"BACK IN TIME" HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS (1985)

After spending an entire month looking back at the 80’s, I realized one thing. I need more. Luckily, a couple of fellow music fans on Twitter came up with the brilliant idea to highlight #30DaysOf80sMovieSongs during the month of April. I couldn’t resist at the opportunity to keep going, to keep listening, and to keep celebrating the decade that has meant more to me than any other from a musical standpoint. Each day I’m playing a different soundtrack favorite on the Mental Jukebox.

Movie: Back To The Future

“The Power of Love” is one of the quintessential songs of the decade. There’s no doubt about it. Every time I hear it, it brings me back, lifts me up and reminds me of that incredible nostalgic high of the eighties. It’s also one of the premier soundtrack theme songs of that period. It opened with those epic synth chords that become the bedrock of the song. It had the mellow bridge. It had the guitar solo. And, of course, it had that awesome vocal performance from Huey Lewis. But while it may be one of the quintessential songs of the decade, one could make the argument that “Back In Time”, the lesser celebrated song from Back To The Future, is actually the quintessential track for the movie. Here’s why:

First off, “Back In Time” is played more times throughout the movie compared to “The Power Of Love”, including two of the movie’s most pivotal moments: the scene where Marty McFly’s alarm clock wakes him up from what he thinks is a nightmare as well as the end credits. Second, the song’s lyrics are tightly connected to the theme and ethos of the movie with lyrics like: “Tell me, Doctor, where are we going this time? Is this the 50’s, or 1999?” “So take me away, I don't mind. But you better promise me I'll be back in time.” “You'd better remember, lightning never strikes twice.” And lastly, “Back In Time” was more of a team effort on the songwriting front. involving Lewis and three other members of the News. It’s an underrated, under-appreciated soundtrack gem. And sometimes, those are the best ones to play nice and loud.

“Don't bet your future on one roll of the dice. You'd better remember, lightning never strikes twice.”

"CITIES IN DUST" SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES (1985)

After spending an entire month looking back at the 80’s, I realized one thing. I need more. Luckily, a couple of fellow music fans on Twitter came up with the brilliant idea to highlight #30DaysOf80sMovieSongs during the month of April. I couldn’t resist at the opportunity to keep going, to keep listening, and to keep celebrating the decade that has meant more to me than any other from a musical standpoint. Each day I’m playing a different soundtrack favorite on the Mental Jukebox.

Movie: Out of Bounds

Let’s salute one of the most underrated bands of our time. A group that inspired bands who ended up inspiring other bands in turn. (The Cure, I’m looking at you.) Let’s also salute one of the greatest, most unique singers in Siouxsie Sioux. She could howl like a wolf in one moment, and then sing with a majestic stance in another. The instrumentalists were all exceptional as well. There was a revolving door of guitarists, but bassist Steven Severin and drummer Budgie stayed by Siouxsie’s side for many years. There are so many great rockers from Siouxsie & The Banshees – and one of them is certainly “Cities in Dust”.

Even when Siouxsie & the Banshees veered toward more accessible pop melodies, they never lost their brash post-punk edge. “Cities in Dust” is a case in point. Here’s a history lesson on Pompeii, put to a dance rock beat. Non-Banshee fans could appreciate this stuff. Alarming guitar riffs in the bridge. Haunting toy piano crescendos. And that unmistakeable falsetto howl from Siouxsie Sioux, one of the more underrated singer-songwriters of our time.

“Your former glories and all the stories. Dragged and washed with eager hands.”

"AXEL F" HAROLD FALTERMEYER (1984)

After spending an entire month looking back at the 80’s, I realized one thing. I need more. Luckily, a couple of fellow music fans on Twitter came up with the brilliant idea to highlight #30DaysOf80sMovieSongs during the month of April. I couldn’t resist at the opportunity to keep going, to keep listening, and to keep celebrating the decade that has meant more to me than any other from a musical standpoint. Each day I’m playing a different soundtrack favorite on the Mental Jukebox.

