So yes, when I first heard the song I flashed back to my childhood, leg warmers and roller skates. However, it really stuck out like a sore thumb so I did a bit more digging.

The movie was a reference to a poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

Xanadu (the film) from Wiki: http://www.thefuselage.com/Threaded/search.php?searchid=978028

Now take a minute to read the poem: http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/stc/Coleridge/poems/Kubla_Khan.html

A lot of talk about dreams. I sincerely hope this is just something to send us on a wild goosechase of research and not a hint that a dreamworld/alternate reality is involved..

Love Hurley's taste in music.

Xanadu: Olivia Newton John on Roller Skates.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xanadu_(film)

or

Satan's Doom: Christian Death Metal.

http://www.metal-archives.com/band.php?id=9543


Awesome. I have a special place in my heart for Xanadu, I still have it on vinyl. What would your choice be?

I was under the impression he was choosing VCR tapes???

Also if they were staying in Juliette's old place then they were going through her tapes, no?

The important info in that scene is the definition of Xanadu:


Xanadu is the name of the Chinese province where Khan establishes his pleasure garden in the poem.


Almost every culture has a myth or tradition of a special garden = EDEN, UTOPIA, PARADISE, SHAMBALA, SHANGRI-LA, AGARTHA OR XANADU. No matter what it's called that's where the Losties are.

I really don't think the writers would do that. I don't want to age myself but I was singing along to the song, I loved that movie when I was a kid!

Was it VCR tapes?

Still, what is Satan's Doom, then?

I really don't think the writers would do that. I don't want to age myself but I was singing along to the song, I loved that movie when I was a kid!

Yep the ELO songs on the soundtrack were my favorites as a kid. I was just listening to those songs the other day. Some ELO Greatest Hits have them on it.
I do remember a plot point of the film being that Olivia Newton John's characters place was hard to get to ie: another dimension

I thought Hurley popped Xanadu into the VCR.

I'll search for Satan's Doom but it sounds like a real cheesy B-movie to me.

I loved hearing that old Olivia Newton John, song, Xanadu. Its from her 1980 album, Xanadu. I thought I would post the lyrics for you to read. Does it sound like an island we all know, and love/hate?

"A place where nobody dared to go,
The love that we came to know,
They call it Xanadu.
(It takes your breath and it'll leave you blind)

And now, open your eyes and see what we have made is real,
We are in Xanadu.
(A dream of it, we offer you).

A million lights are dancing, and there you are, a shooting star,
An everlasting world and you're here with me.
Eternally.

***Mod edited to remove complete lyrics***

I kept switching back and forth from remembering the poem (had to memorize it in High School) and singing the songs from the movie. I now have the urge to rent the movie.

Yep the ELO songs on the soundtrack were my favorites as a kid. I was just listening to those songs the other day. Some ELO Greatest Hits have them on it.
I do remember a plot point of the film being that Olivia Newton John's characters place was hard to get to ie: another dimension

I know, I'm really trying to remember the movie now. I thought She (Oliva) came out of a Mural that was on the side of a building? And she had a bunch sisters??? Didn't her and Gene Kelly do a duet in that movie??? A Big Band number? I think Gene Kelly owned the Roller rink?? Wow, I'm really flippin through the "mental roladex" tonight! lol!

And Jack and Hurley sing: " We just got caught up in some devil's bargain
And we got to get ourselves back to the garden."

Wow - there is a lot in that poem...

A holy, enchanged place, but threatened by war and some dark figure that is "drinking the milk of paradise." Note that it says "encircle him thrice" - could this be Jacob, encircled with the powder around the cabin??

I thought Hurley popped Xanadu into the VCR.
I'll search for Satan's Doom but it sounds like a real cheesy B-movie to me.
It may just be a complete opposite of Xanadu. Heaven/Hell

Could it also be another reference to Australia?
Aaron/Claire/Olivia Newton John... All Australian....

Isn't it just like the other references to Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland (Through the Looking Glass), Narnia, where it's a world connected to our world, but through some sort of portal? In this example, a rollerskating mural?

