Irene Cara, 'Fame' and 'Flashdance... What a Feeling' Singer, Dead at 63

[Tommy Roberts Jr]

Irene Cara, 'Fame' and 'Flashdance... What a Feeling' Singer, Dead at 63

 

[Phil Harmonic]

Mannnnn, I'll never forget when Flashdance blew up the record stores of Miami. That was a huge hit!

 

[frankberry]

"What A Feeling" was such a great song. Still love it!
RIP, Irene.

 

[Prescott Joe]

I can't think of many tunes I like better! She had the perfect voice for the song,
"What a feeling."

 

[Greg Strickland]

"What a feeling" non-extended, radio mix has a bold edit or quick vocal track comp at about 3:14. Always makes me smile because it is so courageous and out there. Kind of like the complete silence pause in "Hotel California". There is something to be said for music producers who said, "I don't care what people think, I'm doing it". "Hotel California" sounds like they precisely replaced the pause on the 2-track master with leader tape. Dead silence.

Excellent vocal by Irene Cara on "What a feeling"

She recorded a nice ballad "Anyone can see", produced by Ron Dante. The recording features a mid-sentence key change, pulled off quite nicely.

 

[firepoint525]

Always liked this extended dance mix. I have it in my own collection. Enjoy!

 

[Daryl Lynn L.A.]

Very sad about Irene Cara, a great vocalist. I've always wondered why so many talented entertainers leave the world at such a relatively young age. I don't know if it's because they burn themselves out with too much partying, or too much work and too little sleep, or an unhealthy lifestyle, or anything else. But as a profession, the performing arts business tends to have a large share of young deaths. ( Not accusing Irene Cara of anything, but just in general, people in entertainment sometimes live relatively short lives, which is so sad. ).

 

[Mikey Radio]

Anyone remember a somewhat obscure movie she was in back in the 80s called DC Cab? It featured Irene Cara and starred Mr. T, Gary Busey, Bill Maher, Paul Rodriquez and a few other familiar faces from that era. I remember seeing it, but recall little about the movie or the plot.

 

[Cordelia Chase]

I remember when I was a kid, seeing her play Alex Haley's mother in the miniseries "Roots." I also recall liking the song "Out Here on My Own" from the Fame soundtrack.

 

[Greg Strickland]

.... I've always wondered why so many talented entertainers leave the world at such a relatively young age. I don't know if it's because they burn themselves out with too much partying, or too much work and too little sleep, or an unhealthy lifestyle, or anything else. But as a profession, the performing arts business tends to have a large share of young deaths...

Daryl- I agree with your impression. Here's a possible reason- The passing of a well-known entertainer is a news item. The passing of non-famous people is not a news item.

We wake up to hear the news of the passing of famous people, but not "ordinary" people.

And famous people have a distribution of personal characteristics similar to everyone else. They might not get checked out for a condition, just as your neighbor may neglect to do it.

I think there is a social media connection to this. With so many "friends and followers" on social media, users have an instant window into the lives of hundreds or thousands of people they would otherwise not be aware of. A social media saturated person may think "everyone is dying" or "the world is falling apart", when in fact it may be about the same as it always was. The user is just more connected and aware of things that happen to people.

 

[Daryl Lynn L.A.]

Daryl- I agree with your impression. Here's a possible reason- The passing of a well-known entertainer is a news item. The passing of non-famous people is not a news item.

We wake up to hear the news of the passing of famous people, but not "ordinary" people.

And famous people have a distribution of personal characteristics similar to everyone else. They might not get checked out for a condition, just as your neighbor may neglect to do it.

I think there is a social media connection to this. With so many "friends and followers" on social media, users have an instant window into the lives of hundreds or thousands of people they would otherwise not be aware of. A social media saturated person may think "everyone is dying" or "the world is falling apart", when in fact it may be about the same as it always was. The user is just more connected and aware of things that happen to people.

Thank you, Greg ! I think your point is well taken. I keep thinking of many of the rocker radio DJ's of my youth, when DJ's were actual entertainers with fan bases. Sometimes it does seem as if "everyone is dying". But you're right - that is an impression that can be affected by social media. -- Daryl

 

[crainbebo]

Gosh, I had no idea this happened. What a hit she had with 'Flashdance...Oh What a Feeling'. Still a staple of classic hits radio to this day. Gone too soon. RIP!