Movie: Beverly Hills Cop

Growing up playing piano, I studied all the legends. Bach. Beethoven. Chopin. Liszt. Mozart. The list goes on. But as a kid, all I really ever wanted was some Axel F. I played the upright piano reluctantly. But I played my Casiotone with passion and fervor. Learning how to play the main keyboard sequence from “Axel F” on this instrument was like a rite of passage. I felt like I could hang with Faltermeyer. Of course, that’s a delusion. Harold Faltermeyer is a bit of a legend himself, crafting some of the most memorable movie soundtracks like Beverly Hills Cop and Top Gun.

Together with Glenn Frey’s “The Heat Is On” and The Pointer Sisters’ “Neutron Dance”, Harold Faltermeyer’s “Axel F” formed a formidable soundtrack triumvirate. And the latter was a rarity. Movie soundtrack instrumentals don’t normally become radio darlings, but this one was played everywhere. It hasn’t aged so gracefully. (Those keyboard riffs were 80’s to the core). But it’s a track that carries with it so much nostalgia and free spirit that it’s no wonder it got as far as it did without a single lyric.

"JUMPIN' JACK FLASH" THE ROLLING STONES (1968)

After spending an entire month looking back at the 80’s, I realized one thing. I need more. Luckily, a couple of fellow music fans on Twitter came up with the brilliant idea to highlight #30DaysOf80sMovieSongs during the month of April. I couldn’t resist at the opportunity to keep going, to keep listening, and to keep celebrating the decade that has meant more to me than any other from a musical standpoint. Each day I’m playing a different soundtrack favorite on the Mental Jukebox.

Movie: Jumpin’ Jack Flash

The Rolling Stones found their sweet spot somewhere halfway between the blues and rock ‘n roll. Other acts had their own success ushering blues into other genres, including Zeppelin, Cream and The Dead. But The Stones did it in a way that made them the perfect band to hear on a bar stool or on the stadium floor. There was something epic about the way the strung together Jagger’s vocals and moves with the dual guitar attack of Richards and Wood.

I probably can’t count the number of times this song lifted me up. “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” is a song of redemption. It’s the reset button. It’s about getting knocked on your ass and getting back up again. It’s uttered in Jagger’s snarl. And it’s flowing in those sweet guitar riffs from Richards. “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” is a caffeinated jolt to your head. The kind of song that can help you get over a bad week or even a very bad year.

“I was schooled with a strap right across my back. But it's all right now, in fact, it's a gas.”

"TAKE MY BREATH AWAY" BERLIN (1986)

After spending an entire month looking back at the 80’s, I realized one thing. I need more. Luckily, a couple of fellow music fans on Twitter came up with the brilliant idea to highlight #30DaysOf80sMovieSongs during the month of April. I couldn’t resist at the opportunity to keep going, to keep listening, and to keep celebrating the decade that has meant more to me than any other from a musical standpoint. Each day I’m playing a different soundtrack favorite on the Mental Jukebox.

Movie: Top Gun

Those who grew up in the 80’s often wonder why their minds are filled with such useless song lyrics and movie lines. They have taken up permanent residence in our heads. Sometimes I wonder why I remember these seemingly unimportant cultural moments. But then I remember, they actually were important. They helped us get through the Cold War, Middle Eastern conflict, and puberty. The decade had numerous expressions of synth pop. It had countless ballads. And it had Top Gun. At the intersection of all of these was Berlin’s “Take My Breath Away”.

This was a song that made hearts race in the lovemaking scene far more than the fighter jet scenes. You fell for it whether you had reached puberty or not. Maybe only bested by The Police’s “Every Breath You Take” or U2’s “With or Without You”, “Take My Breath Away” is one of the 80’s greatest and most memorable ballads. The synth sounds were era-defining. The bass lines were ominous. The key change delivered the gravitas. And the melody still stands as an icon of the decade.

“Haunted by the notion somewhere there's a love in flames.”

"PET SEMATARY" RAMONES (1989)

After spending an entire month looking back at the 80’s, I realized one thing. I need more. Luckily, a couple of fellow music fans on Twitter came up with the brilliant idea to highlight #30DaysOf80sMovieSongs during the month of April. I couldn’t resist at the opportunity to keep going, to keep listening, and to keep celebrating the decade that has meant more to me than any other from a musical standpoint. Each day I’m playing a different soundtrack favorite on the Mental Jukebox.

