Clive Davis: The Soundtrack of Our Lives

The story of Clive Davis is interesting & informative however, as much as I like Whitney Houston, had I known she would take up half the documentary, I would've thought twice about watching it. It's such a shame other incredibly talented artists from the 70's & 80's weren't included because as is shown throughout, he helped launch a plethora of big names.

The life of music producer Clive Davis is the history of pop music just before and after Mitch Miller. Working intimately with the biggest names in the business few if any had his expertise or experience and this doc covers most of the creme de la creme of the music scene that Davis either discovered or gravitated toward him. Joplin, Springsteen, Aretha, Dion Warwick, Santana, Whitney, Barry Manilow among many others discovered and promoted by Davis having nothing but kind words for this impresario who had an incredibly keen sense of recognizing talent and selecting songs to promote the artist.

Interesting not so much for Davis's personal life it is the interviews of rock and pop stars over the generations informing us of his incredible acumen while at Columbia and Arista Records that provided us with the "soundtrack of our lives" which gives this doc legs. By the time they get around to the career and tragic life of Whitney Houston Clive's background recedes into it and her dilemma takes center stage, his accomplishment a back seat to her tragedy but not before we get a semi-comprehensive history of pop music over the last 60 years under the stewardship of one of its greatest explorers.

This documentary is a detailed look at the career of Clive Davis, an icon in the music industry. He brought Columbia Records into Rock (Janis Joplin, Bruce Springsteen), co-founded Arista records (1st act was Barry Manilow) creating hit records for over 40 years and showing an amazing ability to change with the times. The documentary is primarily chronological, briefly mentioning his childhood and early career, moving quickly to when he became President of Columbia Records - a job he never imagined getting. It is then mostly about the hit acts he found with stories by employees, artists, some critics, competing executives, Davis himself, and much wonderful archive footage. Because there is so much to cover (Janis Joplin to Alicia Keys) the music is in small clips - you don't get full songs. But you know so many of the songs that you fill in the context yourself. His relationship with Whitney Houston (almost a father-daughter connection) occupies a significant part of the film, including her decline and tragic death.

Since Davis participated in the film any criticisms of him are mild. There is almost nothing about his personal life. And while some commentators say that Clive always had suggestions about changing the elements of a song (more drums, more vocal, etc.) there is no explanation of how he does this - I would like to no more about his instincts and how he interprets them. There is also nothing about how the music industry (including radio) changed over his career - he had a unique view being a key player for so long and probably has many interesting insights. But this film still gives quite a look at how one man - a lawyer with no aspirations towards the music business - was such a huge force in popular music for decades.

This documentary provides a detailed look into the man that helped define the music industry. Davis has an ear for good music and has always been able to redefine himself at the right moment.

From highs to lows Davis's career has seen its share of them all but he's always found away to rise to the top. This documentary will give you insight on his start and continued growth within the music industry and you'll hear from the many people he's influenced throughout his 50+ years within the music industry.

A must watch for any music fan!

This would have been even better if it were longer, like a 6 part series. I feel that way about most documentaries, even 'Country' which WAS 6 parts lol. I have to give it a 10 because you need to watch it so you know who this great man is, an icon in the music industry but not a household name. I've known who Clive was since my younger years, but didn't go down any rabbit holes on the topic of Clive Davis until recently. It's inspiring to know he's still working as I write this in 2020. Go Clive!!!