Young Harry Houdini soundtrack from BSX Records

Here's a pleasant surprise. BSX Records is offering Lee Holdridge's soundtrack music for the 1987 Disney movie Young Harry Houdini starring Wil Wheaton. It's available as a digital download and includes a PDF booklet. Purchase by clicking the image below.

BSX Digital presents the premiere release of YOUNG HARRY HOUDINI, featuring music composed and conducted by Lee Holdridge. The music has been remastered by James Nelson at Digital Outland.

This certainly wasn't on my bingo card of possible Houdini releases, but I'm excited to see it. In fact, I would love to see BSX Records release the soundtracks to Houdini (1953) and The Great Houdinis (1976).

UPDATE: I didn't realize when I posted this that today is Wil Wheaton's 54th birthday. Happy birthday, Wil!

Related:

• Young Harry Houdini (1987)
• Watch Young Harry Houdini (1987)
• Houdini two volume CD soundtrack released today

"Blood of Houdini" cinematic pop anthem

This is a little overwrought (and likely AI), but I think that's the style of "cinematic pop anthem," and I can't help but get the feels because, you know, he's singing about his connection to Houdini! 🎵 I may not be him, but I carry the flame.🎵 This one might stick in your head.

Related:

• Zabrecky conjures OUR MAGIC
• Dua Lipa unlocks 'Houdini'
• Musicians remain wild about Harry

"Houdini" hits one billion streams

Just in case you're wondering how our friend Dua Lipa is doing these days, know that her single "Houdini" has just crossed one billion streams on Spotify, which I guess is a good thing! This is Dua's 13th song to hit that milestone.

Click below for more Dua Houdini mania.

Related:

• Dua Lipa drops by the Houdini Estate
• Dua Lipa has to explain Houdini was a real person
• Songs Called 'Houdini': Who Did it Best?

Houdini vs. Houdini

Speaking of music videos, check out the nominations for the Best Music Video at the 2025 iHeartRadio Music Awards. Yes, we have TWO videos called "Houdini" in competition. Houdini by Eminem and Houdini by Dua Lipa.

And the winner is...

Houdini by Ehrich Weiss.

Related:

• Songs Called 'Houdini': Who Did it Best?
• "Houdini" works magic for Eminem
• Dua Lipa has to explain Houdini was a real person

Zabrecky conjures OUR MAGIC

Check out this terrific video by magician and musician Rob Zabrecky. It starts off with Houdini and continues with other magic masters and some pretty wild imagery. I love it! Watch it below or on YouTube.

You can pre-order OUR MAGIC as a 7-inch record from In The Red Records.

Related:

• Guest blog: Houdini in Pittsburgh by Zabrecky
• Rob Zabrecky talks Houdini with Dana Gould
• Another World by Rob Zabrecky

LINK: 2024: The Year Houdini Finally Returned

Let's bid goodbye to 2024 with this piece from Genius about Houdini's footprint in music this year. Notably, the two hit songs from Eminem and Dua Lipa, both called "Houdini." But my favorite part is excerpted below.

Em an Dua weren’t the only artists to give Houdini his flowers this year. According to Genius pageview data, ol’ Harry turns up in 43 songs released in 2024. His admirers range from country-rock hero HARDY to R&B great Kehlani to rapper French Montana. But—plot twist—it turns out 2024 isn’t the top year for Houdini mentions. Not by a long shot.

That distinction belongs to 2020, when Houdini magically appeared in 103 songs. Rounding out the Top 5 are 2018 and 2019 (86 mentions in each year), 2021 (76), and 2017 (64). Houdini might not have been able to holler at his wife from the great beyond, but insofar as he’s a pop-cultural legend whose name still resonates with the public a century after his death, he’s immortal.

Have a safe and Happy New Year.

Related:

• Dua Lipa drops by the Houdini Estate
• Eminem drops his own "Houdini"
• The Inner Me rocks Houdini

The Golden Years from Houdini (1953)

We all know a movie's box office can be boosted if the film contains a hit song. This is true today, and it was true in the 1950s. For Paramount's 1953 Houdini, the attempt at a hit appears to have been "The Golden Years." While the melody plays several times during the film, this recording by Clyde Rogers with Russ Morgan and His Orchestra includes the words.

