"Almost Paradise... Love Theme from Footloose" is the title of a

duet A duet is a musical composition for two performers in which the performers have equal importance to the piece, often a composition involving two singers or two pianists. It differs from a harmony, as the performers take turns performing a solo ...

by singers

Mike Reno Mike Reno (born Joseph Michael Rynoski; born January 8, 1955) is a Canadian musician, singer and the lead singer of the rock band Loverboy. He is reported to have taught himself how to play guitar. He fronted other bands, including Moxy, before h ...

Loverboy Loverboy is a Canadian rock band formed in 1979 in Calgary, Alberta. Loverboy's hit singles, particularly " Turn Me Loose" and "Working for the Weekend", have become arena rock staples and are still heard on many classic rock and classic hits r ...

and

Ann Wilson Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in the ...

Heart The heart is a muscular organ in most animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels of the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the body, while carrying metabolic waste such as carbon dioxide t ...

. It is one of several major hits by singer

Eric Carmen Eric Howard Carmen (born August 11, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and keyboardist. He was first known as the lead vocalist of the Raspberries. He had numerous hit songs in the 1970s and 1980s, first as a member of the Rasp ...

and lyrics by

Dean Pitchford Dean Pitchford (born July 29, 1951) is an American songwriter, screenwriter, director, actor, and novelist. His work has earned him an Oscar and a Golden Globe Award, as well as nominations for three additional Oscars, two more Golden Globes, eig ...

, another being Carmen's song " Make Me Lose Control". Reno is best known as the lead singer of the

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band Loverboy, while Wilson is the lead singer of the rock band Heart. Both bands achieved a significant amount of success in the 1980s, and Reno and Wilson were approached to record a duet for the film ''

Footloose Footloose may refer to: * ''Footloose'' (1984 film), a musical film ** ''Footloose'' (1984 soundtrack) ** "Footloose" (song), performed by Kenny Loggins * ''Footloose'' (2011 film), a remake of the 1984 film ** ''Footloose'' (2011 soundtrack) ...

''.

Background

Officially listed as the "Love Theme from ''Footloose''" on the film's soundtrack, "Almost Paradise" was one of three top 10 hits on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart found on the soundtrack; it peaked at No. 7 and spent 13 weeks in the top 40. 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 "

" by

Kenny Loggins Kenneth Clark Loggins (born January 7, 1948) is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. His early songs were recorded with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in 1970, which led to seven albums recorded as Loggins and Messina from 1972 to 1977. His ...

and "

Let's Hear It for the Boy "Let's Hear It for the Boy" is a song by Deniece Williams that appeared on the soundtrack to the feature film '' Footloose''. The song was released as a single from both the soundtrack and her album of the song's same name on February 14, 198 ...

" by

Deniece Williams Deniece Williams (born June Deniece Chandler; June 3, 1951) is an American singer. She has been described as "one of the great soul voices" by the BBC. She is best known for the songs " Free", " Silly", "It's Gonna Take a Miracle" and two ''Bill ...

, both of which went to No. 1 on the pop chart. "Almost Paradise" was also a hit on the

Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks The Adult Contemporary chart is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary radio stations in the United States. The chart is compiled based on airplay data submitted to ''Billboard'' by stat ...

chart in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, where it spent one week at No. 1.Hyatt, Wesley (1999). ''The Billboard Book of No. 1 Adult Contemporary Hits'' (Billboard Publications) Both singers resumed their respective roles within their bands following this one-off recording.

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Personnel

Movie Version: *

and

– vocals * Chas Sanford – electric guitar *

Keith Olsen Keith Alan Olsen (May 12, 1945 – March 9, 2020) was an American record producer and sound engineer, who worked with Magnum, Rick Springfield, Fleetwood Mac, Ozzy Osbourne, the Grateful Dead, Whitesnake, Pat Benatar, Heart, Santana, Saga, ...

