Rest In Power, Irene Cara
How her voice in film sparked inspiration and dreams
Waking up to news of Academy Award-winning singer, songwriter, and actress Irene Cara, her voice bounced in my brain and tears flowed. I could hear her cheering, confident voice sing the lyrics to “Fame” the theme song to the movie of the same title. Coco Hernandez, the character played by Cara, boasted that she was gonna live forever, and told all the world to remember her name.
The movie’s setting was scores of selected teenage creatives — singers, dancers, musicians, visual artists — at the High School of Performing Arts (known today as Fiorello H. LaGuardia or just, LaGuardia, High School) in New York City. Dreams either came true or broke as students worked hard under the guidance of the best teachers in creative arts. The movie, Fame would win Oscars for best original song and best original score thanks to the song of the same name. A TV series inspired by the movie would arrive and become a hit, giving us award-winning dancer and choreographer Debbie Allen. Her portrayal of dance instructor Lydia Grant gave us the Fame speech, “You’ve got big dreams, you want fame. Well, fame costs, and right here is where you start paying; in sweat.”
“Fame” had many dreaming of making it big, whether in New York, or Los Angeles/Hollywood. Seeing small town names in bright lights, the opening and ending credits of a movie or tv series. In bylines and on book covers. The bottom corners of framed visual masterpieces on the walls of notable museums. For those of us who first watched “Fame” in theaters and on TV, hearing that theme song sparked a fire to do something outside of the ordinary. Cara’s voice did that. Her voice belting those lyrics had us believing that we too, will light up the sky like a flame.
A few years after “Fame,” we heard Cara’s voice again, giving us the push to aspire, dream, and go for our goals with the Oscar-winning song “Flashdance/What a Feeling,” for the motion picture, “Flashdance.” Jennifer Beals played a mill worker who strived to be a professional dancer. Cara’s voice told the story of a mill worker dancing for her life. Many of us felt that, too.
I’ve always wanted to be a writer. I knew this as a child and my head created stories and dreamed of writing for the local newspaper, then move on to other writing goals. In the 1990s I wrote for two local papers; the Gary Crusader and Post-Tribune. With the Post-Tribune I covered a lot of events that involved creative arts. Emerson School of Visual and Performing Arts was a repetitive source of stories and column pieces for me. And EVPA, as it was called by students and alumni, reminded me of the high school from “Fame.” I spent so much time at EVPA covering rehearsals and performances that some of the dance majors would tell the new students, “oh, she’s from the paper. She always write about us!” A close second was the West Side Theatre Guild at West Side High School (now known as West Side Leadership Academy). WSTG also comprise students and members of the community involved in the creative arts. I knew of certain voices in my hometown convinced I was ‘paid’ to write stories on happenings at EVPA and West Side. While that was false, the reward of seeing up-and-coming stars polish their gifts was always worth more than money.
Cara’s gift to inspire others was always there. Prior to “Fame” and “Flashdance,” she shined as Sparkle Williams in the 1976 musical drama, “Sparkle.” And before that, she sang encouragement in episodes of “The Electric Company.”
Miss Cara always shined. Even through her ups and downs as a performer, she shined. Her voice gave many of us hope and encouragement to step out and do what we dreamed. And she will live forever in our hearts and spirits.
Lisa D. DeNeal is a writer and author born and raised in a steel city name Gary, IN.
