Fame (Irene Cara song)



"Fame" is a pop song, written by Michael Gore (music) and Dean Pitchford (lyrics), released in 1980 that achieved chart success as the theme song to the Fame film and TV series. The song was performed by Irene Cara, who played the role of Coco Hernandez in the original movie. It won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1980, and the Golden Globe Award the same year. In 2004 it finished at number 51 on AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs survey of top tunes in American cinema.

History
Irene Cara played the role of Coco Hernandez in the movie Fame and sang the vocals for the theme song. The music for the song was by Michael Gore and the lyrics were by Dean Pitchford. The song earned Cara Grammy nominations for Best New Female Artist and Best New Pop Artist. The movie became an "overnight sensation". The song won an Oscar for best film theme song in 1981. In July 1982 it topped the British charts. The movie was adapted into a TV series and stage show which toured Europe.

Fame theme song
The song was later used as the theme song for the Fame television series, which aired from 1982 to 1987. It was also used in other TV shows related to Fame.

Charts and certifications
"Fame" rose to number four on the Billboard Hot 100 in August 1980. It also reached number one on the Billboard dance chart for one week. The song was rereleased in the United Kingdom in 1982 following the airing of the Fame television series. It hit number one in the UK Singles Chart for three weeks. It has sold 1.05 million copies in the UK as of June 2013. The song also reached number one in Flanders, Ireland, the Netherlands and New Zealand, and number three in Australia and Sweden.

In popular culture
Alvin and the Chipmunks covered the song for their 1982 album The Chipmunks Go Hollywood. The British group Girls Aloud covered the song in their 2006 Chemistry Tour. And singer-songwriter Mree covered the song in 2014, which then was featured on an episode of the television show, Grey's Anatomy.