Xanadu

So this is a bit odd. Sometimes life hits you in the most unexpected ways. I was at work, listening to music, as I usually do. On the way to work, I heard “All Over the World” by ELO and I really enjoyed it. So, I decided to play it again once I got into the office. “All Over the World” was featured in the movie Xanadu. If you are unfamiliar, this movie was considered a bomb. It barely made it’s budget back at the box office and inspired the Golden Raspberry Awards, the awards for the worst movies of the year. Nonetheless, ELO and Olivia Newton-John are wonderful musicians, and they made a great soundtrack for it.

After I had finished listening to “All Over the World”, I continued listening to some songs on the soundtrack. The titular song “Xanadu” is, in my opinion, quite fun. Olivia Newton-John kills it on lead vocals, with Jeff Lynne providing lovely texture with his backing vocals. It goes without saying that ELO is a phenomenal backing band. The orchestral components make it feel huge and the electric components of the light orchestra act as a bridge from classical to pop. The lyrics of “Xanadu” are not particularly inspiring, but they’re fun. In the movie, “Xanadu” is a nightclub. The song is welcoming you to the club.

Full disclosure, I’ve never seen the movie, but I’ve seen the clip where Xanadu is performed in the movie. I think the Youtube title for the video best sums up what is going on: “Xanadu | Olivia Newton-John & Gene Kelly’s ’80s/’40s Hybrid E.L.O. Roller Disco” Yep, ’80s/’40s Hybrid E.L.O. Roller Disco. A roller disco led by none other than Gene Kelly, who is 68 at the time but as spry as ever. There are people in 80s garb roller discoing away, while dudes in zoot suits are basically vogue-ing with women in depression era dresses. Does it make sense, maybe in the context of the movie, but not at all to someone who just grabbed a clip off Youtube. That’s not all there is. There are people walking a tightrope with wagasa (japanese umbrellas) and performers hanging from the ceiling. It seems they’re trying to revive the big movie musicals from the 50s. This movie took a big swing, and, based on reputation, it missed.

Now, you may be asking yourself, why in the world are you talking about this. For as zany as this song and dance number is, it knocked something loose in me. I love music. It’s without a doubt my favorite non-living thing in this world. Every now and then, I get into a bit of a musical rut. I listen to the same songs a bunch and I can’t find anything that inspires me. Something about this song really just unlocked some joy in me. I’ve gone through a lot of phases in my life. I can list the order for you:

The Beatles -> Foo Fighters -> Genesis -> Rush -> Billy Joel -> The Band -> Dawes -> David Bowie -> Bob Dylan -> Wilco -> Bruce Springsteen -> R.E.M.

Now, these are just the major artists I was listening. During the Genesis/Rush phases, I was knee deep in Prog Rock. When I was listening to Bowie, I was listening to a lot of Prince as well. But one thing that tends to happen is, once I get out of one of these phases, I tend to stay away for a bit (with the exceptions of The Beatles, Bob Dylan, and Wilco). Eventually though, I hear a song that triggers why I went through the phase in the first place, and I’ll dive back in for a bit. It’s usually at this point they enter back into the regular rotation, but not nearly as intensely. It’s like I get sick of them and I need to forget them. Once I do that, they become regulars who don’t stick out as much, but provide a lot of color. This morning when “All Over the World” came on, I had the feeling “Well, it looks like ELO is about to head back into the rotation”. ELO was a big one for me during my Billy Joel phase. Coincidentally, it has just occurred to me that last month I just started really digging into Billy Joel again. What do you know about that.

Going back to Xanadu for a second, this goes a bit beyond music. As I was watching the clip from the movie, I was taken in by the visuals. The set, the dancers, the choreography, everything. It was one of those moments where I was amazed at what humans can do. Thinking about all the work and practice that went into making this scene what it was: a well oiled machine. You can have qualms with the choices they made. Maybe its all gauche and excessive, put I can’t help but admire that they made a creative choice and boy did they go for it. This is not half-assed. This is whole-assed. Once again, I haven’t seen the movie, but from reviews, it sounds to be not the best story. This is mostly beyond the control of the actors, choreographers, set-designers, and (sometimes) the director. But I love the commitment to make it as good as it can be. I love musical theater, and I think this is at least partially why. Its a spectacle, and dang it if I don’t love it.