Movie: Pet Sematary

Stephen King is a huge Ramones fan. So if King wants a Ramones song to be featured in his next film, then Kings gets a Ramones song. As the story goes, he handed the band a copy of the novel in his home in Maine. Bassist Dee Dee Ramone took it with him to the basement and returned with the lyrics for the song an hour later. I remember hearing it on Long Island’s WDRE. It had been a while since I last heard a new Ramones song. In fact, my knowledge of the band is so closely tied to the 70’s, that I’m not even sure I’m familiar with anything that the band produced in the 80’s with the exception of this single.

The thing about the Ramones is that I actually don’t like them that much. They make for fun party music. But I just get bored too fast with that two-minute, three-chord formula. The songs all sound too similar to me. At least the 5-6 well known ones. And they all seem to run at the same speed. But “Pet Sematary” was something else. It still sounded like a Ramones song, but it had a bit more dimension to it. The chorus had more legs. Not to mention the instrumentation. (I could’ve sworn I heard some synth in there). “Pet Sematary” ironically gave the band some new life as well as newfound relevance among modern rock fans like me.

“I don't want to be buried in a pet sematary. I don't want to live my life again.”

"EIGHTIES" KILLING JOKE (1985)

After spending an entire month looking back at the 80’s, I realized one thing. I need more. Luckily, a couple of fellow music fans on Twitter came up with the brilliant idea to highlight #30DaysOf80sMovieSongs during the month of April. I couldn’t resist at the opportunity to keep going, to keep listening, and to keep celebrating the decade that has meant more to me than any other from a musical standpoint. Each day I’m playing a different soundtrack favorite on the Mental Jukebox.

Movie: Weird Science

As a young teenager growing up in the 80’s, “Weird Science” was pure fantasy. Kelly LeBrock was like a goddess that stirred the hormones of boys with just a blink of her eye. We all wanted it to be real. The characters were extreme. Anthony Michael Hall, the epitome of the nerd. Bill Paxton, the definition of dirtbag. Robert Downey Jr., the false facade of cool. The music was extreme, too. Everything was fueled with large doses of testosterone. The highlight of the soundtrack is Killing Joke’s “Eighties”.

Killing Joke played it hard. They were louder and brasher than other post punk outfits. Listening back to the track, I can hear foreshadowings of Nine Inch Nails, Soundgarden and Nirvana. It sounds eerily similar to the trio of Cobain, Grohl and Novoselic. The guitar is relentless in “Eighties”, tearing through the song like a hurricane with a variety of hooks. The song appears in a party scene in Weird Science, while the lyrics seem to function like an ode to a grittier, darker, dystopian version of the decade.

“Eighties - I got the best, I'll take all I can get.”

"SOUL FINGER" THE BAR-KAYS (1967)

After spending an entire month looking back at the 80’s, I realized one thing. I need more. Luckily, a couple of fellow music fans on Twitter came up with the brilliant idea to highlight #30DaysOf80sMovieSongs during the month of April. I couldn’t resist at the opportunity to keep going, to keep listening, and to keep celebrating the decade that has meant more to me than any other from a musical standpoint. Each day I’m playing a different soundtrack favorite on the Mental Jukebox.

Movie: Spies Like Us

If you’re an 80’s child, chances are you can’t think of Soviet missile control personnel parties without remembering this song. Spies Like Us’ unforgettable scene went back a couple of decades to uncover this instrumental soul fest from the late 60s. The movie itself featured some of the decade’s best comedians on the silver screen: Chevy Chase and Dan Aykroyd. “Doctor, doctor, doctor, doctor.” The campiness of the acting, the film sets and the movie at large certainly extended its way into the soundtrack, which is most known for “Soul Finger”.

