DAILY DIRT: ‘I Will Always Love you” will always … umm … ‘Take My Breath Away’

If you don’t like the following Whitney Houston classic, I don’t think we can be friends … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 424 of The Daily Dirt.

1. As much as I enjoy music, when it comes to movies I have never liked musicals for one exception (but we’ll get to that in a minute).

If I want to sit down and watch a film, I don’t want the storyline interrupted every five or 10 minutes by a song and dance. I want to become wrapped up in the plot — and stay wrapped up in that plot.

But my viewing approach to movies does not mean a key song cannot be used to help bring a point home or simply complement what is unfolding. Which brings me to my three favorite songs from movies:

Gold medal: “I Will Always Love You,” by Whitney Houston (1992): Whitney took what was a 1974 Dolly Parton song and made it new, refreshing and served it up as an exclamation point for “The Bodyguard” film. I can still see her lower lip quivering while singing that song, sitting on a chair near that lake out in the middle of a snow-covered woods. 

Silver medal: “Take My Breath Away,” by Berlin (1986): For me, the original “Top Gun” movie is not remembered not so much for Maverick, Goose, Iceman, Viper and Charlie, it’s this song.

Bronze medal: “(I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life,” by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes (1987): One of two great songs to emerge from the “Dirty Dancing” movie. The other was Eric Carmen’s “Hungry Eyes.” Warnes herself may be more recognized for lone solo hit, “Right Time Of The Night” in 1977.

Honorable mention: “Kiss Me,” by Sixpence None The Richer (1997): This Christian rock band had its biggest hit, thanks to the film “She’s All That,” one of those rom-coms that helped punctuate the 1990s. 

2. And now, about the one musical I can honestly say I have enjoyed. It was “Mamma Mia” (2008), which featured the music of ABBA.

I think it helped I have been an ABBA fan since the early 1970s, so I was familiar with all of the songs. The only other musical I could see myself buying a ticket for would be a film — or show — dedicated to the music of Rod Stewart (PUBLISHER’S NOTE: “Mamma Mia” is also MRN Sports Guy Don O’Brien’s favorite musical. JRG).

3. I’ve enjoyed how the grading of MLB umpires has been made more available to the public this season, especially during some of the recent playoff broadcasts.

It’s refreshing to know such-and-such umpires tend to call the lower strikes, or certain umpires are more prone to to give pitchers the outside corner.

Isn’t it time for the NFL to let us know which game officials tend to call holding more often, or which NBA officials are most likely to whistle the most traveling violations, etc.?

Steve Thought O’ The Day — Why was there never some sort of sequel to “The Bodyguard?”

Steve Eighinger writes daily for Muddy River News. He and Don O’Brien will be watching “Mamma Mia” next weekend.