New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Music has been one of the biggest escapes for people during the pandemic, with strong showings from some surprising genres. Dangerous: The Double Album by Morgan Wallen was the top-selling album of 2021, a massive achievement in a year when pop powerhouses like Taylor Swift and Adele both released albums. Although streaming continues to make up a large proportion of how people consume music, album and single sales remain a huge source of income for artists.
It isn't just established recording artists who have had big hits over the years, though. Several celebrities who made their names outside of music have dipped their toes into recording music. Novelty records are nothing new. As Mental Floss reports, the Super Bowl Shuffle from the 1985 Chicago Bears team reached number 41 on the Billboard charts and is still talked about today. Movie stars, with their already large reach and influence, often seek to expand their brand into music too. With the help of the best producers, money can buy, plenty of film stars have managed to get big sales off of their music over the years.
Here are three of the best examples of film stars who have managed to crack the Top 40 with their music endeavors.
You're Welcome - Dwayne Johnson
It is almost annoying how talented Dwayne Johnson is. Not content to be one of the biggest film stars in the world or one of the most iconic names in professional wrestling, he also has a surprisingly good singing voice. His turn as a Disney character in Moana included singing the song You're Welcome, which helped propel the album to the number two spot on the Billboard charts, but Johnson had been one of the biggest stars in the world before ever stepped foot in the recording booth.
Jumanji made a major movie hero out of Johnson with its significant digital media reach. Not only did he play the starring role in the latest films in the franchise, but his likeness also appears in Jumanji: The Video Game from Outright Games. Jumanji already had a huge following, which made it a great vehicle for Johnson. There's an online slot from Gala Bingo based on the films, called Jumanji, and that's not the only mobile game to feature the branding. You can also find Jumanji: The Mobile Game which features all the characters in a stand-alone adventure. With this much star power behind him, it is not difficult to see why Johnson's turn at singing a Disney song was such a huge hit.
Party All The Time - Eddie Murphy
It takes a lot for a comedian to become such a huge star that even their laugh is iconic, but that is the level of fame that Eddie Murphy has. From his time on Saturday Night Live through to this big-screen stardom in the 80s onward, there are few names in comedy bigger than Eddie Murphy. In 1985, when he was already a big name in cinema, with 48 Hrs., Trading Places, and Beverly Hills Cop already establishing him as one of the biggest stars of the time. It was seemed natural for him to try his hand at singing as well.
This song came about as a bet between Murphy and fellow comedian Richard Pryor about if Murphy had any real singing talent. The track was released in September of that year and quickly reached number 2 on the Billboard charts. Whether Murphy is a good singer on the track is up for debate but it is hard to argue with the success of the track.
She's Like the Wind - Patrick Swayze
It is easy to think that Patrick Swayze was always the massive star we know him as, but in 1987 his biggest hit had been the 1986 film Red Dawn. It wasn't until Dirty Dancing, the low-budget film that he starred in alongside Jennifer Grey, became a surprise hit that he was truly catapulted to stardom.
The song She's Like the Wind certainly isn't the iconic song from the Dirty Dancing soundtrack, but it still reached the top 10 on the Billboard charts the year it was released. Patrick Swayze wrote the song alongside singer Stacy Widelitz. Originally meant for the film Grandview, U.S.A. in 1984, it found its way to Dirty Dancing and helped cement Patrick Swayze's ongoing star power.
