Pure Imagination
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| "Pure Imagination" | |
|---|---|
| Template:Infobox song/link by Gene Wilder | |
| from the album Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (Music from the Original Soundtrack of the Paramount Picture) | |
| Released | Script error: No such module "Date time". |
| Length | Script error: No such module "hms". |
| Label | Paramount |
| [[Songwriter|SongwriterTemplate:Pluralize from text]] | Leslie Bricusse, Anthony Newley |
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"Pure Imagination" is a song from the 1971 film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. It was written by British composers Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley specifically for the movie.[1] It was sung by Gene Wilder, who played the character of Willy Wonka. Bricusse has stated that the song was written over the phone in one day.[2] The song has a spoken introduction.[3]
Since its release, the song has been covered and remixed hundreds of times by a wide variety of artists.[3] The original song was not popular when it was first released. The film itself was not a blockbuster and other songs from the soundtrack performed better. It was not until the movie began appearing on television reruns in the 1980s that the film and "Pure Imagination" became more well known.[2][4] Although the original song never charted, some cover versions have done so.[5][4]
In the week following Wilder's death in 2016, the song rose in streams and sales by more than 1000%.[5] The song was featured in television, radio, and social media tributes to Wilder including Coldplay who performed the song at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado on August 29, 2016.[4][6] While it was absent from the 2005 film adaptation Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the song was featured in the 2023 prequel film Wonka, both in its promotional materials and the film itself, sung by Timothée Chalamet as Wonka.[7]
Notable cover versions
- Lou Rawls covered the song for his 1976 album All Things in Time.[8]
- Ben Vereen covered the song on season 1 episode 17 of The Muppet Show, January 1977.[9]
- Bob James covered the song for his 1977 album, BJ4.
- Gary Valenciano covered the song for his 1986 movie, Horsey Horsey, Tigidig-Tigidig, during one of Belinda's fantasy where they ride on a back of flying horse with her husband and their friend Johnny, Eddie and Gringo (portrayed by Tito, Vic and Joey respectively).
- In 1997, jazz pianist Bill Charlap recorded a solo piano version of the song on his album All Through the Night (Criss Cross Jazz 1153).[10]
- In 2011, the song made its first entry into the Billboard Hot 100 when it was covered by the cast of the TV series Glee. (US No. 59)[11]
- In September 2013, the song was featured in a Chipotle short film, sung by Fiona Apple.[12] (US No. 104)[13]
- Ruby Arias (portrayed by Emma Tremblay) sang the song for a school concert in the Supergirl episode "The Faithful".[14]
- An instrumental version of the song is featured in the 2017 Marvel Studios film Thor: Ragnarok.[15][16]
- In the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory musical, every production except the London version, which has it in the Great Glass Elevator, has Willy Wonka sing it in the Chocolate Room.
- Barbra Streisand recorded the song as a duet with Seth MacFarlane for her 2016 album Encore: Movie Partners Sing Broadway.
References
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- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Stories of Standards: "Pure Imagination"". KUVO. 3 April 2019. Archived from the original on 1 December 2020. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
- ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Riedel, Michael (30 August 2016). "Gene Wilder's most famous song was originally a dud". New York Post.
- ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Why Has 'Pure Imagination' Been Covered So Many Times?". WNYC Studios. 22 October 2014.
- ^ a b c Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Geddes, James (31 August 2016). "'Pure Imagination' By Gene Wilder From 'Willy Wonka' Hits iTunes Chart 45 Years After Initial Release". Tech Times.
- ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Zellner, Xander (7 September 2016). "'Pure Imagination' Streams Increase 1,061% After Gene Wilder's Death". Billboard. Archived from the original on 10 September 2016.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Hines, Ree (31 August 2016). "Coldplay performs touching Gene Wilder tribute with 'Pure Imagination'". Today.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Rudoy, Matthew (14 November 2023). "Timothée Chalamet Finally Sings Iconic Gene Wilder Song In New Wonka Trailer". ScreenRant. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Searl, Hanford (1 September 1979). "Talent in Action". Billboard. Vol. 91, no. 35. Nielsen Business Media. p. 38. Retrieved 26 July 2024 – via Google Books.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Muppet Central Guides – The Muppet Show: Ben Vereen". muppetcentral.com. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."All Through the Night / Bill Charlap". AllMusic.com. Retrieved 13 May 2025.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Trust, Gary (26 May 2011). "Weekly Chart Notes: Adele, John Rich, Blondie". Billboard.
{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Roberts, Randall (13 September 2013). "Fiona Apple covers Willy Wonka in striking new Chipotle clip". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Fiona Apple – Chart history | Billboard". Billboard. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."'Supergirl' recap: Kara hosts an awkward girls' night". EW.com. 31 October 2017. Archived from the original on 19 January 2018. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Schmidt, Joseph (4 November 2017). "'Thor: Ragnarok' Has A Willy Wonka Easter Egg". Comicbook.com.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Armitage, Hugh (25 October 2017). "12 amazing Easter eggs from Thor: Ragnarok". Digital Spy.
External links
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