The year was 1963 and the United Kingdom was rocked by a political sex scandal.

John Profumo, the Secretary of State for War, had a relationship with Christine Keeler, a 19-year-old model and burlesque showgirl who was also happened to be the mistress of a well-known Russian spy. When Profumo was questioned about Christine on the floor of the House of Commons, he lied. That act not only led to Profumo’s resignation, but also damaged Prime Minister Harold Macmillan’s government and caused the defeat of the ruling Conservative Party in the next election.

In 1989, Miramax Films released Scandal, director Michael Caton-Jones’ classy big screen version of the sordid affair, starring Joanne Whalley as Christine Keeler and Ian McKellen as John Profumo. It’s a great story, one told with lots of atmospheric style and plenty of lusty playfulness from a cast that includes Bridget Fonda, John Hurt, Britt Ekland and Roland Gift.

Scandal is a film well worth seeing…and a soundtrack well worth tracking down. Scandal’s theme song, “Nothing Has Been Proved”, was written and produced by 1980s pop icons Pet Shop Boys (”West End Girls”) and sung by 1960’s pop icon Dusty Springfield (”The Look of Love”). Their creative collaboration resulted in a haunting theme that re-plays the entire doomed affair in way that reflects the film’s tone perfectly.

The rest of the Scandal soundtrack is an eclectic mix of British and America pop hits that includes Chubby Checker’s “The Twist”; Jimmy Cliff’s reggae love song “Miss Jamaica”; Nelson Riddle swing standard “You Make Me Feel So Young”; Craig Douglas’ cover of Sam Cooke’s “Only Sixteen”; the George Martin-produced “Goodness Gracious Me”, sung by Peter Sellers and Sophia Loren (!); Nat King Cole’s “Lazy Hazy Crazy Days of Summer”; Eddie Cochran’s “Three Steps to Heaven” and a dozen other equally energetic singles from the era.

But it’s Dusty Springfield’s heartfelt and heartbreaking theme song “Nothing Has Been Proved” (available on iTunes) that earns Scandal its place as this…the Cyclops Central Soundtrack of the Week.

And if you’ve never seen the movie Scandal, here’s the trailer…

Tags: Bridget Fonda, Britt Ekland, Dusty Springfield, George Martin, Ian McKellen, Joanne Whalley, John Hurt, Michael Caton-Jones, Nelson Riddle, Pet Shop Boys, Peter Sellers, Roland Gift, Sophia Loren
Posted in Soundbooth