“(I've Had) The Time of My Life”

Donald Markowitz wrote the music for what became "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" in twenty minutes at his home studio on 85th Street and Central Park West in New York City. John DeNicola and Jimmy Jones Jr. added key parts to the demo the following day. Franke Previte was then given the demo and wrote the lyrics while driving on the New Jersey Turnpike. Previte returned to the studio, where Donald recorded his vocals alongside singer Rachel Cappelli.

When Donald wrote it, he intended the song for Chaka Khan and James Ingram to perform as a duet. Producer Michael Lloyd approached them — and they declined. Lloyd then approached Lionel Richie, Daryl Hall, and Kim Carnes — all passed. Bill Medley of The Righteous Brothers also turned it down twice before finally agreeing.

The Medley/Warnes recording wasn't finished in time for filming of the finale. So Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey filmed the iconic final lift scene to Markowitz and Previte's original demo. Swayze later said it was his favorite version of the song.

The single drops on RCA Records. Radio stations initially refuse to play it — the film hadn't come out yet. When Dirty Dancing opens in August, the song explodes.

The song knocks "I Think We're Alone Now" by Tiffany from the top spot. It held #1 for one week and spent six weeks in the top 10. The Dirty Dancing soundtrack simultaneously went #1 on the Billboard 200, knocking Bruce Springsteen's Tunnel of Love out of the top position.

Billboard names the Dirty Dancing soundtrack the #2 album of 1988 — outselling Guns N' Roses' Appetite for Destruction, AC/DC's Hysteria, Michael Jackson's Bad, and INXS's Kick. Only George Michael's Faith sold more copies that year.

The song wins the Oscar, beating two other #1 hits: Starship's "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" and Bob Seger's "Shakedown." Markowitz, Previte, and DeNicola accept the award from Dudley Moore and Liza Minnelli. The Golden Globe had already been awarded earlier that year.

The song receives a Grammy nomination for Song of the Year. Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes win the Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. Writing credits go to Markowitz, Previte, and DeNicola.

The song is named ASCAP Song of the Year upon reaching 1 million documented broadcast performances — a rare milestone that places it among the most-performed songs in radio history.

The American Film Institute ranks "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" #86 on their list of the greatest songs in American cinema history.

will.i.am builds "The Time (Dirty Bit)" around the song's chorus. The track goes #1 in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, Switzerland, and the UK. It peaks at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. Markowitz, Previte, and DeNicola receive co-writing credits.

Donald and his family moved to New Orleans, where he worked out of world-famous Esplanade Studios until opening Mid City Sound and starting the next chapter of his career.

Jordan Peele uses the song in his Academy Award-winning horror film Get Out, where it plays as an unsettling backdrop — one of hundreds of film, TV, and commercial syncs the song has accumulated over nearly four decades.

The song continues to generate royalties from: every Dirty Dancing TV airing and streaming play worldwide, wedding DJs on every continent, the stage musical that has toured internationally, Super Bowl commercials, Glee, Bob's Burgers, Dancing with the Stars, American Idol, Canadian Idol, and virtually every dance competition show ever produced.