(I've Had) The Time of My Life

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For other uses, see The Time of My Life (disambiguation).
"(I've Had) The Time of My Life"
Single by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes
from the album Dirty Dancing (soundtrack)
B-side "Love Is Strange"
by Mickey & Sylvia
Released September 1987
Format 7" single, 12" maxi,
cassette, CD single
Genre Soft rock, pop rock
Length 4:47 [LP & Single Version]
6:46 [Extended]
Label RCA
Writer(s) Franke Previte,
John DeNicola,
Donald Markowitz[1]
Producer Michael Lloyd
Alternative cover
7" - U.S.

"(I've Had) The Time of My Life" is a song composed by Franke Previte, John DeNicola, and Donald Markowitz.[1] It was recorded by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes, after having been selected to be the finale song for the 1987 film Dirty Dancing,[1] by choreographer Kenny Ortega and his assistant Miranda Garrison (who also played Vivian in the film).

Contents

History [edit]

Singer-songwriter Previte was the lead singer of the band Franke and the Knockouts and had success with the song "Sweetheart" in 1981, but by 1986 was without a recording contract to any label. Producer and head of Millennium Records Jimmy Ienner asked Previte about writing some music for "a little movie called 'Dirty Dancing'", but initially turned him down because he was still trying get a record deal. But Ienner was persistent and got him to write several songs for the film (which also included "Hungry Eyes", which was later recorded by singer Eric Carmen and also became a top 10 hit).

The music was written by John DeNicola and Don Markowitz, and Previte wrote the lyrics. After getting further approval, he created a demo for it and sang on it himself with singer Rachele Capelli, showcasing how the harmonies were to be used, employing a "cold open", or a slow buildup of the song to its finale. This demo was never used as the final cut in the film, but the final polished version with Warnes and Medley was used, and with the release of the film has become one of the most played songs on the radio since its debut and became a worldwide hit. The song was initially intended for Donna Summer and Joe Esposito, but it was turned down.

However, since the final version wasn't ready by the filming of the finale (which was actually filmed first, due to the tight budget), Previte and Capelli's much lighter and 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 had later remarked it was his favorite version, even of all of the subsequent remakes since).

The demo version finally appeared on the 1998 CD reissue of his 1981 album Franke and the Knockouts, but is only listed as "Bonus Track".

Chart performance [edit]

In the United States, the single topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart in November 1987 for one week and also reached number one on the Adult Contemporary for four weeks.[2] In the United Kingdom the song had two chart outings: in November 1987, after the film's initial release, the song peaked at #6;[1] in January 1991, after the film was shown on mainstream television, the song reached #8.[3]

Awards [edit]

Cover versions [edit]

Parodies [edit]

A parody was made in the animated comedy series The Simpsons. The episode, "Faith Off" (season eleven, 2000) altered the chorus during a football game's half-time rendition, lending support to Homer Simpson's alma mater, Springfield University. It sings: "I had the halftime of my life, and I owe it all to S.U."

In the Family Guy episode "Blue Harvest", Obi-Wan Kenobi (Herbert) sings a cover version to Luke Skywalker (Chris) while stormtroopers and the other heroes cheer on and serve as back-up dancers.

The song and its dance scene are parodied by Princess Clara and Spanky Ham in Drawn Together episode "Dirty Pranking No. 2".

Track listings [edit]

7" single
  1. "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" (4:47)
  2. "Love Is Strange" by Mickey & Sylvia (2:52)
12" maxi and CD single
  1. "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" (6:46)
  2. "In the Still of the Night" by The Five Satins (2:59)
  3. "Love Is Strange" by Mickey & Sylvia (2:53)
  4. "Overload" by Zappacosta (3:39)
Cassette
  1. "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" (4:47)
  2. "In the Still of the Night" by The Five Satins (2:59)
  3. "Love Is Strange" by Mickey & Sylvia (2:53)
  4. "Overload" by Zappacosta (3:39)

Charts and sales [edit]

Peak positions [edit]

Chart (1987–1988) Peak
position
Australian ARIA Singles Chart[6] 1
Austrian Singles Chart[6] 3
Canadian Singles Chart[7] 2
Dutch Top 40[8] 1
German Singles Chart [9] 5
Irish Singles Chart[10] 5
Spain (AFYVE)[11] 5
Swedish Singles Chart[6] 12
Swiss Singles Chart[6] 5
UK Singles Chart[12] 6
US Billboard Hot 100[13] 1
US Billboard Adult Contemporary[13] 1
Chart (1990) Peak
position
UK Singles Chart[14] 8
Chart (1991) Peak
position
Irish Singles Chart[10] 17
Chart (1992) Peak
position
French SNEP Singles Chart[6] 5
Chart (1993) Peak
position
French SNEP Singles Chart[6] 48

Year-end charts [edit]

Chart (1988) Position
Australian Singles Chart[15] 1
Austrian Singles Chart[16] 28
Dutch Top 40[17] 1

Certifications [edit]

Country Certification Date Sales certified
Australia[18] Gold 1987 35,000
Canada[19] Gold January 12, 1988 50,000
Netherlands[20] Platinum 1988 60,000
U.S.[21] Gold February 24, 1989 500,000

See also [edit]

References [edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 136. ISBN 1-904994-10-5. 
  2. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 167. 
  3. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 359. ISBN 1-904994-10-5. 
  4. ^ Best of Mundart and Duets, track listings and charts Lescharts.com (Retrieved July 25, 2008)
  5. ^ Sam Milby and Toni Gonzaga--I've had the time of my life Cover http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRABcfKRnLQ&feature=related
  6. ^ a b c d e f "(I've Had) The Time of My Life", in various singles charts Lescharts.com (Retrieved April 7, 2008)
  7. ^ "Canadian Singles Chart from Nanda Lwin; Top 40 Hits: The Essential Chart Guide (2000)"
  8. ^ "De Nederlandse Top 40, week 3, 1988". Archived from the original on 20 January 2008. Retrieved 2008-03-16. 
  9. ^ "Die ganze Musik im Internet: Charts, News, Neuerscheinungen, Tickets, Genres, Genresuche, Genrelexikon, Künstler-Suche, Musik-Suche, Track-Suche, Ticket-Suche". musicline.de. Retrieved 2012-01-06. 
  10. ^ a b Irish Single Chart Irishcharts.ie (Retrieved April 7, 2008)
  11. ^ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2. 
  12. ^ "(I've Had) The Time of My Life", UK Singles Chart Chartstats.com. Retrieved April 7, 2008.
  13. ^ a b Billboard charts. Allmusic.com. Retrieved September 8, 2008.
  14. ^ "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" (1990 issue), UK Singles Chart. Chartstats.com. Retrieved April 7, 2008.
  15. ^ 1988 Australian Singles Chart. aria.com. Retrieved July 25, 2008.
  16. ^ 1988 Austrian Singles Chart Austriancharts.at. Retrieved July 25, 2008.
  17. ^ "Single top 100 over 1988" (PDF) (in Dutch). Top40. Retrieved 22 September 2010. 
  18. ^ [1]. cria.ca. Retrieved April 21, 2012.
  19. ^ Canada certifications. cria.ca. Retrieved July 25, 2008.
  20. ^ Dutch certifications. nvpi.nl. Retrieved December 9, 2008.
  21. ^ U.S. certifications. riaa.com. Retrieved July 25, 2008.
Bill Medley
Singles
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