A Million Lights Are Dancing & There You Are, A Shooting Star
Here is what love is:
He watched this movie with me because it jumped back into my mind, full force, every single lyric intact, my entire being once more suffused with a yearning to wear ribbon barrettes and flowing skirts while dancing on roller skates, and I couldn’t live another night without having all that synthesizery goodbadness etched into his brain too.
He endured every terrible, terrible line of dialogue and crater-sized plot hole, and he even found the “Whenever You’re Away from Me” number as charming as I do.
This clip is NOT that number. “Charming” is not the word for it. A Giant Glittering Mess of Audio-Visual Cheesepuffery is what this is.
Worth noting: we realized that the same summer I watched Xanadu on an endless loop, Scott watched Kramer vs. Kramer 37 times. This may explain a lot about the way each of us turned out.
Jennifer says:
I’ve never seen this. My eyes! My ears! I can’t unsee it!
On February 14, 2011 at 8:48 am
Elizabeth M says:
I saw Xanadu in the theater AND had the album! But that IS love. There is no way my husband would sit through that movie, no matter how much he loves me. (I think it’s a good thing we didn’t know each other in high school, we never would have had anything in common!)
Here’s a link to a version of the “Whenever you’re away from me” — bad video quality – but it’s hard to believe it’s in the same movie with the clip you posted.
I have to admit, other than the music and the fact that roller skating played a part — I don’t remember anything about the movie itself (if you can call it a plot)!
But thanks for the trip in the “way back” machine. I remember wearing those ribbon barrettes….
On February 14, 2011 at 9:08 am
Elizabeth M says:
OK, you got me hooked. I have to assume that a fair number of your readers will not have seen this movie.
So here’s a link to the trailer:
http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi1895170841/
Interesting that it’s in large part a collection of still photos.
And it’s on Netflix streaming, hmmm. No, I don’t think DH would go for it…. But I may have to check it out myself sometime, just to remember.
On February 14, 2011 at 9:19 am
Penny says:
oh.my.goodness. I just don’t even have words for this.
Wow. From poetry Friday to… this… lol This is hilarious.
Wow.
On February 14, 2011 at 9:52 am
Kathryn says:
It most truly is A Giant Glittering Mess of Audio-Visual Cheesepuffery. Both the clip and the description brightened my evening. And rarely have I come across a phrase I so long to borrow … oh! oh! I have it! The perfect description for Lady Gaga!
On February 14, 2011 at 11:04 am
Sara says:
I don’t know why I never saw it, since I saw Grease a thousand times, but I missed it. Can’t say I’m sorry about that!
On February 14, 2011 at 2:29 pm
Hannah says:
Love is … watching a movie with your sweetheart that you would never, NEVER choose to watch on your own.
On February 14, 2011 at 6:13 pm
Melissa Wiley says:
Oh Jenn, this clip barely scratches the surface of the mindboggling 1980 madness that is the movie. First of all, a huge chunk of that number is chopped out—we see Olivia Xanaduing her way through an assortment of musical styles including the most wince-inducing country number I’ve ever seen.
There is one “let’s get Gene Kelly a new wardrobe” musical montage that combines your standard dressing room ta-da shots with New Wave (sorta) onlookers dancing like birds, plus major overtones of Rocky Horror Picture Show. (Only cleaned up.)
The Gene Kelly/big band number I mentioned above is really quite sweet. It’s been one of my favorite belt-in-the-shower songs forever. 🙂
On February 14, 2011 at 6:41 pm
laurajean says:
Looking at this I was struck by two interesting things. One, I have never seen this movie, even tho (like Sara above) I saw Grease and was a big Olivia Newton John fan. And the second, you are younger than I am – clearly. My family didn’t own a vcr until I was in college, so I never watched anything “on an endless loop” — until we had kids!
On February 14, 2011 at 7:57 pm
Melissa Wiley says:
Nah, Laura, if I recall correctly we’re about the same age? My family got a VCR when I was in high school, but the Xanadu summer was much earlier, 1981 I think—it was on HBO constantly. 🙂 We did have HBO pretty early on, via microwave (can I be remembering that right?—that funny L-shaped antenna?). So I would have been going into 8th grade, which sounds about right.
On February 14, 2011 at 8:28 pm
Karen Edmisten says:
“we realized that the same summer I watched Xanadu on an endless loop, Scott watched Kramer vs. Kramer 37 times. This may explain a lot about the way each of us turned out.”
Lol!
Too. Perfect.
And while I was ga-ga over My Dinner With Andre, Atticus was extolling the virtues of Dr. Strangelove.
Oh, life is funny and good.
On February 14, 2011 at 9:01 pm
maria says:
ROFLOL!!!!! Melissa, you have once again made me laugh out loud a lot!
Xanadu…yea, my best friend and I went to see it in the theater. Twice! It was one of those mind-numbing things that you loved to be tortured by over and over and over. “All over the worrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrld!” Yea, that sticks in ones mind.
And yes. I wore the ribbon barrettes and I made them as well. I went so far as to give them as gifts. Oh boy, the early 80’s. Only the 70’s were scarier. LOL
Thank you for the laugh down memory lane.
🙂 Maria
On February 14, 2011 at 9:31 pm
maria says:
Jennifer says:
“I’ve never seen this. My eyes! My ears! I can’t unsee it!”
Exactly! One can not unsee it! LOL
On February 14, 2011 at 9:40 pm
Lori says:
My hubby was “un-Xanadu’d” as well, until we watched it on Netflix streaming last summer. Funny how some things are so monumental to some people, and so “whatev” to others, even if nostalgically.
On March 6, 2011 at 4:02 pm
Nick says:
I loved Xanadu when I was younger. The film has aged somewhat but the soundtrack album is amazing.
On January 29, 2012 at 1:41 pm