She's Like the Wind
"She's Like the Wind" is a 1987 song from the film Dirty Dancing, performed by Patrick Swayze. Though Swayze is the primary vocalist on the single, it was billed as being performed by 'Patrick Swayze & Wendy Fraser'. Fraser is heard throughout much of the song, specifically in the final chorus. The power ballad reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Adult Contemporary chart.
Production
Swayze and Stacy Widelitz co-wrote the song in 1984.It was originally intended for the soundtrack of Grandview, U.S.A. and was meant to be about Jamie Lee Curtis' character in the film. However, the song was not used in that film. During production of Dirty Dancing in 1987, Swayze played the demo for producer Linda Gottlieb and director Emile Ardolino. They loved it and passed it on to Jimmy Ienner and Bob Feiden, the soundtrack's executive producers. It was recorded for the soundtrack in November 1986, with Michael Lloyd producing. The song, like the film in which it was featured, was a success, reaching number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on Adult Contemporary, and was a hit around the world. It is still in rotation on radio. The soundtrack album was number one for 18 weeks
Music video
The music video in black and white features clips from the movie Dirty Dancing. The video can be seen on the Ultimate Dirty Dancing DVD.Releases
The song was released commercially on 7" vinyl in many countries, with a 3-track 12" maxi single and 2-track cassette also produced. CD singles were a relatively new format, however; a 2 and 3-track 5" CD and Japanese mini CD single were commercially released.Track listing
Chart history
Weekly charts
| Chart | Peak position |
| French SNEP Singles Chart | 7 |
| Chart | Peak position |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 67 |
Year-end charts
Cover versions
Lumidee and Tony Sunshine version
recording artists Lumidee and Tony Sunshine covered the song for Lumidee's second album, Unexpected. It was released as the lead single from Unexpected in the US and Europe on April 3, 2007.Background
According to Lumidee, the idea to record a remake of Patrick Swayze's 1987 song "She's Like The Wind" was inspired by her European label when she recommended a collaboration with fellow New York recording artist Tony Sunshine. She also said, "We'd been talking about working together but hadn't been able to. But he loved the idea of doing something with this song."Music video
The music video for this version was directed by Dayo.Track listing
- "She's Like the Wind" – 4:17
- "She's Like the Wind" – 3:53
- "She's Like the Wind" – 4:18
- "She's Like the Wind" – 4:15
Charts
Other versions
- The song was later covered by Vibekingz featuring Maliq, Phonkillaz, and Patrick Nuo, and in 2007 by Lumidee featuring Tony Sunshine, released on Lumidee's album Unexpected.
- The Vibekingz version reached #2 on Germany's pop charts in 2006, and stayed in the top ten for two months. The version by Lumidee received widespread airplay in the United States, reaching the top 20. Tony Sunshine sings the original part by Swayze, while Lumidee raps with original verses related to the theme of the song.
- Ultrabeat covered the song on their 2008 album, .
- Jan Wayne covered it on his album Back Again.
- Calum Scott performed a version used in the 2017 TV movie version of Dirty Dancing.