As I remember it, Olivia N-J is one of the mythological Muses (the sisters are the others). She's come from, what?, Olympus? I that where the Muses live? to inspire the leading man. I don't remember what his art was, for which he needed the inspiration...

Also, Xanadu is the name of Charles Foster Kane's palatial estate in Orson Welles' masterpiece CITIZEN KANE.

if we are gonna talk things xanadu, dont forget the song by RUSH

Xanadu
Words by Neil Peart, Music by Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson

"To seek the sacred river Alph
To walk the caves of ice
To break my fast on honey dew
And drink the milk of Paradise...."

I had heard the whispered tales
Of immortality
The deepest mystery
From an ancient book. I took a clue
I scaled the frozen mountain tops
Of eastern lands unknown
Time and Man alone
Searching for the lost ---- Xanadu

Xanadu ---- To stand within The Pleasure Dome
Decreed by Kubla Khan
To taste anew the fruits of life
The last immortal man
To find the sacred river Alph
To walk the caves of ice
Oh, I will dine on honey dew
And drink the milk of Paradise

A thousand years have come and gone
But time has passed me by
Stars stopped in the sky
Frozen in an everlasting view
Waiting for the world to end
Weary of the night
Praying for the light
Prison of the lost ---- Xanadu

Xanadu ---- Held within The Pleasure Dome
Decreed by Kubla Khan
To taste my bitter triumph
As a mad immortal man
Nevermore shall I return
Escape these caves of ice
For I have dined on honey dew
And drunk the milk of Paradise

some of those lines can definitely be applied to the island and its inhabitants *cough* richard *cough*

hell, maybe we will discover it could apply to locke as well

Hurley's video choices were Xanadu and Satan's something or another. Is this another attempt to see a theme of choosing between good and evil? Something beautiful over something dark?

Also, Madam Xanadu from DC Comics (via wikipedia)

Madame Xanadu was once the sorceress Nimue (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_of_the_Lake) who cast a spell on Merlin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merlin). Merlin had the last laugh, though, as he succeeded in stripping her magic away from her. She wandered for some time before deciding that she wanted to atone for her sins. She did so by helping those troubled with the supernatural. She is descended from Gypsies (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roma_people), but has operated her fortune telling parlour out of Greenwich Village (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenwich_Village) for many a year. She was later able to gain her immortality by besting Death (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_%28DC_Comics%29) in a game of cards. She however remained without any real magic might of her own, which has led her to manipulate various forces in order to gain power.
Over the centuries Madame Xanadu developed herself as an advisor, and now Xanadu often meets clientele plagued by supernatural problems. Although she can advise them, some force prevents her from directly interfering in solving their troubles. If one of her clients manages to conquer a supernatural force, she can contain that entity in jars within her fortune parlour to prevent it from causing any further trouble.
Madame Xanadu's origins will be explored further, in a new Vertigo (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vertigo_Comics) series by Matt Wagner (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_Wagner).[1] (http://www.newsarama.com/Comic-Con_07/DC/Xanadu.html)

Also, it is now a big Broadway musical (based on the movie, in all it's cheesiness, lol):

http://xanaduonbroadway.com/ (http://xanaduonbroadway.com/)

I haven't seen it, but the tv commercials are full of 80's goodness.

That was hilarious!! I loved that part.

I think Xanadu is new Broadway retro musical, too. I'm betting the writers used it for the Shambala connection.

Am I the only one here old enough to remember "Woodstock" by Joni Mitchell?

if we are gonna talk things xanadu, dont forget the song by RUSH

Xanadu
Words by Neil Peart, Music by Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson

"To seek the sacred river Alph
To walk the caves of ice
To break my fast on honey dew
And drink the milk of Paradise...."