Was it a hit? I don't know, but I doubt it. It's a bit dreary. But what I like is that it keyed into the nostalgia for the early 1900s that was part of the appeal of Houdini (1953) for the older crowd. The young had Tony and Janet!

Below is sheet music for "The Golden Years."

Related:

• LINK: A bit of Houdini music
• 'Houdini March Two-Step' sheet music (update)
• Houdini '53 at 70: Star power

"Houdini" works magic for Eminem

Like Dua Lipa before him, conjuring the name Houdini has worked magic for Eminem, with his new single, "Houdini," topping the U.S. and UK charts. The following comes from Billboard.

The song’s impact has been similarly instantaneous, both in terms of its own consumption and in its lifting of associated cuts. “Houdini” has already racked up over 30 million official on-demand U.S. streams through Wednesday (June 3), according to early reports from Luminate, while also selling over 36,000 copies – both tremendous four-day numbers for any artist in 2024, let alone one twice the age of many contemporary superstars. The song has also elevated the rest of Eminem’s discography, with his non-”Houdini” catalog notching nearly 46 million streams combined over those four days, a 38% rise from the equivalent period the prior week. (A big part of that gain comes from 2002’s “Without Me,” whose iconic “Guess who’s back, back again” intro “Houdini” resurrects, and which is up 56% to over 3.1 million streams for those four days.)

Of course, Steve Miller is eating off the “Houdini” success as well: The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer’s eponymous band’s biggest Hot 100 hit more than doubled its streams over the same period, up 101% to 613,000. And yes, even that other recent hit of the same title is getting some spillover from the deluge: Dua Lipa’s “Houdini” was up 8% in streams over that period, to just over 2 million.

Alt Eminem-Houdini poster by Reddit user BenNice.

Related:

• Eminem drops his own "Houdini"
• Dua Lipa's 'Houdini' reaches #1
• Songs Called 'Houdini': Who Did it Best?

The Jerusalem Ballet presents HOUDINI

The Jerusalem Ballet presents an original Houdini-themed ballet at the Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem. Choreography is by Nadia Timofeeva. Houdini is performed by Mikhail Butzuk. HOUDINI debuts tomorrow, June 4, followed by performances on June 18 and September 16.

You can buy tickets and see more images from the ballet on the official website.

Related:

• Houdini A Circus Opera (1977)
• Houdini swings at the Sandbox Theatre
• Houdini Plays

Eminem drops his own "Houdini"

Less than six months after Dua Lipa released her chart-topping single "Houdini," another major artist has released a single called "Houdini." This time, it's Eminem (aka Marshall Mathers aka Slim Shady). The rapper got an assist teasing the release from magician David Blaine on Instagram. The song's release on May 31st marked the biggest streaming debut of Eminem’s career.

The song only mentions Houdini's name in passing (it is the second time Houdini has been named-checked in an Eminem song), but I really like it. It's funny and a breath of fresh air. I also love the single's artwork above. 

You can watch the official music video below or in fullscreen on YouTube.

Related:

• Songs Called 'Houdini': Who Did it Best?
• Dua Lipa's 'Houdini' reaches #1
• "The lean make me feel like Houdini"

🎶 Dunninger, Hoo-dee-nee, and Doug! 🎶

This week marks the 50th anniversary of The Magic Show, which opened at the Cort Theater on May 28, 1974. The Broadway musical launched the career of Doug Henning and opened the door on the next Golden Age of Magic. Doug's style was modern and up-to-the-minute, but he always honored the past, especially Houdini. The play even uses Houdini's name in its opening number, Up To His Old Tricks by Stephen Schwartz (lyrics below). So, yeah, we love Doug!

