1983 No. 1 Hit Dance Track Won an Oscar for 'Best Original Song' 42 Years Ago
Jennifer Beals starred in a 1983 romantic drama dance film that would become a big-screen cult classic. Flashdance was not only a box office success and pop culture craze with a sequencing style that inspired other films, but it also had a hit track that won an Oscar, composed by Giorgio Moroder andIrene Cara.
By the '80s, Moroder was already a household name record producer who was tasked with developing tracks for the film Flashdance. Directed by Adrian Lyne, Beals starred as a passionate young dancer named Alex Owens who works as a welder by day and an exotic dancer by night. She dreams of becoming a professional ballerina, and alongside her boyfriend, she strives to prove her worth to an elite dance academy.
Flashdance was without a doubt a box office success, having made $201 million at the box office, compared to its low $7 million budget. The film became iconic thanks to its dance numbers, Beals in the leading role, its iconic scenes of water being poured over Beals during a pivotal scene, and its soundtrack.
Moroder was approached by Flashdance producer Jerry Bruckheimer after having worked together on American Gigolo. He developed a rough demo of ideas and asked drummer Keith Forsey to help develop the track. Forsey would then seek the help of Fame actor and singer Irene Cara, and together they developed the hit track "Flashdance... What a Feeling."
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Cara and Forsey watched the final climactic dance scene of the film and soon developed its lyrics. The singer felt the song needed to convey "a metaphor about a dancer, how she's in control of her body when she dances and how she can be in control of her life." Moroder was ultimately on board, with Cara making clear she would be the one to sing the song. "What a Feeling" was the right title for the song, with "Flashdance" being added after its completion at the request of Moroder to get more promotion.
"Flashdance... What a Feeling" was praised by critics as one of the best showcases of Cara's vocal talents. It landed on the Billboard Hot 100 charts at No. 1 and on the Dance Club Songs charts. The track won both an Oscar and a Grammy for Best Original Song in 1984, with Cara earning a Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female for the single. She was listed as one of the top Best Song performances when she sang the track at the Oscars.
The hit track came with its dark moments, when Cara filed a lawsuit against her record label for unpaid royalties. She had realized she wasn't getting paid despite the song's immense popularity. After many years, Cara was only awarded over a million, but had faced immense career damage as a result.
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This story was originally published April 21, 2026 at 2:49 PM.