I had heard the whispered tales
Of immortality
The deepest mystery
From an ancient book. I took a clue
I scaled the frozen mountain tops
Of eastern lands unknown
Time and Man alone
Searching for the lost ---- Xanadu

Xanadu ---- To stand within The Pleasure Dome
Decreed by Kubla Khan
To taste anew the fruits of life
The last immortal man
To find the sacred river Alph
To walk the caves of ice
Oh, I will dine on honey dew
And drink the milk of Paradise

A thousand years have come and gone
But time has passed me by
Stars stopped in the sky
Frozen in an everlasting view
Waiting for the world to end
Weary of the night
Praying for the light
Prison of the lost ---- Xanadu

Xanadu ---- Held within The Pleasure Dome
Decreed by Kubla Khan
To taste my bitter triumph
As a mad immortal man
Nevermore shall I return
Escape these caves of ice
For I have dined on honey dew
And drunk the milk of Paradise

some of those lines can definitely be applied to the island and its inhabitants *cough* richard *cough*

hell, maybe we will discover it could apply to locke as well

You beat me to it by 2 hours. VERY nice call!

I too am a longtime RUSH Xanadu fan and think of this song (not the one by ONJ) when I hear the name.

I also want to mention that very much like the show LOST, RUSH itself has many connections to things on the show.

Another song of theirs, Bytor and The Snow Dog, is about the 2 mythical dogs that guarded the gates of heaven (Snow Dog) and hell (Bytor)...this fits with the black/white mythos (Snow Dog is obviously white and Bytor...black) as well as the battle between good and evil. The song also mentions the river STYX that was the river that carried the souls of the dead to hell.With the meaning of Abbadon being a demonic creature that watches the pit of hell, this all sounds very similar.

The entire first side of the album RUSH-2112, are based on the writing of Ayn Rand and is a fictional account of the Earth in the year 2112 where a central world government controls free speach and expression, music and the arts. ("we have assumed control, we have assumed control, we have assumed control!")Ayn Rand of course wrote The Fountainhead...one of Sawyer's favorite reads.

"Jacob's Ladder" is a song from the Permanent Waves album by Rush. It is considered one of the outstanding examples of program music in progressive rock.Played with a constantly shifting time signature, the basic concept of "Jacob's Ladder" is the description through music of a storm. The sparse lyrics, counterpointing the music, act as markers to the song, articulating the moment within the storm. The reference to the biblical Jacob's Ladder — Jacob's vision of a ladder from Heaven which angels went up and down — ties in with the final stanza of lyrics, which equate the storm of the music with an individual's life. There is also the suggestion in this lyric ('...the shifting shafts of shining weave the fabric of their dreams') that perhaps in ancient times wholly natural events were interpreted as something supernatural, subsequently giving rise to legend and myth. In this case the dazzling motes of sunlight breaking through a passing storm cloud were seen by Jacob as a heavenly vision.

RUSH-Freewill lyricsThere are those who think that life has nothing left to chance take,
A host of holy horrors to direct our aimless dance.
A planet of playthings,
We dance on the strings
Of powers we cannot perceive
"The stars aren't aligned,
Or the gods are malign..."
Blame is better to give than receive.
Chorus
You can choose a ready guide in some celestial voice.
If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.
You can choose from phantom fears and kindness that can kill;
I will choose a path that's clear
I will choose freewill.
There are those who think that they were dealt a losing hand,
The cards were stacked against them; they weren't born in Lotusland.
All preordained
A prisoner in chains
A victim of venomous fate.
Kicked in the face,
You can't pray for a place
In heaven's unearthly estate.
Chorus
Each of us
A cell of awareness
Imperfect and incomplete.
Genetic blends
With uncertain ends
On a fortune hunt that's far too fleet.

The topic of Freewill has been a LOST component since early season 1.



I'm not saying that the writers have any idea about RUSH's lyrics...just that there are MANY very cool coincidences. (at least for me)

I'm REALLY starting to wonder if Damon and/or Carlton are RUSH fans???

What I thought was weird was that in the "sneak peak" released on abc.com of that scene, when Hurley pops in the tape, he apparently chooses "Satan's Whatever" and a GWAR song starts playing.

My guess is that they originally wanted Xanadu, but only got the rights at the last second... or that the rights for the metal song fell through.

Or maybe they just changed their minds.

