Music From Movies...

The other day I found myself thinking of all the songs from movie soundtracks that I could think of. It was a fun little game I played for a good few minutes while driving to or from work. So, "Sherman, set the wayback machine to the awesome 80's..." and we'll revisit some of those songs from soundtracks in the past.

Footloose: I owned the soundtrack to this one, so I'm a little biased. It was also filmed in Utah County where I grew up and spent pretty much all of the 20th century. But this soundtrack featured Deneice Williams singing Let's Hear it For the Boy, Kenny Loggins sang the title track, Shalimar pressented Dancing in the Sheets and Mike and Ann Wilson sang Almost Paradise.

Top Gun: This movie produced a few different songs, like Danger Zone by Kenny Loggins and Take My Breath Away by Berlin.

Mannequin: Nothin's Gonna Stop Us Now by Starship.

Breakfast Club: Don't You (Forget About Me) by Simple Minds.

Vision Quest: I can't say I remember this movie much at all, but I do remember Crazy For You by Madonna extremely well (as it conjures memories of the Heber Creeper and 6th grade!)

Back to the Future: One of my very favorite movies featuring Huey Lewis and the News singing The Power of Love.

Ghostbusters: Ray Parker, Jr. gave us the theme song. A nice little Halloween treat.

School Dances...

I remember my first school dance like it was yesterday. I was in 6th grade at Springville Middle School. I walked into the corner of the school gymnasium to find all the girls were on one side against the wall, and all the boys were on the opposite side, also against the wall. As awkward as it was, the music was cool!

See, my sister was 18 at the time, so she always had cool music playing in her room. So, I knew a lot of the songs they were playing already. But they sounded a LOT better when played at a school dance. They were always so loud. We couldn't help but have those memories engrained in our memories forever.

I especially remember You're the Inspiration by Chicago and Crazy for You by Madonna. We knew how to slow dance...and these were the songs I could dance to with Marianne Harris...my first big crush. So, crank up the volume and listen to these ballads from school dances.

• Almost Paradise - Mike Reno and Ann Wilson


• Hands to Heaven - Breathe


• One More Night - Phil Collins


• Can't Fight This Feeling - REO Speedwagon


• Waiting For a Girl Like You - Foreigner

One Hit Wonders...

It seemed that there were a lot of singles that were released that weren't ever followed up with a charting single in the 80's. (I wouldn't say that this is limited to the 80's, but the hits were just so cool and memorable.) These artists became affectionately termed "One Hit Wonders." Here are just a few examples: (Watch the videos at your own risk.)

• Go West - King of Wishful Thinking


• Nena - 99 Red Balloons


• Harold Faltermeyer - Axel F


• Dexys Midnight Runner - Come On Eileen


• Soft Cell - Tainted Love


• Pseudo Echo - Funky Town


• T'Pau - Heart and Soul


• Buster Poindexter - Hot Hot Hot


• Tin Tin - Kiss Me


• Chilliwack - My Girl


• Johnny Hates Jazz - Shattered Dreams


• A-Ha - Take On Me


• When In Rome - The Promise


• Katrina and the Waves - Walking on Sunshine


• El DeBarge - Who's Johnny


• Calloway - I Wanna Be Rich

Kasey Kasem...

The voice that brought the highlights of 80's music to my home was Kasey Kasem doing the American Top 40 radio countdown ("Billboard ranks them, and we count them down..." AT40 "can be heard every week around the world on great radio stations like...KCPX Power 99 in Salt Lake City, Utah...") What a distinguishable voice too! I think he became one of my role models and inspired my interest in broadcasting.

I remember when he would do the top 100 songs of the year on New Year's Eve. My mom and I would listen to (and write down) every song (title and artist). Yes, my Mom is responsible for "My Obsession" with music, because I was "Raised on Radio." She would be the person in my "Request and Dedication" if I were to do one. In the meantime, I'll "Keep my feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars."

Big Hair in Music...

Hairstyles in the 80's were definately memorable. If you need a refresher, think of Cyndi Lauper, Boy George of Culture Club, or Brett Michaels of Poison to name just a few. Even Michael Jackson had a wild style (before it got burned filming a Pepsi commercial!) To really get a good idea, check out these music videos from the 80's:

• Cyndi Lauper - Girls Just Want to Have Fun


• Culture Club - Karma Chameleon


• Poison - Nothin' But a Good Time


• Icehouse - Electric Blue


• Cheap Trick - The Flame

Hot Pink...

Remember when hot pink was cool?  I know I do.  It was everywhere!  "That was a time some time ago..." when clothes were cool, TV shows and movies were fun and memorable, and the music was wonderful!  Maybe because we were young, maybe because it was fun, or maybe because those were the days to remember.

I miss them for sure, so I thought I'd create a blog to reminisce about them!  Where better for the memories of the decade of decadence than a blog aptly named...Flashbacks!