Fame (Irene Cara song)

Infobox Single
Name = Fame


Caption = "Fame" single cover
Artist = Irene Cara
from Album = Fame (soundtrack)
A-side =
B-side = "Hot Lunch Jam"(US)
"Red Light" (UK)
Released = June 1980 (US)
May 1982 (UK)
Format =
Recorded =1980
Genre = Pop
Length = 5:14
Label = RCA
Writer = Michael Gore
Dean Pitchford
Producer = Michael Gore
Certification = Gold (US)
Gold (UK)
Last single = "Making Love with Me"
(1979)
This single = "Fame"
(1980)
Next single = "Out Here on My Own"
(1980)
Misc =

"Fame" is a pop song written by Michael Gore (music) and Dean Pitchford (lyrics) that was released in 1980 and achieved chart success as the theme song to the "Fame" movie 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 and the Golden Globe Award for the same.

"Fame" rose to #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the summer of 1980. It also rose to #1 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart for one week, and also topped the ARC Weekly Top 40 chart. The song was not released in the United Kingdom until 1982, so it would coincide with the UK premiere of the Fame television series. It hit #1 for three weeks.

This song appear on the game Karaoke Revolution Party.

Cover versions

* The tune was also the theme song for the "Fame" television series, which aired from 1982 to 1987. It was performed by Erica Gimpel (who portrayed Coco Hernandez), and later by Loretta Chandler (who portrayed Dusty Tyler).
* A dance cover was released by a European pop group called Models.
* Willa Ford, pop singer and reality star, performed "Fame" on the November 1, 2006 result show of the ABC show "Dancing with the Stars".
* Kristen Bell, star of "Veronica Mars", performed "Fame" at the 2005 Emmy Awards.
* The song has also been featured prominently in the reality shows "Fame" and "Fame Academy".
* French progressive-metal band Adagio covered the song on their 2005 release titled "Dominate".
* Japanese pop duo Pink Lady covered the song in Japanese.
* British pop act Girls Aloud covered the song as part of a medley (that also featured What a Feeling and Footloose (song)) during their Chemistry Tour in 2006