Hey, can't you just feel the strange excitement
The quiet commotion that we share
There's something like tingling in the darkness
There's something electric in the air
'Cause there's one thing I know turns a man of sixty
Back into a child of six:
Watching Dunninger, Houdini
Or Doug—the magic man
Up to his old tricks

You go spend an evening at the movies
And smile at the shadows on the screen
You turn on a radio or record
And dance to a voice you've never seen
But thеy don't make you gasp like a silly schoolboy
Or giggle likе a bunch of hicks
Not like Dunninger, Houdini
Or Doug—the magic man
Up to his old tricks

Clap clap
Pop up the dusty flowers
Hooray, hoorah
Break out the bowl of goldfish and the scarves
Ooh…ahhh
Saw the beautiful lady in half again…

Wasn't that illusion fun?
Not if you know how it's done

It may not be the world's most esteemed profession
But if sure beats law or politics
So here's to Dunninger, Houdini
And Doug—our magic man
Up to his old tricks

For all things Doug, check out The Doug Hennig Project by our friend Neil McNally.

Related:

• Doug Henning marks Houdini's 100th
• "Houdini must have been crazy to do this."
• My first look at the real Houdini

The Inner Me rocks Houdini

This morning's big music news is that Eminem will release a new single called "Houdini" this Friday. You may recall that Dua Lipa released her own "Houdini" single last year. While many musicians have released songs inspired by Houdini, Austrian Metal band THE INNER ME has released an entire album! You can listen to Rosabelle Believe on YouTube.

Learn more about The Inner Me at the band's official website www.theinnerme.at.

Thanks to David Stawa.

Related:

• Kate's Bess
• Dua Lipa unlocks 'Houdini'
• Foster The People release video for 'Houdini'

Houdini Unbound by Alan Attwood

Houdini Unbound: Mystery, Music and Flying Machines by Alan Attwood is released today in Australia and the UK. The novel mixes Houdini's real-life tour of Australia with fictional adventures, which is an approach to Houdini fiction that I like. Below is the description.

It is 1910. Halley's Comet is coming. Harry Houdini is in Australia for the first time. The most celebrated escape artist in the world has sold-out seasons in both Melbourne and Sydney. 

Houdini has a new obsession: aviation. He has brought with him from Europe his own Voisin biplane, being put together and prepared in a Diggers Rest paddock by his French mechanic, Brassac. Houdini is intent on claiming a record: first to fly in Australia. But he has competition from aspiring aviators in several states, and is left restless and distracted when his promotional leap-in-chains from a Melbourne bridge disturbs a corpse in the Yarra. 

Meanwhile, his wife Bess, left alone in their hotel, stumbles upon her own mystery: music with no apparent source. Then she realises that her preoccupied husband is far from being the most famous visitor to Australia: Also present, though in hiding, is an Italian composer who has performed his own vanishing act. 

This intriguing story, set in the year of Halley's Comet, merges history and invention, reality and illusion. Like Houdini's own act, is it possible to believe what you see or hear?

Purchase Houdini Unbound: Mystery, Music and Flying Machines from Amazon.co.uk. You can also buy the book directly from publisher Melbourne Books.

Related:

• Houdini's Melbourne bridge jump (sans corpse)
• Houdini's LAST Australian flight was the wild one
• When Houdini showed Australia that a man can fly

Serenading Houdini with "Houdini"

Here's one I knew I couldn't escape for long. A young woman sang Dua Lipa's hit single "Houdini" at Houdini's grave and posted it to TikTok. The video has gone viral with 2.7 million views. Wild 94.1 reports:

Some celebrities and even brands shared their thoughts in the comments of the video. “Congrats, you won Best Cover Of Houdini At His Grave In 2024,” said MTV. “Do we know if he’s actually in there or did he escape that too,” said the PureWow brand. The Girls Next Door costar Holly Madison even chimed in saying, “Best thing I’ve ever seen.”

Welcome to the TikTok generation, Harry!

Related:

• Dua Lipa drops by the Houdini Estate
• Dua Lipa has to explain Houdini was a real person
• Holly Houdini

Dua Lipa brings 'Houdini' to the Grammys

Our new friend Dua Lipa performed part of her hit song "Houdini" at 66th Grammy Awards last night. It was included in a three-song melody that opened the show. You can watch "Houdini" below.

UPDATE: Whoops. Looks like the video went Houdini!

