Movie: Twenty Feet From Stardom

“Meet the unsung heroes behind the greatest music of our time”The second of the films seen on-board Virgin Atlantic that I’d missed in the cinema, Twenty Feet From Stardom is a documentary charting the many voices I have heard in pop music over the decades.The story has been all told before, but I still find it startling that singers, especially in the 60s and 70s never got the credit when they have sung on a track. Instead, it goes to the big name artist on the label and they just get paid for the day’s work. For example ‘He’s A Rebel’ was credited The Crystals and not the magnificent Darlene Love. Of course we now know how much Darlene Love contributed to the Phil Spector ‘Wall of sound’ but can you imagine that happening now? Discounting Milli Vanilli in the 1980s of course.Clearly young singers with amazing voices were taken advantage of but as an admiring Bruce Springsteen says in the film, not everyone can be at the front of the stage. A singer has to have the songs and he voice, and not everyone has a song writer to work with. My thoughts are as long as you can sing and do what you love for a living, does it really matter where you are on stage? As long as you get the credit you deserve!A poignant moment for me was when a singer was working as a cleaner in Beverly Hills and heard her own song come on the radio. When Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home) came on in her clients house, Darlene Love knew it was time to get back to music! Thank goodness!The Christmas tradition since then has been to appear on Dave Letterman’s show every year although he’s stepping down, that may be the end of that but what a wonderful run.Just brilliant to see all these ladies (and Luther Vandross who of course made it to the front of the stage) sing again and tell their stories. Loved it so much, I saw it again!Read about the full cast of voices you are sure to recognise here.8½/10Smile factor 8/10 (bittersweet)