History
Singer-songwriter Previte was the lead singer of the band Franke and the Knockouts. He had success with the song "Sweetheart" in 1981,but by 1986 was without a recording contract. In late 1986 or early 1987,producer and head of Millennium Records,Jimmy Ienner,asked Previte about writing some music for "a little movie called Dirty Dancing". Previte initially turned the request down because he was still trying to get a record deal, [3] and he thought the film was a pornographic film based on the title, [4] but Ienner was persistent,declaring that it would "change his life",and got Previte to write several songs for the film,including "Hungry Eyes",later recorded by singer Eric Carmen,which also became a top 10 hit.
Previte wrote the lyrics,and the music was written by John DeNicola and Don Markowitz. He compared writing the song to the writing process of "MacArthur Park". The title was conceived at random while he was traveling down the Garden State Parkway. He suggested that Ienner's pleading inspired the lyric. [5] After getting further approval,Previte,along with DeNicola and Markowitz,created a demo of the song,performing on it himself,along with singer Rachele Cappelli. The demo showcased how the harmonies were to be used,employing a "cold open",or a slow build-up of the song to its finale.
A song by Lionel Richie was initially planned to be used as the finale of Dirty Dancing , [6] but choreographer Kenny Ortega and his assistant Miranda Garrison (who also played Vivian in the film) selected "The Time of My Life" instead. This demo wasn't used in the final cut of the film −the more polished version with Warnes and Medley was. However,because the Warnes/Medley track was not ready by the time the finale was filmed (it was shot first,due to the tight budget),Previte and Cappelli's much lighter and more youthful version was used as a backing track,so that the actors,Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey,and the dancers,could have something to dance to. (Swayze later remarked that it was his favorite version,even including all the subsequent remakes.) The demo version finally appeared on the 1998 CD reissue of Previte's 1981 album Franke and the Knockouts ,but is only listed as a "Bonus Track".
The movie's writer,Eleanor Bergstein,wanted a famous 1960s singer to perform it to blend then-contemporary musical elements with the aesthetics of the period. [7] [8] The song was initially intended for Donna Summer and Joe Esposito,but Summer turned it down because she did not like the title of the film. [9] Afterwards,producer Michael Lloyd approached Richie,Daryl Hall of Hall &Oates and singer-songwriter Kim Carnes to perform;they declined as well. [10] Meanwhile,Bill Medley of the Righteous Brothers was approached by Jimmy Ienner repeatedly over two months to do the recording,but he also turned it down because his daughter McKenna was due to be born,and he had promised his wife he would be there. He was also concerned about appearing in another song that would flop (as had happened with "Loving on Borrowed Time" with Gladys Knight,from the soundtrack for Cobra ) and also thought the film's title was "like a bad porno movie". [6] [11]
Ienner then approached Jennifer Warnes,who had released a cover of Leonard Cohen songs the previous year. She initially expressed reluctance upon hearing Previte's demo but was persuaded (because of Ienner offering a large sum of money) by her then-boyfriend to take the offer,on the condition that she could sing it with Medley,whom she admired. [7] As a result,after the birth of his daughter,Medley was approached again,this time with Warnes' offer. [12] Medley then agreed to record the track. [13] Stephen Holden of The New York Times compared the duo of Medley and Warnes to the lead characters' romance in Dirty Dancing,for a "blend of the earthy and the pristine". [14]
To give emotional depth to the song,Warnes had a video playback machine and footage of the final scene brought in to synchronize her singing with the movie's ending scene,particularly "the lift". After completing the main vocals,Medley and Warnes were asked by Lloyd to add additional harmonies and flourishes for the song. [7] The song was completed in around one hour. [4] The resulting mix was described as a "Righteous Brothers-type song" by DeNicola. [7]
The song was originally released on July 10,1987;it was intended to be released alongside the film,but the film's producer Vestron Pictures had moved the American release date to August without notifying RCA Records. Ienner quickly edited the song from the original 6:46 to 4:50 for radio airplay. [7] Initially,radio stations were reluctant to add the song before the release of Dirty Dancing. [14] With the release of the film it became a worldwide hit and is one of the most frequently played songs on radio.
