

Personnel

Movie Version:

• Mike Reno – vocals
• Ann Wilson – vocals
• Bill Cuomo – keyboards, synthesizers
• Chas Sanford – electric guitars
• Keith Olsen – acoustic guitar, bass
• Jim Keltner – drums
• Jerry Peterson – saxophone

Album Version:

• Mike Reno – vocals
• Ann Wilson – vocals
• Bill Cuomo – keyboards, synthesizers
• Chas Sanford – electric guitars
• Keith Olsen – acoustic guitar, bass
• Jim Keltner – drums

Cover versions

• In 1989, Eric Carmen and Merry Clayton released a cover single, which was performed as part of the Dirty Dancing in Concert live tour.^[16][17]
• In 1998, the Broadway cast of Footloose performed the song, for the 1998 Broadway musical based on the film.
• In 2011, Victoria Justice and Hunter Hayes performed the song, for the 2011 remake of the original film.^[18] Their cover was released on September 22, 2011 and was featured on the accompanying soundtrack.^[19][20]
• In 2017, Royce da 5'9, Kxng Crooked, Truth Ali, Iliana Eve, Jonathan Hay, Mike Smith and King Graint all collaborated on "Almost Paradise", a hip-hop interpolation of the original. The song is from The Sins of a Father Playlist compilation and it reached #28 on the Canadian Spotify Charts.^[21][22]
• Around 2018, Mike Reno began performing the song with his band Loverboy with Reno's wife, Cathy St. Germain, taking Ann's place on vocals.

In popular culture

• The use of "Almost Paradise" on the daytime soap opera All My Children was a significant factor in the song's success.^[23]
• "Almost Paradise" was also used on the daytime serials Guiding Light and Santa Barbara.^[24][25]
• Beginning with the third season, "Almost Paradise" is used as the opening theme song for the reality television show Bachelor in Paradise.
• Actress Jessica Biel performed an impromptu cover of the song's chorus during an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on July 12, 2007. ^[26]

See also

• List of Hot Adult Contemporary number ones of 1984

References

1. "Ann Wilson singles".
2. "200 Greatest Soft Rock Songs". entertainment.expertscolumn.com.
3. Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "Best of Love: 16 Great Soft Rock Hits". AllMusic.
4. Whitburn, Joel (1996). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 6th Edition (Billboard Publications)
5. Bronson, Fred (2003). The Billboard Book of No. 1 Hits, 5th Edition (Billboard Publications)
6. Hyatt, Wesley (1999). The Billboard Book of No. 1 Adult Contemporary Hits (Billboard Publications)
7. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W. p. 250. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
8. "RPM Top 100 Singles - August 11, 1984" (PDF).
9. "RPM Top 30 AC Singles - July 21, 1984" (PDF).
10. "Canciones más populares de Latinoamérica". La Opinión. July 21, 1984. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
11. "Mike Reno Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
12. "Mike Reno Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
13. "Mike Reno". wweb.uta.edu. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
14. "RPM Top 100 Singles of 1984- January 5, 1985" (PDF).
15. "Top 100 Hits of 1984/Top 100 Songs of 1984". www.musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
16. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-05-05. Retrieved 2015-05-04.
17. "Various - Dirty Dancing - Live In Concert". Discogs. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
18. "Footloose (Music from the Motion Picture) by Various Artists". iTunes Store. Apple Inc. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
19. Hayes, Hunter [@HunterHayes] (September 22, 2011). "The premiere of my "Almost Paradise" duet w/ @VictoriaJustice from the @FootlooseMovie soundtrack is on @JustJaredJr! http://j.mp/vjhhap" (Tweet). Retrieved August 22, 2022 – via Twitter.
20. Dukes, Billy (September 23, 2011). "Hunter Hayes and Victoria Justice Debut Their New 'Footloose' Duet 'Almost Paradise' - Taste of Country". Taste of Country. Archived from the original on September 24, 2011. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
21. "Spotify Charts". spotifycharts.com. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
22. "Almost Paradise (feat. Royce da 5'9", Truth Ali & Kxng Crooked)". Spotify. 6 October 2017. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
23. "August 2, 1986." Casey Kasem's American Top 40 - The 80s, hosted by Casey Kasem, KOSF, 2 Aug. 2020.
24. "GL Two Scoops: The final countdown".
25. "Santa Barbara".
26. "Jessica Biel - Jay Leno July 12, 2007". YouTube. 2 June 2015.

External links

• Single release info at discogs.com