Overly simple and repetitious, “Soul Finger” checks two boxes for likability. First, it’s infectious. The kind of song you can’t get out of your head even if you tried. Second, it’s nostalgic, whether you grew up in the 60’s or in the 80’s. The electric guitar has its moment, but the soul of the song is the trumpet and saxophone. The two instruments are thoroughly irritating and whiny throughout the song, yet strangely irresistible. The band doubles down on the brass in later renditions, adding a trombone. The song is about as ludicrous as having a dance party at a missile control site, which makes it a perfect accompaniment for the iconic Spies Like Us scene.

"TOGETHER IN ELECTRIC DREAMS" PHILIP OAKEY & GIORGIO MORODER (1984)

After spending an entire month looking back at the 80’s, I realized one thing. I need more. Luckily, a couple of fellow music fans on Twitter came up with the brilliant idea to highlight #30DaysOf80sMovieSongs during the month of April. I couldn’t resist at the opportunity to keep going, to keep listening, and to keep celebrating the decade that has meant more to me than any other from a musical standpoint. Each day I’m playing a different soundtrack favorite on the Mental Jukebox.

Movie: Electric Dreams

Like a Human League song on sonic steroids. Growing up I always thought it was The Human League, and I didn’t know who Giorgio Moroder was until Daft Punk paid homage to him on their Random Access Memories album. And what a shame it is that Giovanni Giorgio Moroder doesn’t receive more acclaim. This man unleashed the power of the synthesizer. He was the one with the vision that saw it as the future of music. There would be no euro disco, synth pop and a key swath of new wave without him. “Together In Electric Dreams” is just as much his song as it’s Philip Oakey’s, if not more.

Oakey’s baritone vocals shine like crystals on the track. Simultaneously weighty and lofty, they give the song its upbeat demeanor together with that feel good melody. But the magic of the song is Moroder. He not only crafts gorgeous synth hooks, he uses it to create guitar-like riffs multiple times throughout the song. Moroder unleashed the synthesizer in ways we weren’t accustomed to hearing it. “Together In Electric Dreams” is much more than just a catchy synth pop song. It’s a foreshadowing of the dual vocal attacks of Pet Shop Boys and Dusty Springfield, the synth chord progressions of early Erasure, and the disco vibes of Daft Punk.

“Because the friendship that you gave has taught me to be brave.”

"BRING ON THE DANCING HORSES" ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN (1985)

After spending an entire month looking back at the 80’s, I realized one thing. I need more. Luckily, a couple of fellow music fans on Twitter came up with the brilliant idea to highlight #30DaysOf80sMovieSongs during the month of April. I couldn’t resist at the opportunity to keep going, to keep listening, and to keep celebrating the decade that has meant more to me than any other from a musical standpoint. Each day I’m playing a different soundtrack favorite on the Mental Jukebox.

Movie: Pretty In Pink

Few albums captured the essence of the 80s better than the Pretty in Pink soundtrack. It was a defining soundscape for the Brat Pack and the exciting, yet incredibly awkward teenage world of John Hughes. The title track was an obvious hit. not to mention “If You Leave” and The Smiths’ mopey ballad “Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want”. But today I’m highlighting a song that’s less known in mainstream circles, but was huge for new wave kids like me: “Bring on the Dancing Horses”.

This wasn’t Echo & the Bunnymen’s most celebrated song among the masses. That distinction belongs squarely on the shoulders of “The Killing Moon” and “Lips Like Sugar”. But it was an endearing staple for the band’s fans. It was smothered in layers of synth like molasses. A sugary, pop tune that benefited from a simple, catchy melody and a somewhat cryptic commentary on the human soul by Ian McCulloch. Hearing the guys perform this at Coney Island back in 2017, the song felt like a nostalgic new wave trip down memory lane.

“First I'm gonna make it. Then I'm gonna break it till it falls apart.”

"LIKE TO GET TO KNOW YOU WELL" HOWARD JONES (1984)

After spending an entire month looking back at the 80’s, I realized one thing. I need more. Luckily, a couple of fellow music fans on Twitter came up with the brilliant idea to highlight #30DaysOf80sMovieSongs during the month of April. I couldn’t resist at the opportunity to keep going, to keep listening, and to keep celebrating the decade that has meant more to me than any other from a musical standpoint. Each day I’m playing a different soundtrack favorite on the Mental Jukebox.

