Space Jam Soundtrack Goes Quadruple-Platinum

The Space Jam soundtrack slam-dunked its way to the top of the Recording Industry Association of America's league as the best-selling album of the year to date with more than 4 million copies sold. Space Jam, which passed the quadruple-platinum mark last month, also contains R. Kelly's platinum single "I Believe I Can Fly" and Monica's gold single "For You I Will." The soundtrack was one of 123 releases to go multiplatinum in the first half of 1997, down from 140 during the same period last year. Platinum album certifications, on the other hand, were up by 20 to 93 overall.

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Song Stories

“Tonight's the Night”

The Shirelles | 1960

The lead cut and title track from this girl group's debut album, "Tonight's the Night" was written by 19-year-old bandmember Shirley Owens, who sings lead, and producer Luther Dixon. The band from Passaic, New Jersey met in high school, first calling themselves the Pequellos. The song's frank thoughts about sexual and emotional surrender was racy for the time, but that didn't stop the Chiffons from cutting a similar version immediately after the original came out. "We were the first female group to write some of our own material," band member Beverly Lee recalls. "We did have some say-so in our writing."

More Song Stories entries »

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