Cara won an Academy Award in 1984 in the category of Best Original Song for co-writing Flashdance...What a Feeling. She is best known for her recordings of the songs Fame and Flashdance... What a Feeling. She also starred in the 1980 film version of Fame.
Personal
Her father Gaspar (died in 1994) is an Afro-Puerto Rican. Her mother Louise is of French and Cuban descent. She has 2 sisters and 2 brothers.
Married Hollywood stuntman Conrad Palmisano in 1986. They divorced in 1991.
Her age has always been a confusing mystery by biographers who stated her birth year as either 1959 or 1964 from the day she shot to fame. In July 2004 the Associated Press claimed to have found her voter registration record in Florida, where she lives. However, Ms. Cara has never voted or registered to do so in Florida. Ms. Cara disputes this and claims that she has never voted. Her date of birth is March 18th 1962 on Twitter.
Career
Irene first captivated the audiences of her family sometime after her fifth birthday when she began to play the piano by ear. Irene soon moved into serious studies of music, acting, and dance. Her career started on Spanish-language television as a child, professionally singing and dancing. By age 8, Cara recorded a Latin-market Spanish-language record; an English Christmas album soon followed.
From there, Cara appeared in on- and off-Broadway theatrical shows including the musical The Me Nobody Knows (which won an Obie award) and Maggie Flynn, opposite Shirley Jones and Jack Cassidy.
As a pre-teen, Her first national exposure was in the educational series The Electric Company, playing a member of the band The Short Circus. The series also featured Bill Cosby, Rita Moreno, Morgan Freeman, Mel Brooks, Joan Rivers and Gene Wilder.
Next came her role as Angela in romance thriller classic Aaron Loves Angela, followed by her portrayal of the title character in Sparkle.
Television brought Irene international acclaim for serious dramatic roles in two outstanding mini series, Roots: The Next Generations, the critically acclaimed adaptation of Alex Haley’s moving novel and Guyanna Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones.
1980s box office smash movie Fame catapulted Irene to stardom. As Coco Hernandez she sang both the title song Fame and the film’s second hit single Out Here On My Own. This made the movie soundtrack be a multi-platinum album that topped the charts. Further history was made when at the Academy Awards that year; for the first time two songs from one film were nominated in the same category: Fame and Out Here On My Own. Cara had the opportunity to be one of the few singers to perform more than one song at the Oscar ceremony. (Note: Robert Goulet, who sang all the Oscar-nominated songs in 1963, is among several singers who had done so in the past.) Fame, written by Michael Gore and Dean Pitchford, won the award that year.
Fame earned Irene a 1980 Grammy nominations for "Best New Female Artist" and "Best New Pop Artist," as well as a Golden Globe nomination for "Best Motion Picture Actress in a Musical". Billboard Magazine named Irene "Top New Single Artist," while Cashbox awarded her both "Most Promising Female Vocalist" and "Top Female Vocalist."
In 1982 Irene earned the Image Award for Best Actress when she co-starred with Diahann Carroll and Rosalind Cash in the NBC Movie of the Week, Maya Angelou's Sister, Sister. Irene portrayed Myrlie Evers-Williams in the PBS TV movie about Civil Rights Leader Medgar Evers, For Us the Living: The Medgar Evers Story; and earned an NAACP Image Award Best Actress nomination. She also was in 1982's Killing 'em Softly.
In 1983, Irene's title song for the movie Flashdance Flashdance...What A Feeling, which she co-wrote with Giorgio Moroder and Keith Forsey won her numerous awards. She won the 1983 Academy Award for Best Song(Oscar); 1984 Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, 1984 Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song, Top Female Vocalist-Pop Singles, Black Contemporary Female Vocalist-Pop Singles, Top Pop Crossover Artist-Black Contemporary Singles, Pop Single of the Year, American Music Awards for Best R&B Female Artist and Best Pop Single of the Year.
In 1984 she was in City Heat and in 1985 she was in Certain Fury and in 1986 she was in Busted Up. She provided the voice of Snow White in the unofficial sequel to Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in Filmation's Happily Ever After in 1993.
In 1992, Irene toured in the revival of Jesus Christ Superstar, along with Ted Neely and Carl Anderson playing their respective roles from the film adaptation of the play.
Singing Career
Along with her successful career in acting, Cara released three albums in the 1980s: Anyone Can See in 1982, What A Feelin' in 1983 and Carasmatic in 1987. She also released a compilation of Euro-dance singles in the mid to late 90's entitled Precarious 90's.
Currently
In June 2005, Irene won the third round of NBC television series Hit Me Baby One More Time, performing "Flashdance (What a Feeling)" and covered Anastacia's hit "I'm Outta Love" with her current band, Hot Caramel.
At the 2006 AFL Grand Final in Melbourne, Cara performed "Flashdance (What a Feeling)" as an opener to the pre-match entertainment.
She lived in Florida and continues work in preparation for her band Hot Caramel's album.
Cara died at her home in Largo, Florida, on November 25, 2022, at the age of 63. The official cause of death was determined to be arteriosclerotic and hypertensive heart disease.
