B is for Barcelona & The Bodyguard (2017 Blogging A to Z)

Welcome to my '92 Time Capsule, where I unearth artifacts and memories from a quarter century ago in alphabetical order everyday (excluding Sundays, with the exception of the 30th) during the month of April. 

Today's letter is B, so here we go...

The Games of the XXV Olympiad took place in Barcelona, Spain in the summer of 1992.  It was a notable Olympics in many regards:

• It was the last time in which both the Summer Olympics and Winter Olympics were held in the same year.  Starting in 1994, the games alternated on even numbered years.  (The Winter Olympics were held in Lillehammer, Norway in 1994 and in 1996 the Summer Olympics were held in Atlanta, GA, USA).
• They Barcelona games were the first summer games to be unaffected by boycotts since 1972.  
• They were also the first games in which South Africa was allowed to compete since 1960.  South Africa had been long suspended from participating due to its apartheid policy.
• The 1992 Summer Olympics were the first olympics in which Germany, following its reunification in 1990, sent a single unified team since the 1964 Summer Olympics.
• Barcelona also saw the first American Olympic team to feature active NBA players.  For more on the 1992 U.S. Men’s Olympic Basketball Team, nicknamed the “Dream Team,” be sure to come back Wednesday, April 5.

At the Barcelona games, the US Olympic Team earned a total of 108 medals (37 gold, 34 silver, and 37 bronze), coming in second in the overall medal count behind the Unified Team, which consisted of athletes from several former Soviet states.  The Unified Team earned a total of 112 medals.

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The Bodyguard, a "romantic thriller" starring Kevin Costner and the late Whitney Houston, opened in theaters on November 25, 1992.  It told the story of Frank Farmer, a former Secret Service agent turned private bodyguard, who is hired to protect Rachel Marron, an incredibly successful and popular singer/actress, who is being stalked and receiving death threats.  

After grossing $16.6 million dollars its opening weekend, it would go on to gross $411 million dollars worldwide.  The Bodyguard was the 2nd highest grossing film worldwide in 1992, coming in behind Aladdin.

The movie's soundtrack, which features songs by Whitney Houston as well as Kenny G, Aaron Neville, and Joe Cocker to name a few,  went on to sell 45 million copies worldwide.  It has been certified 17x Platinum and is the best selling soundtrack of all time to date.

The Bodyguard Original Soundtrack Album received numerous accolades.  Here is a small sample:

• Favorite Pop/Rock Album - 1994 American Music Awards 
• Top Album - 1993 Top Billboard 200 Album chart
• Album of the Year - 1994 Grammy Awards

The soundtrack is most notable for Houston's version of Dolly Pardon's song, "I Will Always Love You," which spent fourteen weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1992 and early 1993.

"I Will Always Love You" went on to receive Grammys for Record of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Performance (Female) in 1994.  It won Best Song from a Movie at the 1993 MTV Movie Awards.

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On a personal note, "I Will Always Love You" conjures up many, as Whitney herself sang, "bittersweet memories" for me and takes me back in time.

Does The Bodyguard or its soundtrack conjure up any memories for you?  

Thank you for stopping by!  Happy Monday!