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The Three Musketeers: 25 years ago today, Rod, Bryan and Sting hit #1

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A&M/Hollywood Records25 years ago today, three blonde rock superstars with raspy voices were on top of the Billboard chart with the theme from the 1993 movie The Three Musketeers: “All for Love.”

After the success of his Robin Hood theme “Everything I Do (I Do It For You),” Bryan Adams and his two co-writers on that song — Mutt Lange and Michael Kamen — tried to pen a similar track for The Three Musketeers.  After hitting upon the idea of “All for Love” — a play on The Three Musketeers motto “All for one and one for all” — Kamen suggested Bryan find two other guys to sing the song with.

According to the Billboard Book of #1 Hits, Bryan called Sting, who agreed to do it right away, but the third Musketeer proved to be more elusive. Among the other artists who were considered: Luciano Pavarotti and Jon Bon Jovi.  Ultimately, Rod Stewart signed on to the project.

Coordinating the three stars’ schedules proved to be even more difficult.  Adams and Sting recorded their vocals in London, and then Bryan flew to L.A. to meet Rod, who laid down his part.  But because so many different camps had to agree — the record companies, the movie company and Sting and Rod’s reps — the deal nearly fell apart.

The contract was finally signed at the very last minute, just in time for the song to be dubbed into the movie.

Despite middling reviews, the movie — starring Charlie Sheen, Kiefer Sutherland, Oliver Platt and Chris O’Donnell — was a box office hit, and “All for Love” topped the charts for three weeks.

To date, neither Sting nor Rod has topped the Billboard Hot 100 since “All for Love.”  Bryan did it once more, with another movie theme: “Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman,” from Don Juan DeMarco.


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