I Sing The Body Electric

March 18, 2020 9:01 PM

For no reason at all, here's the finale song from the movie Fame, I Sing The Body Electric. It's 5 minutes of real New York Arts Performing Arts Academy wish fulfillment. Also, earlier this year, 30 years later than the release of the movie Fame, The Grammys finale was a recreation, I Sing The Body Electric. It's full of famous people I mostly don't recognize, but I did get a few.
posted by hippybear (25 comments total)

We did this song in show choir, but for some reason I'm not remembering that freestyle break in the version I learned! It would have made it that little bit extra, for sure.

Thanks for sharing this, I've always loved this song.
posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 9:27 PM on March 18, 2020

Okay I legit love the movie Fame, which came out when I was 5 years old and which I definitely should NOT have been watching, but I watched anyway on my uncle's video disc player. I have seen that movie hundreds upon hundreds of times. I was so excited that they had it on the Grammys and I found it to be (other than Misty Copeland and Bruno! Martelli!) to be a little bit of a letdown. I kind of thought Camila Cabello botched the high note in the first verse, which to me, if you're going to tackle this song, you have to go big or go home. As many times as I've seen that song in the movie, it still give me chills. It is a stunning finale.

Thanks for the post. I love talking about Fame.
posted by triggerfinger at 9:49 PM on March 18, 2020 [10 favorites]

I got Bruno and Common and Cyndi... and I felt like i should know one or two more, but didn't.
posted by hippybear at 9:55 PM on March 18, 2020

So in the movie version, there's someone who reminds me of a very young John Cusack in one shot. It's not actually him, too roundfaced plus Cusack would be too young then, but does anyone know who it is?
posted by tavella at 9:57 PM on March 18, 2020 [1 favorite]

Misty Copeland was the ballerina in yellow! One of the best (maybe THE best) ballerinas in the world right now.
posted by triggerfinger at 10:00 PM on March 18, 2020 [4 favorites]

Aha! Figured it out. It was Gennady Filimanov.
posted by tavella at 10:06 PM on March 18, 2020 [1 favorite]

See, that is why I love MetaFilter. The research gets done, and the results are surprising and fun.
posted by hippybear at 10:12 PM on March 18, 2020 [3 favorites]

It's probably been 30 years since I watched Fame. I think I taped it off HBO as a teenager. I must have watched it 100 times at least. My favorite was always “Is It Okay If I Call You Mine?” but, as the kind of person who owns a blue and yellow beanie, “…Body Electric” never fails to make the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

I can't say the Grammys version was a complete let down. I thought the chorus, orchestra, and dancers were all really great.
posted by ob1quixote at 11:24 PM on March 18, 2020

Also, earlier this year, 30 years later than the release of the movie Fame

i'm sorry we're so old, but it's totally 40 years later...
posted by Jon_Evil at 11:46 PM on March 18, 2020 [5 favorites]

We sang this in elementary school choir, but I’ve actually never seen the original. Also, it’s my hand washing song, and I thought I was slowing down the tempo, but it turns out that’s how it is in the movie version.
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 12:37 AM on March 19, 2020 [1 favorite]

To me this song most of all illustrates the difference between life pre- and post-internet. As a kid, I was utterly confused about what Fame had to do with Ray Bradbury, and there wasn't really a way for me to find out.
posted by darksasami at 3:11 AM on March 19, 2020 [2 favorites]

I always felt like this song was the international anthem for theater kids in school.
posted by KingEdRa at 3:57 AM on March 19, 2020 [4 favorites]

I loved this song way more than the rest of the movie combined. I was an orchestra kid in high school, and had little time for drama kids or their drama, which was really just standard high school bullshit, but amped up by its participants into something that was assumed to be a much bigger deal, because drama. (It amused me to no end when Paul McCrane ended up as a thug in Robocop.) I would have been fine with our school covering this song, though, which we didn't.
posted by Halloween Jack at 4:47 AM on March 19, 2020 [1 favorite]

Fame! I wanna live for ever. I wanna learn how to fly, high.

that's more than enough, right? I sing this, compulsively every time it comes up in conversation, for an acquaintance here in Berlin who did, in fact, go to the High School for Performing Arts.
posted by From Bklyn at 4:53 AM on March 19, 2020 [1 favorite]

Oh boy Fame the TV show was my THING as a kid but it took a while for me to understand how absolutely spectacular the movie is. I make people watch it and they're like...WHOA
posted by wellred at 5:17 AM on March 19, 2020 [7 favorites]

Thanks for sharing, hippybear! Just the thing I needed this morning.

Like wellred, I grew up on the TV show; I rewatched the movie a few years ago and finally fully got the story. Before, I just remembered the music and Leroy dancing.

After watching this, I immediately wanted to watch Hot Lunch. If you haven't seen the movie, you're welcome!

(also, seeing Bruno on the keyboards in the Grammys clip made me shout out loud. Ooooh!)
posted by jilloftrades at 5:58 AM on March 19, 2020 [7 favorites]

Could never figure out why they picked a mediocre dance student, who transferred to the drama department, to open the piece with a vocal solo. They really didn't have any voice students who were better?

And I was always confused because they showed all the students except Ralph, and yet he was shown fitting for his cap and gown. Did he graduate or not??

Love this movie. Feel sad that Gene Anthony Ray struggled just as Leroy did.

And what a great recreation at the Grammys! Very beautiful. Musically, it was very faithful to the orginal; I almost expected Weird Al to come out and start singing "I drive an Audi electric" or something like that.
posted by Melismata at 8:26 AM on March 19, 2020 [2 favorites]

This song epitomizes the thing I've always loved most about this movie - the way very distinct types of performing art are all mashed up here together, each retaining their particular character yet also coming together into something even greater. Just notice how the song shifts from classical orchestra, to pop ballad, to rock band, to gospel choir. Classical ballet and modern dance happen side by side. Each genre gets its moment but they also all combine into one exciting and powerful statement. That has always deeply moved me.

Like, if I had one thing to nitpick - and I've never really thought about this before - but they could've used one person with a classical operatic voice for a verse in there somewhere.
posted by dnash at 8:39 AM on March 19, 2020 [8 favorites]

I just learned I still know all the words to this song.
posted by warriorqueen at 9:04 AM on March 19, 2020 [9 favorites]

I loved this movie unabashedly growing up, watched most of the TV series, and still know all the words to all the songs plus of course Debbie Allen's "You want fame? Well, fame costs. And right here is where you start paying... in SWEAT."

And I'm willing to bet that this scene is at least 75% of why I decided to move to New York.

Thanks for posting.
posted by Mchelly at 10:13 AM on March 19, 2020 [5 favorites]

This reminded me to pull out this song and album.Thank you!
posted by assenav at 10:21 AM on March 19, 2020

"You want fame? Well, fame costs. And right here is where you start paying... in SWEAT."

Each time she'd say, "here is where you start paying," my sister and I would say, "In small bills!"
posted by The Underpants Monster at 10:29 AM on March 19, 2020 [6 favorites]

Thank you for this.
posted by theora55 at 1:21 PM on March 19, 2020

MY FAVE! Thank you. Love this, get chills every time they jump up on WE ARE THE EMPERORS NOW and then when the horns swell to that triumphant crest and YES ITS EVERYTHING
posted by I_Love_Bananas at 6:24 PM on March 19, 2020 [1 favorite]

Wow, this made me happy this afternoon. Thanks! Now I need to rewatch the movie. It's been a while.
posted by OolooKitty at 3:20 PM on March 20, 2020 [1 favorite]