Killer Hollywood soundtracks: ‘80s and up
Editor’s note: Until the turn of the century, mainstream Hollywood had a rich library of carefully curated and commissioned soundtracks that added to their respective films’ storylines—much like old school Bollywood. But, as physical media fell by the wayside, these soundtrack albums have become harder to find in their original form. That’s why we’re turning the clock back to put together a playlist of Hollywood soundtrack hits you know and love—alongside some forgotten gems of the era. All the tracks below can be found on our YouTube playlist.
‘Purple Rain’ by Prince: Let’s get the hit most synonymous with this time period out of the way first. The 1984 film itself isn’t all that great, but this psychedelic rock opera and its multi-talented singer-songwriter need no further introduction.
‘Don't You (Forget About Me)’ by Simple Minds: This song appears in the iconic 1985 John Hughes movie ‘The Breakfast Club’ starring Emilio Estevez, Paul Gleason, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, and Ally Sheedy. The main cast recently celebrated their first reunion in 40 years. It is only fair that we resurface this iconic song—which btw Zillennials would recognise from ‘Pitch Perfect’.
‘Footloose’ by Kenny Loggins: Can you believe this dance number wasn’t actually made for the 1984 Herbert Ross film ‘Footloose’ and happened to fit just right in?! It is quite impossible not to dance to this iconic track and others from the movie.
‘Danger Zone’ by Kenny Loggins: We wouldn’t be doing the ‘80s justice without Kenny’s other massive hit. This hard rock phenomenon was the centrepiece of Tom Cruise’s ‘Top Gun’ in 1986 and made the most of fan nostalgia in the 2022 legacy sequel. 612 million Spotify streams and counting says it all.
‘The Goonies R Good Enough’ by Cyndi Lauper: With lyrics on breaking barriers and sticking to your ideals, this synth-pop sensation defines the 1985 coming-of-age cult film—‘The Goonies'—it was written for.
‘It Takes Two To (Tango)’ by Paul Davis: The OG ‘The Karate Kid’ is supreme—not just the casting but also for its soundtrack.
'Quizás, Quizás, Quizás’ by Nat King Cole: This might be the Spanish song’s most popular iteration. The use of the track in Wong Kar Wai’s ‘In The Mood For Love’ is sublime and flirty and gives you the butterflies.
‘Sway’ by Pussycat Dolls: This cover by the 90s divas featured in 2004 rom-com ‘Shall We Dance?’ starring Richard Gere and Jennifer Lopez is just perfectly jazzy and pop.
‘Love on a Real Train’ by Tangerine Dream: From the 1983 teen comedy ‘Risky Business’ starring Tom Cruise and Rebecca du Mornay, this is some irresistibly earwormy electronics by a German group who were particularly prolific in scoring this era of cinema.
‘Diamond Diary’ by Tangerine Dream: You got the appetiser, now enjoy the electronics entree in full flow! This piece kicked off Michael Mann’s 1981 directorial debut ‘Thief’ starring James Caan—and more recently, got some airtime during season 2 of ‘The Bear’. Elaborate heists by hyper-competent crooks would never be the same again…
‘The Touch’ by Stan Bush: In 1986, ‘The Transformers Movie’ was the pinnacle of fighting space robots for generations—long before Michael Bay got his grimy hands on the IP. Originally written for Sylvester Stallone’s ‘Cobra’ that year, the most prominent track here is a lovely power ballad—designed to lift the spirits of many a young boy and girl distraught over losing Optimus Prime.
‘Oh Yeah’ by Yello: Who remembers this new wave single? Anyone…? Anyone…? Bueller? Unlike ‘The Breakfast Club’, this John Hughes coming-of-age comedy didn’t actually commission its own soundtrack but the song that featured in it is too good to pass up.
‘If Anybody Had a Heart’ by John Waite: An assist to film critic Mike McGranaghan for preserving the legacy of this wonderful rock ballad. It’s nowhere to be found on Spotify—nor could we find the rest of this soundtrack to a pretty solid rom-com film. Bring back physical media, please…
‘Fight the Power’ by Public Enemy: Since the mid-to-late ‘80s marked the golden age of hip hop, we’ll leave you with our favourite from Spike Lee’s seminal 1989 work, ‘Do The Right Thing’.
PS: We’ve compiled all these tracks into a Youtube playlist for you to enjoy!
