10 Movie Soundtracks of the 80's

These might not be essential songs, but they capture my childhood.

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

If you’re like me - and most humans, for that matter - there was a time when you started to pay attention to music. I entered junior high right as Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit was being released. Pearl Jam’s Ten was discovered shortly after.

Prior to junior high, there were songs and music I enjoyed but I wasn’t devoted to studying music like I began to do in my early teens.

That said, movies served as the gateway to music. More specifically, movie soundtracks were the formal introduction to a variety of musical artists I was unaware of. While musical scores where my original love for music in movies, soundtracks also captured my heart.

Music is an amazing gift from God and one of those gifts is the memories music feeds. In the list that follows are the songs that transport me back to my childhood. When I hear these songs, they are forever attached to specific movies and often move me to reflect on that specific time of my life. Feel free to laugh.

---

Ghostbusters by: Ray Parker Jr.

Ghostbusters (1984) Starring: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson, & Rick Moranis

Even though it would be several years before I was allowed to watch this movie, I knew the song by heart. Every skating birthday party I went to (and there were a lot), involved a B-line to the DJ with a request for this song. More often than not, I made multiple trips to visit the DJ with the same request and would lose my mind each time they played it. If I wasn’t on the actual skating rink when the song began, I would drop what I was doing and make my way there, as soon as the opening notes began.

Everybody Wants to Rule the World by: Tears for Fears

Real Genius (1985) Starring: Val Kilmer & William Atherton

Real Genius is one of those forgotten movies from the 80’s, but it was one of my favorites for years. It was one of the earlier, non-animated movies I was allowed to see so that might have been part of my love for it. I also thought Val Kilmer was really cool because I loved him in Willow (I hadn’t seen Top Gun yet). As “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” is played during the credits, it became forever wed to this movie experience. One thing to keep in mind was the fact that I didn’t know who sang this song or how to access it when I first heard it. I couldn’t just ask Siri who it was and I wasn’t in the practice of going inside music stores, but I’m pretty sure my older sister helped me discover Tears for Fears.

When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going by: Billy Ocean

The Jewel of the Nile (1985) Starring: Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, & Danny DeVito

Not only does The Jewel of the Nile also fall in the category of forgotten 80’s movies, but I think Billy Ocean falls into the ‘forgotten’ category of singers, as well. He appears twice on this list and knew how to crank out a catchy tune. The Jewel of the Nile, and its first entry in the series, Romancing the Stone, weren’t favorites but I was drawn to them because they had a slight Indiana Jones vibe. Nevertheless, I heard this song and it stuck with me.

Back in Time by: Huey Lewis & The News

Back to the Future (1985) Starring: Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd

I know ‘The Power of Love’ is probably a more popular song, but I actually like this one better and think the title and lyrics cleverly tie into the storyline of the movie. The intro fade into this song is a perfect compliment to the equally excellent score by Alan Silvestri. Huey Lewis makes a cameo in the movie and turns in a solid performance as a talent show judge who’s annoyed at the volume of the music. Back to the Future has become an essential classic and I think part of it is due to the music.

Sh-Boom by: The Crew Cuts

Clue (1985) Starring: Tim Curry, Christopher Lloyd, Madeline Kahn, Lesley Ann Warren, & Martin Mull

As I said in another post, I lost count of how many times I watched the movie, Clue. My sister and I could almost recite the movie by heart, while remaining totally oblivious to the mature content contained in those lines. While “Shake, Rattle and Roll” was a great needle-drop for the end credits, the melody and lyrics of Sh-Boom served as a perfect complement to this dark comedy. As the death-toll increases, the party’s guests attempt to conceal this fact by queuing up this light-hearted tune, creating such a classic scene.

The Goonies ‘R’ Good Enough by: Cyndi Lauper

The Goonies (1985) Starring: Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, & Ke Huy Quan

This might be the worst song on this list. The title is terrible, the lyrics are lame at best and, other than the chorus, the song isn’t even fun, but it was in The Goonies and that’s all that matters. Most every kid of the 80’s loved this movie and loved everything about it. Shoehorn a semi-catchy song somewhere in the film and it was going to be a hit. That’s what happened with this track, even though it’s somewhat forgotten.

Glory of Love by: Peter Cetera

Karate Kid Part II (1986) Starring: Ralph Macchio & Pat Morita

My love for this song is so great that it’s slightly embarrassing, but I’m also here to defend it. The opening notes ooze the sound of the 80’s. You can’t hear this without thinking about skating rinks, disco balls, and neon colors. It encapsulates the story of the Karate Kid and how the stakes were raised in this sequel. While some of the songs on this list don’t make it into my regular rotation, this one remains. Do yourself and favor and give it a listen.

“The Touch” and “Dare” by: Stan Bush

The Transformers: The Movie (1986) Starring: Orson Wells (yes…that Orson Wells!), Leonard Nimoy, and Robert Stack

This movie was a rollercoaster of emotions for me. My dad took me to see this in a packed-out theater. Transformers and G.I. Joe were my life at this age, so the excitement was beyond what I could comprehend. My excitement turned into shock when Optimus Prime was killed (spoiler), which was more than my tiny heart and mind could handle. That said, Stan Bush’s music held my hand and carried me through it. I remember going home after the movie, getting my transformers, and reenacting the movie, while I sang notes from this song (I had only heard it once, so I didn’t even know the lyrics or names but tried my best to mimic the sounds).

Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car by: Billy Ocean

License to Drive (1988) Starring: Corey Haim, Corey Feldman, & Heather Graham

So this was a movie I wasn’t allowed to see right when it came out. The Coreys were all the rage and the mature nature of this movie added to its mystique. That said, the song was on the radio every other time you turned it on. I didn’t have to watch the movie to appreciate another classic by Billy Ocean. Once again, this song doesn’t get as much airplay as it once did, but I still think it’s a timeless song that transports me back to the cheesy-fun that was the 80’s.

Again, this isn’t an essential music list from the 80’s, but it’s one that connects with me. What are the soundtracks of your childhood? Leave a comment and let us know.