St. Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion)
Encyclopedia
"St. Elmo's Fire" is a song recorded by John Parr
. It hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100
on 7 September 1985 and peaked at number six in the UK, Parr's home country.
The song was originally written by David Foster
and John Parr
for the Canadian athlete Rick Hansen
, who at the time was going around the world in his wheelchair to raise awareness for spinal cord injuries. His journey was called the "Man in Motion Tour."
The song was used as the theme song for the film St. Elmo's Fire
, and became a number-one hit for John Parr
around the world and provided many awards and a Grammy
nomination.
Strangely, this hit song did not also appear on a John Parr album - except on a very rare 1985 CD re-release of his self-titled album from 1984 in West Germany.
Several members of Toto
appear on the record.
, "Sideshow Bob Roberts
"; it is supposedly a favorite song of Lisa Simpson
.
The line "Gonna be your man in motion" is repeated by Jason Sklar in an episode of Cheap Seats
.
It was featured heavily in the 2007
movie The Brothers Solomon
.
The song is briefly heard in an episode of The Facts Of Life
.
The song was played on an episode "SportsNation
" to celebrate Tim Tebow
starting for the Denver Broncos
.
in 1989. REO Speedwagon's guitarist, Dave Amato
, re-created the song on his solo album, Still Got It, which was released in 1995.
The Ventures
performed an instrumental cover version of the song on their 2006 album, Major Motion Picture.
It was remixed by Tommyknockers in May 2006 with the title "New Horizon", which reached #43 in Britain, but failed to chart at all in the United States.
John Parr
John Parr is an English musician, best known for his 1985 US #1 hit single "St. Elmo's Fire". Parr has sold 10 million albums worldwide.-Biography:...
. It hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
on 7 September 1985 and peaked at number six in the UK, Parr's home country.
The song was originally written by David Foster
David Foster
David Walter Foster, OC, OBC , is a Canadian musician, record producer, composer, singer, songwriter, and arranger, noted for discovering singers such as Michael Bublé, Josh Groban, and Charice Pempengco; and for producing some of the most successful artists in the world, such as Céline Dion, Toni...
and John Parr
John Parr
John Parr is an English musician, best known for his 1985 US #1 hit single "St. Elmo's Fire". Parr has sold 10 million albums worldwide.-Biography:...
for the Canadian athlete Rick Hansen
Rick Hansen
Richard M. Hansen, CC, OBC is a Canadian Paralympian and an activist for people with spinal cord injuries. Following a car crash at the age of 15, Hansen sustained a spinal cord injury that paralyzed him from the waist down. Hansen is most famous for his Man In Motion World Tour...
, who at the time was going around the world in his wheelchair to raise awareness for spinal cord injuries. His journey was called the "Man in Motion Tour."
The song was used as the theme song for the film St. Elmo's Fire
St. Elmo's Fire (film)
St. Elmo's Fire is a 1985 American coming-of-age film directed by Joel Schumacher. The film, starring Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, Andrew McCarthy, Demi Moore, Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy and Mare Winningham, is a prominent movie of the Brat Pack genre, and revolves around a group of friends that have...
, and became a number-one hit for John Parr
John Parr
John Parr is an English musician, best known for his 1985 US #1 hit single "St. Elmo's Fire". Parr has sold 10 million albums worldwide.-Biography:...
around the world and provided many awards and a Grammy
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
nomination.
Strangely, this hit song did not also appear on a John Parr album - except on a very rare 1985 CD re-release of his self-titled album from 1984 in West Germany.
Several members of Toto
Toto (band)
Toto is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1977. The group currently consists of Joseph Williams , David Paich , Steve Porcaro , Steve Lukather , Mike Porcaro , and Simon Phillips . Toto is known for a musical style that combines elements of pop, rock, soul, funk, progressive rock, hard...
appear on the record.
In popular culture
The song is briefly heard in an episode of The SimpsonsThe Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
, "Sideshow Bob Roberts
Sideshow Bob Roberts
"Sideshow Bob Roberts" is the fifth episode of The Simpsons sixth season, and it originally aired on October 9, 1994. Kelsey Grammer returns as villain Sideshow Bob, who, in this episode, wins the Springfield mayoral election through electoral fraud. The episode was written by Bill Oakley and Josh...
"; it is supposedly a favorite song of Lisa Simpson
Lisa Simpson
Lisa Marie Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons. She is the middle child of the Simpson family. Voiced by Yeardley Smith, Lisa first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987. Cartoonist Matt Groening...
.
The line "Gonna be your man in motion" is repeated by Jason Sklar in an episode of Cheap Seats
Cheap Seats
Cheap Seats without Ron Parker, commonly shortened to Cheap Seats, is a television program broadcast on ESPN Classic hosted by brothers Randy and Jason Sklar...
.
It was featured heavily in the 2007
2007 in film
This is a list of major films released in 2007.-Top grossing films:Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the USA in 2007...
movie The Brothers Solomon
The Brothers Solomon
The Brothers Solomon is a comedy film released on September 7, 2007, starring Will Arnett and Will Forte.-Plot:John and Dean are two sheltered happy-go-lucky brothers who want nothing more than to please their ailing father . Deciding a grandson will do the trick, the clueless boys set out to...
.
The song is briefly heard in an episode of The Facts Of Life
The Facts of Life (TV series)
The Facts of Life is an American sitcom that originally ran on the NBC television network from August 24, 1979 to May 7, 1988. A spin-off of the sitcom Diff'rent Strokes, the series' premise focused on Edna Garrett as she becomes a housemother at the fictional Eastland School, a prestigious...
.
The song was played on an episode "SportsNation
SportsNation (TV series)
SportsNation is a sports-related television program that airs on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN America and ESPNews. It is hosted by Colin Cowherd and Michelle Beadle. It is based on SportsNation, the fan forum and poll section of ESPN.com...
" to celebrate Tim Tebow
Tim Tebow
Timothy Richard "Tim" Tebow is an American football player who is currently the starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Broncos as the 25th overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft...
starting for the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
Music video
The music video features all seven of the main cast of the film St. Elmo's Fire looking sadly through the foggy windows of a run-down and fire-damaged version of the St. Elmo's Bar set. The Canadian version of the video intersperses images of Hansen's trek.Covers
It was remade by REO SpeedwagonREO Speedwagon
REO Speedwagon is an American rock band. Formed in 1967, the band grew in popularity during the 1970s and peaked in the early 1980s. Hi Infidelity is the group's most commercially successful album, selling over ten million copies and charting four Top 40 hits in the US...
in 1989. REO Speedwagon's guitarist, Dave Amato
Dave Amato
Dave Amato is an American musician, best known as the lead guitarist of the rock band REO Speedwagon.He was born and raised near Framingham, Massachusetts...
, re-created the song on his solo album, Still Got It, which was released in 1995.
The Ventures
The Ventures
The Ventures is an American instrumental rock band formed in 1958 in Tacoma, Washington. Founded by Don Wilson and Bob Bogle, the group in its various incarnations has had an enduring impact on the development of music worldwide. With over 100 million records sold, the group is the best-selling...
performed an instrumental cover version of the song on their 2006 album, Major Motion Picture.
It was remixed by Tommyknockers in May 2006 with the title "New Horizon", which reached #43 in Britain, but failed to chart at all in the United States.
Chart performance
| Chart (1985) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Singles Chart | 1 |
| French Singles Chart | 62 |
| UK Singles Chart | 6 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Album Rock Tracks | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary | 4 |