Coleridge claimed that the poem was inspired by an opium-induced dream (implicit in the poem's subtitle A Vision in a Dream) but that the composition was interrupted by a person from Porlock. Some have speculated that the vivid imagery of the poem stems from a waking hallucination albeit, most likely, opium-induced. Additionally a quote from William Bartram[1] is believed to have been a source of the poem. There is widespread speculation on the poem's meaning, some suggesting the author is merely portraying his vision while others insist on a theme or purpose. Others believe it is a poem stressing the beauty of creation, and some read sexual allusions throughout.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kubla_Khan

I also remember from film school that the author of the poem was going to write what all the imagery meant, but couldn't remember the next day because of the drugs he was on when he wrote the poem.

Didn't Driveshaft open for Rush back in 03?

Seriously- I believe that the choice in tapes is a reference/foreshadowing to Hurley having to choose between good and evil in the near future. As I have stated before, everything on Lost has a meaning (except the bracelets I guess).

Trying to remember the plot for the movie Xanadu but unfortunatley I was a teenage boy with the hots for Olivia Newton-John, so I didn't pay much attention to the plot. Although I believe it was about a roller rink. And the Australian connection is neat.

I am just so sorry this episode was done poorly. There a lot of good tidbits in it if you can get past the bad writing, editing, acting, Sawyer's hair, Kate's feet, etc..

Didn't Driveshaft open for Rush back in 03?

Seriously- I believe that the choice in tapes is a reference/foreshadowing to Hurley having to choose between good and evil in the near future. As I have stated before, everything on Lost has a meaning (except the bracelets I guess).

Trying to remember the plot for the movie Xanadu but unfortunatley I was a teenage boy with the hots for Olivia Newton-John, so I didn't pay much attention to the plot. Although I believe it was about a roller rink. And the Australian connection is neat.

I am just so sorry this episode was done poorly. There a lot of good tidbits in it if you can get past the bad writing, editing, acting, Sawyer's hair, Kate's feet, etc..

I saw the movie in the summer of 80 when it came out. I also watched it a few times during my 70's cheese retro period in college when we didnt have cable.
Xanadu was more then a roller rink they had performances and a bar and shows as well as the roller rink all in one building. We only got to see the Club that Gene Kelly's Character and Michael Beck put together. Olivia Newton John's character was one of Zues nine daughters that was torn between staying in LA and going back to to her nine sisters.
The soundtrack featured both Oliva Newton and ELO

Music video or Movie? Maybe the tapes are music videos & not movies Does the movie Xanadu start out with the song?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7m1UWSD-FaA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oO4_i8v2rdg

I loved hearing that old Olivia Newton John, song, Xanadu. Its from her 1980 album, Xanadu. I thought I would post the lyrics for you to read. Does it sound like an island we all know, and love/hate?

"A place where nobody dared to go,
The love that we came to know,
They call it Xanadu.
(It takes your breath and it'll leave you blind)

And now, open your eyes and see what we have made is real,
We are in Xanadu.
(A dream of it, we offer you).

A million lights are dancing, and there you are, a shooting star,
An everlasting world and you're here with me.
Eternally.

***Mod edited to remove complete lyrics***
Why the mod edit? It is credited to the singer, right?

I immediately smiled when he popped the tape in. I loved that movie as a kid, and still love ONJ. But also because I knew they were trying to work fans up by mentioning Xanadu, with all its implications.

I'm also a huge Rush fan, as evidenced by my handle :D. The curious thing about By-Tor is that he isn't completely evil. In the song "The Necromancer" on Caress of Steel he's actually the hero. Says Geddy, "He saw the light." and Neil said "I guess he's like all of us - sometimes good, and sometimes he's bad!"

