The True Story Behind Song Sung Blue Explained

"Song Sung Blue" has been sold to the public as a true story, but how much of it is real and how much of it is fake? It turns out the film comes pretty close to reality. The movie is based on the lives of Claire Sardina (played by rom-com queen Kate Hudson) and her husband, Mike (portrayed by movie star Hugh Jackman), two musicians who fall in love in the 1980s. They decide to transition away from working as celebrity impersonators and start up a tribute band for "Sweet Caroline" songsmith Neil Diamond called "Lightning and Thunder."

But Claire and Mike's lives aren't all rhinestones and footlights. In spite of the acclaim they accrue, an accident nearly claims Claire's life, and a heart condition threatens Mike's. Both of these things did indeed actually happen to the real Mike and Claire. Director Craig Brewer admitted to Entertainment Weekly that the movie compresses or fictionalizes some of its events for the sake of telling a solid story. "The hard thing about doing these kinds of movies is that you're taking all of these different key moments from their life. And trying to put them together in something that can still have an emotional truth to it."

For example: Mike was never a celebrity impersonator, though Claire did indeed perform as Patsy Cline. They didn't meet at the Wisconsin State Fair — they actually had a business meeting because Claire had auditioned to join Mike's band and things turned romantic. Rachel (Ella Anderson), Claire's daughter, never used a defibrillator on Mike, and he had to stop hiding his heart condition from the family once it worsened, but she did give up a child for adoption.

Claire Sardina has been very supportive of "Song Sung Blue." "I'm honored. I'm overwhelmed. I'm excited," she told OnMilwaukee. She had plenty of praise for Kate Hudson's work, especially in the way she portrayed Claire's depression after an accident that resulted in a partial leg amputation. "I went back in time, and I relived it. She was just stunningly wonderful in emulating what I was going through," she told Time. 

Sardina continues to perform onstage as part of a new band, Thunder After Lightning, with Toney Luciano, whom she fondly calls her "Claire-giver." She sings karaoke and plays in other bands, too. Sardinia also splits her time between Wisconsin and Arizona, and between her two children's home states.

But Mike Sardina isn't far from her mind or heart, and she believes she feels his presence around her. "Do you think that Lightning is here tonight?" she remarked as she walked the red carpet premiere for "Song Sung Blue" in Milwaukee, per People. She's still confident in their shared life's work, too. As she told OnMilwaukee, "I'm very proud of my achievements after all these years."