Since Coming to America premiered in 1988, there are multiple behind-the-scenes stories from the cult classic that emerged over the years. There aren’t too many avid fans who don’t know about the fish-out-of-water comedy. That was until Grammy winner Nile Rodgers unleashed a secret no one ever saw coming. So as a Coming to America fan, I was shocked to learn a brand-new fact about the Eddie Murphy film.
Besides the outlandish jokes and character work from the 1988 romantic comedy, it had a memorable soundtrack that kept the story moving. Of course, one of the standout moments was the jingle song for the iconic fake “Soul Glo” ad played in the movie. However, a recent viral clip unveiled the mastermind behind the pop culture earworm. During his recent appearance on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert, Rodgers was surprised when his backing band broke into the song. The flustered music icon hopped on his Twitter account to hint at his Coming to America connection, saying:
Did anyone happen to catch the #EasterEgg during our #TinyDeskConcert? Here’s a hint.. ‘That boy good!’
His involvement in the film’s soundtrack had been confirmed for years. His Tiny Desk just confirmed something the fandom debated over for years. Of course, I can rest easy knowing Rodgers’ musical genius helped craft a film and karaoke favorite. But I wasn’t the only one thrown off by this latest news. Multiple social media users hopped online to voice their surprise over this movie revelation. One Twitter user wasn’t coy about their shock over this unknown film fact.
I never knew…and im shocked😭 pic.twitter.com/6cCWyo6ipuOctober 29, 2023
Another Twitter user was taken aback by the viral clip. Compared to other avid fans, they were in the dark about the Grammy winner scoring the cult classic. They stated:
I was today years old when I found out that Nile Rodgers wrote the ‘Soul Glo’ song from Coming to America and his keyboardist provided the vocals.
Like many Gen Xers and Millennials, the user had watched the popular rom-com multiple times without paying attention to the credits. However, they did get one factoid wrong. The keyboardist wasn’t the original singer, but rock musician Christopher Max sang the iconic jingle.
They weren’t the only ones confused over the original singer and Rodgers composing the quotable ditty. An Instagram user couldn’t hold back their shock over the shocking news.
DAWWWGGGG….I’m SOOO THROW’D! I DID NOT KNOW NILE RODGERS DID the “SOUL GLO” SONG from “Coming To America”! 🙀🙀🙀 And CLEARLY dude IS THE SINGER! 🙀🙀🙀🙀
Like the Twitter user, they were in disbelief over Rodgers lending his musical talents to the Murphy classic’s memorable soundtrack. Disbelief wasn’t the only reaction as a Twitter commenter wasn’t prepared for the impromptu “Soul Glo” jam session.
That Soul Glo ad was not expected. lolThis Tiny Desk performance was great, thanks to all the members of the band. A special applause for you Nile, my master in music and life.October 29, 2023
Knowing Nile Rodgers scored the beloved Eddie Murphy comedy made sense. The film’s music had all the hallmarks of his top-notch musicianship – powerful guitar licks, funky bass playing, and layers of instrumentation. During that period, Rodgers was a highly sought-after composer who scored films like Beverly Hills Cop III (another Murphy flick) and Blue Chips.
He continues to work as a soundtrack producer venturing into video games, scoring notable titles like the Halo franchise and Rise of Nations. He’s also continued working in the music industry, producing popular songs for superstars like Beyonce and Daft Punk.
It’s nice to see how many Coming to America fans enjoyed the musical nod during Nile Rodgers’ NPR concert. Hopefully, more cinephiles and music fans will continue to give the songwriter-producer his credit in the years to come. In the meantime, you can stream the beloved Eddie Murphy classic through a Netflix subscription. After watching the comedy classic, go stream the much-delayed sequel, Coming 2 America, through an Amazon Prime Video subscription.
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Khushi Patel is a science fiction author who lives in Austin, Texas. She has published three novels, and her work has been praised for its originality and imagination. Khushi is a graduate of Rice University, and she has worked as a software engineer. She is a member of the Science Fiction Writers of America, and her books have been nominated for several awards.
