Dirty Dancing is an absolutely classic film from the 1980s, adored by so many different generations because of its feel-good yet emotional nature, relatable characters and range of thematic concerns.
I recently saw the West End production of Dirty Dancing in the Dominion Theatre, which was essentially an exact copy of the film, but just translated onto the stage. Many audience members were singing along to the songs, and although this is an indication of poor theatre audience etiquette, their singing reminded me that part of the film’s main appeal — especially given that so much of the film is centred on dancing — is, precisely, its soundtrack. Just like any film, diegetic (heard by on-screen characters) and non-diegetic (heard by the audience but not by on-screen characters) sounds are essential to create ambience within individual scenes and in the overall film more generally. Dirty Dancing takes this all a step further: the songs are incredibly popular and resonate with so many people because the soundtrack is composed of a collage of different sounds from Mambo to classic oldies and upbeat 80s tunes, allowing audiences to engage with the timeframe and simply enjoy what occurs on the screen.
The ‘Dirty Dancing (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)’ on Spotify, unfortunately, does not contain every song, including some essential tracks, that appears in the film. Discontent, I recently decided to scour through Spotify to find a more faithful and inclusive version of the soundtrack, and I actually did manage to find a ‘Dirty Dancing (Legacy Edition)’ that included some more songs that had originally been omitted from the standard album. (Despite its absence, avid ‘Dirty Dancing’ fans will unashamedly know all the words to the iconic ‘Kellerman’s Anthem’!)
The film’s diegetic soundscape is culturally diverse because it principally incorporates Mambo, Merengue and Latin jazz. Even though these pieces are not available on both versions of the soundtrack on Spotify, Johnny’s Mambo from the West End Original Cast Recording, for example, is available. I suppose that this provides a good excuse to (re)watch the film to listen closely! Audiences are, thus, subtly able to understand how Latin American musical culture has played an influential role within international dance culture.
There are a multitude of fantastic classic songs from the 1960s that are featured in the film. The opening credits are accompanied by ‘Be My Baby’ by The Ronettes with its unforgettable percussion at the start. In the ‘Dirty Dancing’ episode of the Netflix documentary series The Movies That Made Us, the film’s writer and co-producer, Eleanor Bergstein, reveals that she had particular tracks in mind when writing the film, such as The Ronettes’ hit, and was adamant that they were included because they were historically accurate to the time and experience. The music allows generationally different audiences to access the sense of nostalgia towards such an epoch. Baby, the protagonist portrayed by Jennifer Grey, then opens the film with the line ‘It was the summer of 1963, when everybody called me Baby and it didn’t occur to me to mind,’ accompanied by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons’ iconic tune ‘Big Girls Don’t Cry’. These two elements work in conjunction with each other to establish the early 1960s timeframe. One of my favourites is ‘Love Man’ by Otis Redding, which I love to listen to whenever I feel or need to find some groovy, upbeat musical inspiration for the day.
We cannot continue any discussion surrounding Dirty Dancing without discussing the most famous tracks that have now become legendary 1980s hits. ‘Hungry Eyes’ by Eric Carmen is a cheesy soft rock song that overtly embraces the film’s main thematic concerns that never fails to make me smile. ‘(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life’ sung by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes is, fundamentally, the film’s emblematic theme song and won the award for Best Original Song at the 1988 Oscars. There are various elements that make this song so undeniably good: the funky beats, the violins and saxophone solo, the catchy tune, the perfect blend of Medley’s deep and Warner’s strong voice … the list is endless. Both of these songs exemplify what the charm of this soundtrack is: listeners can appreciate the songs for their links to the film and as stand-alone cultural products. Moreover, the aforementioned Netflix documentary episode highlights the extreme difficulties the production team had in obtaining the rights to all of the different songs. This ‘desperation for new material resulted in the inclusion’ of Patrick Swayze’s song ‘She’s Like the Wind’, featuring Wendy Frase, which I absolutely adore. Swayze, who played the lead character Johnny, sings with an incredibly tender tone that adds greater nuance to what unfolds on screen.
The Dirty Dancing soundtrack is one that smoothly unites uplifting music that is historically accurate to the narrative timeframe and was contemporary to the time of its production. The soundtrack itself is now a cultural-historical product, but the timeless and accessible nature of these songs means that the soundtrack’s legacy does and will continue to live on.