from LOVE THEME FROM ST. ELMO’S FIRE (single)
written by David Foster
After countless hits composed and produced for other people, the summer of 1985 saw the release of David Foster’s classic instrumental, “Love Theme From St. Elmo’s Fire.” This gorgeous tune finally brought the Canadian super-producer some well-deserved success as a solo artist. “Love Theme From St. Elmo’s Fire” skyrocketed to the top 15 of Billboard’s Hot 100 and became a #3 Adult Contemporary hit.
Foster wrote this evergreen while in Vancouver . The song’s evocative atmosphere reflected a feeling of longing and nostalgia. Recently, our favorite Hitman told us a little about how this tune came about:
“I wrote a first instrumental for St. Elmo’s Fire that came to me while crossing the bridge in Vancouver . I sent it to Joel Schumacher, the director, and he didn’t like it, so that same night Bryan Adams came over and we used that melody for what evolved into ‘Tears Are Not Enough.’ The next day, Schumacher called me and said ‘I was wrong, so wrong. I love it, I love it!!!’ I said ‘I’m sorry, but it’s too late, it already got used.’ Right after I had to scramble so, for inspiration, I used the director’s original words, ‘I want this piece to sound like autumn, college, east coast, falling leaves, cool air, youth etc.’ and under a huge amount of pressure I came up with ‘Love Theme’ pretty fast.”
“Love Theme From St. Elmo’s Fire” captures catchy and refined while showing a melodic strength that is nothing short of sublime. Foster performed all the keyboard parts with his magnificent piano playing center-stage while Dave Boruff wowed us with his warm saxophone. They delivered a magnificent masterpiece that echoes the sounds of Sixties legends Burt Bacharach or Henry Mancini timeless instrumentals.
Foster collected two Grammy nominations for “Love Theme From St. Elmo’s Fire” as “Best Instrumental Composition” and “Best Pop Instrumental Performance.” The superior value of the composition, its great arrangement and the pristine production by Foster and Humberto Gatica deserved a trophy or two. “Love Theme From St. Elmo’s Fire” is a case in point of Foster’s superior knack for writing evocative and moving instrumentals that morph into gems and a shining example of his incredible gift of song.
Listen
[audio:https://www.fozfan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/love_theme_from_st_elmo_s_fire.mp3|titles=Love Theme From St. Elmo’s Fire|artists=David Foster]
Acoustic Piano & Keyboards: David Foster
Saxophone: David Boruff
Arranged by David Foster
Produced by David Foster & Humberto Gatica
Lyrics
No Lyrics