In addition to its own success, the album is notable for having supplanted Michael Jacksons Thriller after the latter had remained Billboard s number-one album for 17 weeks. It was certified gold by the RIAA on J, and became multi-platinum on Octo and again on J. The Flashdance album was massively successful, selling over 6 million copies in the U.S. "She Works Hard for the Money" was actually in the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 consecutively with both "Flashdance.What a Feeling" and "Maniac". However, the song was not released to radio as Summer was on the verge of releasing her 1983 album She Works Hard for the Money, and the title track was already becoming a major hit. The track "Romeo" by Donna Summer was released as a promo video to MTV prior to the films release, composed only of outtakes from the film. Two of these singles, "Flashdance.What a Feeling" by Irene Cara and "Maniac" by Michael Sembello, peaked at #1 in the U.S.
The films three singles feature on the album. In 1984, the album received a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year and won for Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or a Television Special.
The film is set in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and follows Alex, a welder and exotic dancer and her dreams of becoming a professional ballet dancer. It has sold more than 20 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best selling albums of all time. Flashdance: Original Soundtrack from the Motion Picture is the soundtrack to the 1983 American musical and romance film Flashdance, produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer and starring Jennifer Beals and Michael Nouri.