Movie: Better Off Dead

I got a lot of mileage out of my Dream Into Action cassette. The album set off a wave of synth pop hits that were a bit more contemplative than the average musical fare and still managed to reach the mainstream, including “No One Is To Blame”, “Life In One Day” and “Things Can Only Get Better”. It was Howard Jones in peak form, which coincided perfectly with the height of the 80’s synth pop era. The lesser known single, “Like To Get To Know You Well”, didn’t fare well in the States, but it was my favorite track of the bunch. On the surface, the song title sounds like it’s setting us up for a romance-fueled confession. But it’s so much more than that.

The single version of the song was released during the 1984 Olympic Games. On the sleeve of this release, HoJo wrote that the song was dedicated to the original spirit of the Olympics. The song is actually about unity. About stripping away barriers and becoming one. Nearly 40 years later, this 80’s gem has even more meaning in the current climate where people don’t have much interest in really getting to know each other. Making stereotypical assumptions of one another or keeping a safe distance from one another seem to be the order of the day. Well, this little new wave song begs to differ.

“Leave the things that separate. Build on a trust that we must stand on.”

"YOUNG AMERICANS" DAVID BOWIE (1975)

After spending an entire month looking back at the 80’s, I realized one thing. I need more. Luckily, a couple of fellow music fans on Twitter came up with the brilliant idea to highlight #30DaysOf80sMovieSongs during the month of April. I couldn’t resist at the opportunity to keep going, to keep listening, and to keep celebrating the decade that has meant more to me than any other from a musical standpoint. Each day I’m playing a different soundtrack favorite on the Mental Jukebox.

Movie: Sixteen Candles

Few songs did more to prop up a movie soundtrack than “Young Americans”. It elevated the soundscape of Sixteen Candles with instant credibility. Not to downplay Thompson Twins, Spandau Ballet, Billy Idol, Oingo Boingo and the like, but the rest of the soundtrack has a one-dimensional feel to it. A mediocre combination of new wave hits at best – a couple of solid tracks surrounded by mostly forgettable songs. But the scene in the movie where the family is getting ready for Sam’s older sister’s wedding is put on a pedestal with the Bowie classic “Young Americans”.

Some consider this to be Bowie’s best song. It’s certainly up there, showcasing his ability to traverse various genres. On “Young Americans”, Bowie is all soul. The melody. His lead vocals. The piano slide. The backing vocal harmonies, featuring a young Luther Vandross. And the saxophone flourishes from David Sanborn. On the album of the same name, “Young Americans” is the throwback opener that eventually leads to the album closer, “Fame”, which stands in stark contrast with its post-modern, new wave aesthetic.

“All night, I want the young American.”

"ST. ELMO'S FIRE (MAN IN MOTION)" JOHN PARR (1985)

After spending an entire month looking back at the 80’s, I realized one thing. I need more. Luckily, a couple of fellow music fans on Twitter came up with the brilliant idea to highlight #30DaysOf80sMovieSongs during the month of April. I couldn’t resist at the opportunity to keep going, to keep listening, and to keep celebrating the decade that has meant more to me than any other from a musical standpoint. Each day I’m playing a different soundtrack favorite on the Mental Jukebox.

Movie: St. Elmo’s Fire

There’s a certain crop of 80’s songs that I simply can’t resist despite the fact that they err heavily on the side of cheesy and awful. REO Speedwagon’s “Can’t Fight This Feeling”. Europe’s “The Final Countdown”. The Human League’s “Don’t You Want Me”. And then there’s John Parr’s “St. Elmo’s Fire (Man In Motion)”. They might be awful in many respects. There’s no use in hiding that fact. But their awfulness is their awesomeness. These songs are nostalgic, feel-good, karaoke anthems. With the St. Elmo’s Fire theme song, I salute the memories attached to it, not the musicality.

