Five Good Covers presents five cross-genre reinterpretations of an oft-covered song.
Our journey through the Oscar-winning songs of the 1980s brings us to “Up Where We Belong,” the 1983 winner. Read about Christopher Cross’s “Arthur’s Theme” here.
A brash, cocky individual, who travels by motorcycle and who appears to think of little but himself, arrives at a Naval Aviator school on the US Pacific Coast. He encounters tough love from a father figure / instructor and the love of a woman who is emotionally and intellectually smarter than he is. He is part of a system exquisitely designed to find the best in people, and discard them if it is not there, bringing him to a place where he is a much better person. During breaks from elevating himself and saving the nation, he can let off steam in a special tavern, where the jukebox always has the right song available. A classmate is tragically lost during the process. The protagonist is ultimately ready to defend and elevate his nation in its time of need. The sacrifice and Military Method have won out.
An Officer and a Gentleman was a huge movie in 1982, and those of us around at the time could not miss its presence. Young men in ersatz dress uniform were regularly carrying young women around city centers, or TV shows (in the years before Internet memes). Richard Gere was the idol of the day. However, the movie was soon eclipsed by Top Gun, which drew upon aspects of the story and added layers of bombast and more modern sexual politics. Of course, the main thing that the 1986 movie added was sexy shots of planes and boats, which required a relationship with the Navy. Could they have achieved that relationship without the sizzle reel of a multiple Oscar-winning film? Simpson and Bruckheimer, along with Tony Scott, certainly set their ambitions higher. It ultimately worked for all parties, as the Navy saw a bump in recruitment and Top Gun became a cultural phenomenon. There was probably not a rush for paper mill jobs after Officer.
Another similarity between the two films was the use of emotive music, and how integral it was to each movie. Director Taylor Hackford is a musical sophisticate, and directed Jamie Foxx in Ray, but he had a limited budget for the soundtrack in this case. The jukebox in the bar contains Van Morrison, Pat Benatar and Dire Straits. The cheesiness of the music at the Officers’ mixer is very specific. Hackford hired Jack Nitzsche to do the soundtrack. But he did not have a hook for the final, climactic scene. Despite its schmaltzy nature, and against the better initial judgement of the director and probably, a few lines of the Naval Code of Conduct, the arrival of Gere, in his first act as an officer and in an iconic Dress White Suit, at the factory where his lover worked to rescue her from a life of drudgery was loved by test audiences and had to stay in. But you needed the music to drive the point home. Nitzsche initially struggled, but then his then-wife, Buffy Sainte-Marie, let him use her work in progress, “Up Where We Belong,” which seemed to fit the mood and theme. With lyrics from Will Jennings, emphasizing that love (or person or Country) can lift us all, with the implication that the Navy can elevate the nation, the complete package was a winner.
Jennifer Warnes already had one Oscar-winning song to her name (“It Goes Like It Goes,” from Norma Rae), and was immediately in the frame for this opportunity to present the work. Although the piece is not necessarily a two-hander or a call-and-response, Warnes thought it might work as a duet. Her choice as a partner, as she had some leverage, was Joe Cocker. Who wouldn’t want to work with him? As it happens, lots of people, as his career was in the doldrums. But his powerful voice, honed by years of experience and a two-pack-a-day cigarette habit, was the perfect foil for Warnes, whose voice was sophisticated but more delicate. There is a dynamic between the powerful but controlled voice of Cocker, and Warnes’ controlled passion. The song could be interpreted as the partnership between Gere and Debra Winger. Or Cocker could be a representation of Lou Gossett Jr., the Staff Sergeant whose apparent hard heart was just a man who wanted the Navy to only have the best in their ranks. It could be the nation itself, battered and bruised by military escapades, but still standing tall. Overall, the package was a winning one, reaching the Top of the Charts and taking the 1983 Best Song Oscar, with Olivia Newton-John doing the presenting honors.
There have been many covers over the years, here are Five of the Best.
BeBe & CeCe Winans – Up Where We Belong (Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes cover)
The world of the original song was strictly temporal. Of two individuals in love, a father and surrogate son relationship, the role of the military in determining the fate of the world. One of the first, and great, covers took a trip to the spiritual realm. Brother and sister BeBe and CeCe Winans kept what worked from the original, but crafted a new message. Love of God can elevate you and reward you. This message is clarified by a change in the words, to emphasise the Christian morality of the new work, whilst retaining an R&B feel.
Laila Adéle, Elias Lind & One Nation – Up Where We Belong (Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes cover)
This version is not spiritual in the same way as the first one, but retains some themes and introduces some new ones. A key element is that the role of the powerful voice is taken by Adéle, with Lind playing the impactful but more delicate role. The Gospel choir behind allows the pair to ride a wave of joy.
Ted Neeley and Yvonne Elliman – Up Where We Belong (Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes cover)
We don’t have spirituality here, but we do have Jesus Christ Superstar. Ted Neeley played that role thousands of times, including in the movie, and here he is joined by his buddy from those endeavours, Yvonne Elliman. They bring a balanced reading, but also add one element. Whilst the original, and most of the covers, bemoan the fact that there are mountains “In The Way,” which will be trials to be defeated, Neeley notes merely that they are “On The Way,” and part of the rich journey of partnership. If I am with you no mountain will defeat me is the meaning from both readings, but Neeley’s is more positive and, therefore, uplifting.
Glen Campbell and Juice Newton – Up Where We Belong (Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes cover)
Love can strike at any age, and opportunities to succeed are presented to us, if we are lucky, throughout our lifetime. Although the protagonists in the film are pretty young, none of the artists here are in their first flush. However, none of them wear their age and experience as well as Campbell and Newton. They never stopped looking for love and opportunity so were much more likely to find it.
Up Where We Belong – Buffy Sainte-Marie (Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes cover)
At the heart of the song and the story, is a couple in love. Timeless. This version is a reminder of what love can bring to the world. Without Sainte-Marie and Nitzsche falling in love we would not have the song, a song that became a duet for powerful voices. Would it be remembered without the Oscar, the powerful words that speak of this world and others? We don’t know what Sainte-Marie could have done with her noodling if she had not worked with her partner to fill it out, and was joined by a classic lyricist. But we get a hint here from here single-handed folk reading.
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