Related:

• Dua Lipa's 'Houdini' reaches #1
• Dua Lipa drops by the Houdini Estate
• Dua Lipa has to explain Houdini was a real person

RH Marching Band presents 'Houdini Unchained'

Houdini's story told via marching band? That's right! Last Fall, the talented students at Rock Hill High School Band of Distinction created a halftime show called "Houdini Unchained." The students were even interviewed at CN2 Today. 

You can watch their entire performance below.

For more, visit the Rock Hill High School Band of Distinction official website, Facebook, and Instagram.

Related:

• Blue Stars Drum & Bugle Corps tribute to Houdini
• Houdini helps High Schoolers advance to finals
• High Schoolers bringing Houdini and Doyle to life

Seth Meyers and Dua Lipa talk Houdini (and drink)

I know this is sooooo 2023, but our new friend Dua Lipa is still out there promoting her mega-hit single "Houdini." Here's a fun clip from her appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers. My gosh, they drink a lot.

It's fun to hear their Houdini chatter. And at least they got the basic facts right about his death, Mr. Blaine. 🍻

Related:

• Dua Lipa drops by the Houdini Estate
• Dua Lipa has to explain Houdini was a real person
• Time to rethink the rethinking on the Houdini punch

Songs Called 'Houdini': Who Did it Best?

Here's a clever video by YouTuber Naomi Cannibal that breaks down three pop songs called "Houdini," including the most recent single by Dua Lipa.

Here's another "Houdini" for your consideration. In 1962, Walter Brennan released his own "Houdini" single. You can hear it on YouTube by clicking the image below. It's plenty folksy!

Related:

• Kate's Bess
• Dua Lipa unlocks 'Houdini'
• Foster The People release video for 'Houdini'

Dua Lipa's 'Houdini' reaches #1

Dua Lipa's single "Houdini" is #1 on the UK charts this week. The song is also #1 on the Global YouTube Music Videos Chart. While many pop stars have released songs that evoke Houdini's name and legend, I don't believe one has ever reached #1. Dua's doing Houdini proud!

You can purchase "Houdini" on Amazon Music U.S. or Amazon Music UK or watch the video on YouTube. Check out more Dua/Houdini whatnot via the links below.

UPDATE: Billboard has a breakdown of where some of the past "Houdini" songs charted:

Walter Brennan spent a week at No. 100 on the Hot 100 in 1962 with “Houdini”; Kon Kan hit No. 33 on Dance Singles Sales in 1989 with “Harry Houdini”; and Foster the People’s “Houdini” hit No. 37 on Alternative Airplay in 2012.

Related:

• Dua Lipa unlocks 'Houdini'
• Dua Lipa drops by the Houdini Estate
• Dua Lipa has to explain Houdini was a real person

Dua Lipa drops by the Houdini Estate

Our new friend Dua Lipa held the Los Angeles launch event for her new single "Houdini" at, where else, the Houdini Estate! Billboard reports:

When Dua Lipa announced a trio of release-week fan events for her new single “Houdini,” taking place in London, Los Angeles and Tokyo, she kept the exact locations a secret. But was there ever any doubt where the LA party had to be held? 

Lipa invited hundreds of her biggest fans to the mysterious Houdini Estate in the winding hills of Laurel Canyon Boulevard on Tuesday night to navigate an escape room (fitting for the famous illusionist and the slippery new song) and to dance the night away at an open-air disco party.

When the second go-round wrapped up, Lipa teased that she wouldn’t be leaving the estate just yet. “You guys are the f—ing best, thank you so much! I want you guys to stay, enjoy your time, those that haven’t, try the escape room. I’m going to do a little walk around. I’ve got to go and see this spooky-a– place.”

It's not really apparent in the pic, but she's making that expression because she's just discovered the bookcase opens and is a secret passage to the master bedroom. People love that.

Okay, that's the last Dua Lipa post, I promise. At least until she drops her next single, "Hardeen."

Thanks to Neil McNally at The Doug Henning Project.

Related:

• Dua Lipa unlocks 'Houdini'
• Dua Lipa has to explain Houdini was a real person
• Drake scared away from "haunted Houdini house"