Flashdance...What A Feeling
Irene Cara Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But a slow glowing dream
That your fear seems to hide
Deep inside your mind
All alone, I have cried
Silent tears full of pride
In a world made of steel
Well, I hear the music
Close my eyes, feel the rhythm
Wrap around, take a hold of my heart
What a feeling
Being's believin'
I can have it all, now I'm dancing for my life
Take your passion
And make it happen
Pictures come alive
You can dance right through your life
Now I hear the music
Close my eyes, I am rhythm
In a flash, it takes hold of my heart
What a feeling
Being's believin'
I can have it all, now I'm dancing for my life
Take your passion
And make it happen
Pictures come alive
You can dance right through your life
What a feeling
What a feeling (I am music now)
Being's believin' (I am rhythm now)
Pictures come alive
You can dance right through your life
What a feeling (I can really have it all)
What a feeling (pictures come alive when I call)
I can have it all (I can really have it all)
Have it all (pictures come alive when I call)
(Call, call, call, call)
(What a feeling)
I can have it all (being's believin')
Being's believin' (take your passion)
(Make it happen)
Make it happen
(What a feeling)
What a feeling
The song "Flashdance... What a Feeling" by Irene Cara is a powerful anthem about hope, passion, and perseverance. The lyrics describe the struggle of pursuing a dream against all odds, with the first verse referencing the fear that can hold someone back. The second verse acknowledges the pain and loneliness that can come with taking a risk to follow a dream. But then the chorus bursts forth, full of energy and conviction, asserting that "being's believin'," and that one can have it all if they chase their passion.
The second half of the song emphasizes the transformative power of music and dance. The verses describe how the music takes hold of the singer's heart and makes her feel like she can do anything. The chorus repeats the message that one's dreams can become reality if they "make it happen" and "dance right through your life." The bridge is a powerful affirmation of the power of music and self-belief, with the singer declaring that "I am music now" and "I am rhythm now."
Overall, this song is an inspiring and uplifting tribute to the power of passion and perseverance, and a reminder that with hard work and dedication, anyone can achieve their dreams.
Line by Line Meaning
First, when there's nothing
But a slow glowing dream
That your fear seems to hide
Deep inside your mind
At the start, when you have nothing, except for a flickering hope, that your fear tries to conceal in your thoughts.
All alone, I have cried
Silent tears full of pride
In a world made of steel
Made of stone
I have wept all by myself, with tears that are filled with determination in a world that is callous and cold.
Well, I hear the music
Close my eyes, feel the rhythm
Wrap around, take a hold of my heart
Then, I hear the music and shut my eyes, letting the beat ensnare me wholly.
What a feeling
Being's believin'
I can have it all, now I'm dancing for my life
It's such a thrill, the joy of living, and I can attain everything that I want - now that I'm dancing for my life.
Take your passion
And make it happen
Pictures come alive
You can dance right through your life
Just pursue your passion and bring it to fruition - then everything will come alive, and you can dance through life.
Now I hear the music
Close my eyes, I am rhythm
In a flash, it takes hold of my heart
And now, the melody is all I can hear, my heartbeat in sync with the rhythm, it grabs me instantaneously.
What a feeling
Being's believin'
I can have it all, now I'm dancing for my life
It's such a thrill, the joy of living, and I can attain everything that I want - now that I'm dancing for my life.
Take your passion
And make it happen
Pictures come alive
You can dance right through your life
Just pursue your passion and bring it to fruition - then everything will come alive, and you can dance through life.
What a feeling
(I am music now)
Being's believin'
(I am rhythm now)
Pictures come alive
You can dance right through your life
It's such an indescribable feeling of exuberance and freedom - I am the music and the rhythm, and everything comes alive, enabling me to dance through life.
What a feeling
(I can really have it all)
Pictures come alive when I call
I can have it all
(Pictures come alive when I call)
(Call, call, call, call)
It's an incredible sensation - I really can have everything that I desire, and everything springs to life when I beckon them. (Call, call, call, call)
(What a feeling)
I can have it all
(being's believin')
Being's believin' (take your passion)
(Make it happen)
What a feeling
An intense feeling of pure exhilaration and joy - I can indeed have everything I desire if I believe in myself and follow my passions to make everything happen.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Giorgio Moroder, Irene Cara, Keith Forsey
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@sailorbychoice1
First, when there's nothing
But a slow glowing dream
That your fear seems to hide
Deep inside your mind
All alone, I have cried
Silent tears full of pride
In a world made of steel
Made of stone
Well, I hear the music
Close my eyes, feel the rhythm
Wrap around, take a hold of my heart
What a feeling
Being's believin'
I can have it all, now I'm dancing for my life
Take your passion
And make it happen
Pictures come alive
You can dance right through your life
Now I hear the music
Close my eyes, I am rhythm
In a flash, it takes hold of my heart
What a feeling
Being's believin'
I can have it all, now I'm dancing for my life
Take your passion
And make it happen
Pictures come alive
You can dance right through your life
What a feeling
What a feeling (I am music now)
Being's believin' (I am rhythm now)
Pictures come alive
You can dance right through your life
What a feeling (I can really have it all)
What a feeling (pictures come alive when I call)
I can have it all (I can really have it all)
Have it all (pictures come alive when I call)
(Call, call, call, call)
I can have it all (being's believin')
Being's believin' (take your passion)
Make it happen
(What a feeling)
What a feeling
@user-zc2ul3mb4ppp
2024 here, somebody else?
@joonygorun950
+ here too
@rglocks
This never gets old. Bonafide classic.
@joeperez1317
80s Baby. Here to live the many songs that I fell in love with
@broncodaddy46507
Yep
@dianatsuda8310
Greetings from Peru
@bleep77
There are certain 80’s songs that give me an overwhelmingly painful and bittersweet sense of nostalgia. This is definitely one of them.
@enrickotiu5646
I agree
@sergiogutierrez5379
A masterpiece indeed
@minyi8573
I feel u