“St. Elmo’s Fire (Man In Motion)” was a song born out of a tough bout with writer’s block. John Parr and David Foster were tasked with writing a song for the movie, but Parr was coming up empty. Foster told him a story of a Canadian athlete, Rick Hansen, who went around the world in a wheelchair to raise awareness for spinal cord injuries. This story became the inspiration behind the man in motion, which received heavy airplay on MTV and Top 40 format radio stations. You couldn’t escape it even if you tried, just like it was impossible to avoid The Brat Pack in the mid-80’s. “St. Elmo’s Fire (Man In Motion)” brings me back, lifts me up, and pushes me forward in all its cheesy spendour.

“Growin' up, you don't see the writing on the wall. Passin' by, movin' straight ahead, you knew it all.”

"A VIEW TO A KILL" DURAN DURAN (1985)

After spending an entire month looking back at the 80’s, I realized one thing. I need more. Luckily, a couple of fellow music fans on Twitter came up with the brilliant idea to highlight #30DaysOf80sMovieSongs during the month of April. I couldn’t resist at the opportunity to keep going, to keep listening, and to keep celebrating the decade that has meant more to me than any other from a musical standpoint. Each day I’m playing a different soundtrack favorite on the Mental Jukebox.

Movie: A View To A Kill

Bassist John Taylor, a longtime James Bond fan, approached the film series producer at a party asking when he’s finally going to hire someone decent to do one of their theme songs. So the story goes. That conversation led a meeting between Duran Duran, the producer and two composers, including John Barry. And the project was on. Mental note for those with big ambitions. If you want something, sometimes you just need to talk to the right people and express a strong point of view that you can do better. The result: the biggest hit of any James Bond soundtrack song and one of the band’s all-time classics.

“A View To A Kill” was written by the band and arranged by John Barry. There was no compromise here. It feels 100% Duran Duran, and 100% James Bond at the same time. It took Duran Duran to the next level. The self-titled debut, Rio and Seven and the Ragged Tiger were chock full of synth-laden hits. But “A View To A Kill” put the band on a more aggressive tilt. In the very first second of the track, Roger Taylor unleashes his pounding percussion agenda while Andy Taylor adds a raw guitar hook that sounds like a foreshadowing of his approach with The Power Station. John Taylor’s bass lines still have those characteristic John Taylor hooks, but they’re more calculated here. Simon Le Bon delivers one of his finest vocal performances, hovering dangerous and low in the verses and soaring high in the chorus. And Nick Rhodes is the connective tissue, constructing synth sounds that fully encapsulate the Bond aura.

“Dance into the fire. That fatal kiss is all we need.”

"IN YOUR EYES" PETER GABRIEL (1986)

After spending an entire month looking back at the 80’s, I realized one thing. I need more. Luckily, a couple of fellow music fans on Twitter came up with the brilliant idea to highlight #30DaysOf80sMovieSongs during the month of April. I couldn’t resist at the opportunity to keep going, to keep listening, and to keep celebrating the decade that has meant more to me than any other from a musical standpoint. Each day I’m playing a different soundtrack favorite on the Mental Jukebox.

Movie: Say Anything

If you’re an 80’s child, you simply can’t forget the scene. Lloyd Dobler hoists a boombox above his head outside Diane Court’s bedroom window. He doesn’t say anything. He just lets a masterpiece by Peter Gabriel do all the talking, to prove he loves her. Most teenage boys have pathetically tried to copy Lloyd’s move or at least thought about doing it. Which is ridiculous when you think about it. What made Lloyd cool was the fact that no one else thought of that before him. Everyone else post-Lloyd is simply uncool. The song he played, of course, is “In Your Eyes”.

This is not your average ballad. It’s a cultural phenomenon, partly due to its unique persona. It’s one of the greatest recordings ever to merge pop with worldbeat – and do so in a way that didn’t cheapen either genre. But it’s also a phenomenon because of the movie scene. Say Anything, without a doubt, gave “In Your Eyes” an identity that was attached to the movie’s hip. In fact, when Gabriel played the first few bars of the song during a performance at the Hollywood Bowl about ten years ago, John Cusack walked onto the stage, handed him a boombox and took a bow, before quickly walking off again. The scene and the music are forever inseparable.

“I see the doorway to a thousand churches in your eyes.”

