A profession is often seen as a chore, but Twenty Feet from Stardom proves without a doubt that backup singers take great pride and find passion in their work. That’s not a general consensus, of course, but it certainly holds true for the subjects in this particular documentary, one that follows the rise of a group and how they brought the heart and soul of gospel to a larger audience, mostly unaware of the influence. The names are important, but you’d likely have to have an affinity for their work or be in the music business to recognize them. Nonetheless, we see Merry Clayton, Lauren Fischer, Darlene Love, Judith Hill, Tata Vega, and numerous others that have become staples in the role of helping to harmonize and give the pop and boost to many of our most popular songs throughout the decades. However, the documentary isn’t just from their point of view. Director Morgan Neville enlists names like Sting, Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, Sheryl Crow, Mick Jagger, and many others while also showing behind the scenes footage of Michael Jackson, Ray Charles, Led Zeppelin, and David Bowie to further instill how important their role was.
Everything is on the table in this revealing look at their influence and the way each had striven for individual success with varying levels of success. The role of backup singers blossomed for a time when rock ‘n’ roll came into the light. Instead of the buttoned up roles where they spent most of it doing a little dance and not overpowering the talent in front of the mic, they were allowed to sing as loud and as proud as possible. Through this we see how much real talent they have; some enjoy the harmonizing with the singing of actual notes and holding them. Others enjoy seeing their own range. For an example, we see Clayton’s contributions to the song “Gimme Shelter” by The Rolling Stones. She’s the singer with the incredible voice, belting out lyrics. We see her story of how she came into the studio, with hair curlers and a night gown while notably pregnant, and gave one of the most haunting performances on any Stones song to date.
These small asides are what the film lures you in with. Who wouldn’t be interested in the stories of these incredible songs being made? But their contributions are often written beforehand. Their voice is their hallmark, not their creative flair. So it’s shallow, and because of that it gives goosebumps without any lasting effect. Instead, and smartly, we learn to love these quiet hard-working females. They have their own aspirations, and this is the hook that keeps up invested. Their personal struggles become the forefront. How you balance a career singing behind someone while trying to come out as an artist that is singular and front and center. There’s an interesting exploration of how luck is the biggest factor. Many have gone from backup singer to star, like Crow and even Luther Vandross. But there’s no magic formula. There’s no secret person you have to sleep with or simply know. Sting says it best when he notes that there are an innumerable amount of talented singers out there.
As much as this is an exploration of the backup singers roles, the film is an obvious slice of the record industry. We see the lip syncing of the past and the racial tensions early on. Phil Spector is given a nasty role as perhaps one of the only antagonists in the film because of his theorized holding back of Darlene Love. Great music is peppered throughout this enjoyable journey and everyone has a dream. Some find their soul in singing beside someone, and Twenty Feet From Stardom shines the spotlight on those women rode the wave of that success to its peak.
Twenty Feet From Stardom opens on June 14th. Check out the new trailer below.