Hey guys!
This is my first post here, but I've been reading for ages. I own Xanadu because I love Gene Kelly, and this was the last movie he ever made. Here's my two cents:

Olivia Newton-John is a muse, like everyone said, and it's her job to inspire artists, etc. She comes out of the mural to inspire Michael Beck's character, who is a painter, and ends up falling in love with him and wanting to stay in the mortal realm. But here's the interesting part (to me, at least) that no one has mentioned yet: Gene Kelly's character is an older man in his 60's who made a lot of money working some office job, but it's not his real passion and he is not fulfilled by it (Locke and the box factory, anyone?). Back when he was young, he played clarinet in some nightclub where a woman that looked EXACTLY like Olivia Newton John sang (this ties in to the whole "not aging - Richard Alpert" thing). They apparently were an item, and one day she just left. It's never actually said in the movie, but it's strongly suggested that she was his muse, as well. They clearly recognize each other when they meet in present day, even though GK's character is older, and ONJ's is still a young woman. Anyhoo, Gene had big dreams of opening a nightclub like the one where they used to hang out, but when she left him, he just gave up on his dream. SOOOOO, ONJ inspires GK and Michael Beck to go into business together, hence Xanadu, the disco roller derby, is born. Thanks, Olivia!
It's a pretty terrible movie, although Gene Kelly was great in it, There's lots of similar themes, like other dimensions (the leading man has to "cross over" into her world to get her back), the aging thing, finding happiness and fulfillment within yourself, but the best I can think of is the Garden of Eden one.

That's all I got :-)

Boy, I loved the music. Xanadu was probably the last of the "Disco" movies from the late 70ties. But it was so well done. Even in 1980 it was kinda "old-fashioned" with Gene Kelly and Olivia-Newton John dancing with a full swing orchestra.

The music from John Farrar and ELO and such great crossover tracks. My favorite always were "Whenever you're away from me", "I'm Alive", "Suspended in time" and of course the title track.

For us Lost fans one line might be interesting:
"I only have to close my eyes, dear - and I'm suddenly where you are.
you better never stray - 'cos I'll never be far away"
(is this Smokie's song?)

This one of my DVD's I will never sell....

I immediately smiled when he popped the tape in. I loved that movie as a kid, and still love ONJ. But also because I knew they were trying to work fans up by mentioning Xanadu, with all its implications.

I'm also a huge Rush fan, as evidenced by my handle :D. The curious thing about By-Tor is that he isn't completely evil. In the song "The Necromancer" on Caress of Steel he's actually the hero. Says Geddy, "He saw the light." and Neil said "I guess he's like all of us - sometimes good, and sometimes he's bad!"

Guess that the "AnalogKid" was a great hint. Also a great song. I posted a question in the "Ask the VIP's" section to see if there are any RUSH fans on the creative staff or if this is all just a huge coincidence.

I'll let you know if I get a response.....

Has anyone familiar with the Grateful Dead taken a look at the lyrics from the somg What's Become of the Baby? on the album AOXOMOXOA, there's some vague references not only to Coleridge's Kubla Khan but also to Carol's Looking Glass...Univeristy of Colorado at Colorado Springs website has a nice annotation (I'm a little hazy about the rules regarding links, I've been around a while but I'm not a poster) Anyway, here's the basic lyrics
What's Become of the Baby?

Waves of violet go crashing and laughing
Rainbow winged singing birds fly round the sun
Sunbells rain down in a liquid profusion
Mermaids on porpoises draw up the dawn

What's become of the baby
This cold December morning?

Songbirds
frozen in their flight
drifting to the earth
remnants of forgotten dreaming
Calling...
answer comes there none
Go to sleep you child
Dream of never ending always

Panes of crystal
Eyes sparkle like waterfalls
lighting the polished ice caverns of Khan
But where in the looking-glass fields of illusion
wandered the child who was perfect as dawn?

What's become of the Baby
this cold December morning?

Racing
rhythms of the sun
all the world revolves
captured in the eye of Odin
Allah
Pray where are you now?
All Mohammed's men
blinded by the sparkling water

Sheherazade gathering stories to tell
from primal gold fantasy petals that fall
But where is the child
who played with the sun chimes
and chased the cloud sheep
to the regions of rhyme?

Stranded
cries the south wind
Lost in the regions of lead
Shackled by chains of illusion
Delusions of living and dead

the song XANADU, I took it as another reference - along the lines of the song SHAMBALA playing in the van - that the island is some sort of Utopia/ attempt at a Utopian society.