"HAZY SHADE OF WINTER" THE BANGLES (1987)

After spending an entire month looking back at the 80’s, I realized one thing. I need more. Luckily, a couple of fellow music fans on Twitter came up with the brilliant idea to highlight #30DaysOf80sMovieSongs during the month of April. I couldn’t resist at the opportunity to keep going, to keep listening, and to keep celebrating the decade that has meant more to me than any other from a musical standpoint. Each day I’m playing a different soundtrack favorite on the Mental Jukebox.

Movie: Less Than Zero

Full disclosure: I’ve never seen the movie. And I heard I didn’t miss much. But I did read the book, and Brett Easton Ellis hooked me with a story that was closely tied to the times, just like many of his other books, including American Psycho and The Rules of Attraction. The soundtrack to Less Than Zero, however, seemed like a mixed bag that didn’t quite capture the eighties in a truly coherent and consistent way. But there is a bright spot on the album that truly shines: The Bangles’ cover of “Hazy Shade of Winter”.

The Simon & Garfunkel original hails from the Bookends album. It was a well-known track, but it was completely overshadowed by “Mrs. Robinson” and “America”. The Bangles gave “Hazy Shade of Winter” a second life by injecting in it a good boost of adrenaline. The intro was completely reimagined. The guitar riff was electro-charged. And the harmonies sported a new third dimension. It sounded nothing like Simon & Garfunkel, yet it was an exceptional tribute to the folk duo. The result: one of the band’s greatest recordings and one of the most memorable soundtrack songs of the decade.

“It's the springtime of my life.”

"PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE LET ME GET WHAT I WANT" THE DREAM ACADEMY (1985)

After spending an entire month looking back at the 80’s, I realized one thing. I need more. Luckily, a couple of fellow music fans on Twitter came up with the brilliant idea to highlight #30DaysOf80sMovieSongs during the month of April. I couldn’t resist at the opportunity to keep going, to keep listening, and to keep celebrating the decade that has meant more to me than any other from a musical standpoint. Each day I’m playing a different soundtrack favorite on the Mental Jukebox.

Movie: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

It takes guts to cover a Smiths song, because if you dare to you sure as hell better not f##k it up. Well, The Dream Academy succeeded. They produced a version that seemed to have its own identity and pay homage to the great Manchester act at the same time. The song appears in the museum scene of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Ferris, Sloane and Cameron are playing hooky and end up at the Art Institute of Chicago. In a twist, the scene doesn’t provide comic relief. Rather, it provides relief from the comedy. And there’s no song better to create the mood than “Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want”.

The Dream Academy version is less morose, more euphoric. I mentioned in a previous post on Mental Jukebox that The Dream Academy occupied a rare space in music during their time where their songs seemed to resemble dreamlike states. As the band name suggests, we go to The Dream Academy to learn how to dream and imagine again. Listening to their Smiths cover, it’s easy to get swept away and lost in the music, whereas in the original version it was easy to get self-absorbed. It’s like that Art Institute scene where Cameron is squinting intensely at a Seurat painting. He realizes there’s so much more when you look closer and deeper, beyond ourselves and into the art of life.

“So, for once in my life, let me get what I want. Lord knows it would be the first time.”

"WHEN DOVES CRY" PRINCE (1984)

After spending an entire month looking back at the 80’s, I realized one thing. I need more. Luckily, a couple of fellow music fans on Twitter came up with the brilliant idea to highlight #30DaysOf80sMovieSongs during the month of April. I couldn’t resist at the opportunity to keep going, to keep listening, and to keep celebrating the decade that has meant more to me than any other from a musical standpoint. Each day I’m playing a different soundtrack favorite on the Mental Jukebox.

Movie: Purple Rain

Is there a more quintessential soundtrack from the eighties than Purple Rain? I’m not so sure there is. Pretty In Pink and Footloose both deserve to be part of that conversation. But Purple Rain gets the nod because it covered so much musical ground. On it, Prince explored numerous tempos, genres, instrumentation and lyrical themes. “I Would Die 4 U”, “Purple Rain”, “Let’s Go Crazy” and “When Doves Cry”. They’re all classics. Each one with its own distinct personality. But “When Doves Cry” is the track that pushed musical boundaries the most. It’s the one track that packed the most punch, but never felt excessive at any given point. Prince may be considered one of the greatest pop artists of our time, but he did it by going against the mainstream, which is the essence of the song.