– bass, acoustic guitar * Bill Cuomo – keyboards, synthesizer * Jerry Peterson – saxophone *

Jim Keltner James Lee Keltner (born April 27, 1942) is an American drummer and percussionist known primarily for his session work. He was characterized by Bob Dylan biographer Howard Sounes as "the leading session drummer in America".Howard Sounes. ''Down ...

– drums Album Version: *

and

– vocals * Chas Sanford – electric guitar *

– bass, acoustic guitar * Bill Cuomo – keyboards, synthesizer *

– drums

Cover versions

* In 1989,

and

Merry Clayton Merry Clayton (born December 25, 1948) is an American soul and gospel singer. She provided a number of backing vocal tracks for major performing artists in the 1960s, most notably in her duet with Mick Jagger on the Rolling Stones song "Gimme Sh ...

released a cover single, which was performed as part of the

Dirty Dancing ''Dirty Dancing'' is a 1987 American romantic drama dance film written by Eleanor Bergstein, produced by Linda Gottlieb, and directed by Emile Ardolino. Starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey, it tells the story of Frances "Baby" Houseman ...

live tour. * In 1998, the Broadway cast of Footloose performed the song, for the 1998 Broadway musical based on the film. * In 2011,

Victoria Justice Victoria Dawn Justice (born February 19, 1993) is an American actress and singer. She has received several accolades, including two Young Artist Awards and nominations for three Imagen Awards, an NAACP Image Award, and three Kids' Choice Awar ...

and

Hunter Hayes Hunter Easton Hayes (born September 9, 1991) is an American multi-genre singer, songwriter, record producer, and multi-instrumentalist. He is proficient at more than 30 instruments. Hayes released his Hunter Hayes (album), self-titled debut alb ...

performed the song, for the 2011 remake of the original film. Their cover was released on September 22, 2011. * In 2017,

Royce da 5'9 Markus Bennett is an American hip-hop recording artist. People Surname * Ed Royce (born 1951), American politician * Elwyn E. Royce (1868–1960), American politician * Henry Royce (1863–1933), cofounder of the Rolls-Royce automobile company * H ...

Kxng Crooked Dominick Antron Wickliffe (born September 23, 1976), better known by his stage names Crooked I and Kxng Crooked, (stylised as KXNG Crooked and pronounced "King Crooked") is an American rapper from Long Beach, California. He is best known as a for ...

, Truth Ali,

Iliana Eve Iliana Eve is an American singer-songwriter who was born in Houston, Texas and raised in Louisville, Kentucky. She got her professional start in the music industry with a single that was released through Snoop Dogg's record label Doggy Style R ...

, 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.

In popular culture

*The use of "Almost Paradise" on the daytime soap opera ''

All My Children ''All My Children'' (often shortened to ''AMC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from January 5, 1970, to September 23, 2011, and on The Online Network (TOLN) from April 29 to September 2, 20 ...

'' was a significant factor in the song's success. *"Almost Paradise" was also used on the daytime serials ''

Guiding Light ''Guiding Light'' (known as ''The Guiding Light'' before 1975) is an American radio and television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the third longest-running drama in television in American history. ''Guiding Light'' a ...

'' and '' Santa Barbara''. *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 Jessica Claire Timberlake (née Biel ; born March 3, 1982) is an American actress and model. She has received various accolades, including a Young Artist Award, and nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award and two Golden Globe Awards. Biel be ...

performed an impromptu cover of the song's chorus during an appearance on

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jay Leno that first aired from May 25, 1992, to May 29, 2009. It resumed production on March 1, 2010 and ended on February 6, 2014. The fourth incarnation of the ...

on July 12, 2007.

References

External links

Single release info at discogs.com
{{authority control 1984 songs 1984 singles 2011 singles Victoria Justice songs Hunter Hayes songs Gloriana (band) songs Male–female vocal duets Songs from Footloose Songs written by Eric Carmen Songs written by Dean Pitchford Love themes Columbia Records singles Atlantic Records singles