Artist:Anne Murray
Song:Could I Have This Dance
Album:The Ultimate Collection
Of course Anne Murray is a much bigger deal in her native Canada than in the US. In the US, she had success mostly on the country charts including the 1981 number one country hit Could I Have This Dance. It appeared on the soundtrack of the 1980 film Urban Cowboy. That means it's a discography orphan meaning it did not appear on an Anne Murray album at the time. It's also the only time Anne recorded a song for a film. She had plenty of chart success in the 70s. The 1978 single You Needed Me crossed over to pop and topped the Billboard Hot 100. So it's not surprising that the producers of the 1980 film Urban Cowboy were looking to compile a soundtrack album of country hits. The film starred John Travolta and was based on the real life goings on at Texas clubs like Gilley's. Most of the songs on the album were previously released and used as background music in the film. Could I Have This Dance was the only song recorded for the film. It played at a wedding of the two main characters. The Urban Cowboy soundtrack was on Irving Azoff's Full Moon/Asylum label. So they had to ask Anne's label Capitol for permission to have her appear on the soundtrack. She may have been recording at the time as her usual producer Jim Ed Norman produced Could I Have This Dance. The song was written by Wayland Holyfield and Bob House. Holyfield had a lot of success writing songs with Don Williams in the 70s. It was the biggest hit for both guys as it topped the Country Singles chart and reached #33 on the Billboard Hot 100. The Urban Cowboy soundtrack album reached #3 on the Billboard 200. Could I Have This Dance did not appear on an Anne Murray album. Capitol may not have been allowed to add it to one of her new albums. But they were allowed to add it to the 1981 Greatest Hits album. You can get it on this 2017 budget comp. Anne continued to have success on the country charts until she faded in the late 80s. She retired in 2008. Here's Anne Murray performing Could I Have This Dance on Dutch TV 1981.
I still remember her first big hit "Snowbird." I heard that song as a very young boy and loved it. I love her voice and some of her other songs as well. Thank-you very much Frank, I appreciate this post and the memories it gives me. David.
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