Play back “When Does Cry” and you’ll hear a myriad of genres. No one blended them better and so effortlessly than Prince. There’s the hard rock-infused guitar solo in the opening, the dance pop and funk blend fueling the rhythm from beginning to end, and even a classical music-inspired synth solo at the 5:00 mark. Structurally, “When Does Cry” also veered from the expected — becoming one of the few songs in pop history to be recorded without a single bass line. I love bass, but I really love what Prince did by stripping it out entirely from this recording.

“Why do we scream at each other? This is what it sounds like when doves cry.”

"I GO CRAZY" FLESH FOR LULU (1987)

After spending an entire month looking back at the 80’s, I realized one thing. I need more. Luckily, a couple of fellow music fans on Twitter came up with the brilliant idea to highlight #30DaysOf80sMovieSongs during the month of April. I couldn’t resist at the opportunity to keep going, to keep listening, and to keep celebrating the decade that has meant more to me than any other from a musical standpoint. Each day I’m playing a different soundtrack favorite on the Mental Jukebox.

Movie: Some Kind Of Wonderful

In college, I was lucky enough to be part of an a cappella group with a group of immensely talented and amazing human beings. I don’t have a solo voice, but I got in by the skin of my teeth because I could sing some bass. Those musical limitations didn’t stop two dear friends of mine in the group from searching long and hard for the right solo for me. That song was “I Go Crazy”. Straight off the soundtrack for Some Kind of Wonderful. It was a perfect choice. Flesh for Lulu’s frontman’s vocal range is almost identical to mine. And the song is a true 80’s anthem through and through.

“I Go Crazy” builds from the first verse into the chorus. Then it builds some more into the second verse, back to the chorus, to the vocal bridge and then reaches a climax with an instrumental bridge. The synth hook is a simple one-noter that’s menacing in its repetition. The guitar riff revs up the song from beginning to end. And the bass line is just plain, understated cool without trying too hard to be like anything else we’ve heard. Kinda like that Watts character in Some Kind of Wonderful.

“Well isn't that nice. Like Miami Vice.”

"EYES WITHOUT A FACE" BILLY IDOL (1983)

It’s time to get back to my favorite decade. For the month of March, I’ll be looking back at some of my favorite jams from the 80s. These songs often came to me via MTV or the radio. NYC-area stations WDRE, WPLJ, WNEW, K-ROCK and Z100 introduced me to everything from irresistible pop confections to under-the-radar post-punk anthems. I would not be who I am today if it weren’t for the 80s. It was the decade when I discovered music can be a truly powerful thing. #31DaysOf80sSongs

You cannot deny the power of the ballad during the eighties. It was just as much a part of the era as hair metal, synth pop and sax solos. This past month, I’ve had a ball featuring a different song each day from this era on Mental Jukebox. And I’ve given some thought to the question: what is the greatest ballad of the 80’s? I’ve come to the conclusion that there isn’t one that rises above the rest. But there are several that probably deserve to be recognized, including The Police’s “Every Breath You Take”, U2’s “With Or Without You”, Prince’s “Purple Rain” and the subject of this post: Billy Idol’s “Eyes Without A Face”.

Idol isn’t the type of artist you would first associate with ballads. He didn’t make many of them. But he and his longtime collaborator Steve Stevens wrote one for the ages in 1983. “Eyes Without A Face” is a ballad that rises in tension from the first verse to the second verse into the bridge, where the song’s delicate demeanor explodes into something a bit more, well, Billy Idol. The guitar hook and Idol’s snarl return to remind us Billy is still Billy. All is well. He and Stevens just needed to slow down the RPMs a bit to let the melody, arrangements and Perri Lister’s backing vocals take the spotlight even it was just for a few minutes. And, boy, were they absolutely worth it.

“I'm all out of hope. One more bad break could bring a fall.”