Written by Michael Chen, Brent DiCrescenzo, Andrew Frisicano, Sophie Harris, Oliver Keens, James Manning, Tristan Parker, Amy Plitt, Joshua Rothkopf, Hank Shteamer, Matthew Singer, Steve Smith, Sarah Theeboom and Kate Wertheimer. And in order to keep it strictly ’80s, we limited the list only to songs actually made in the decade – so no ‘Stand By Me’ or ‘Day-O’, as much as we’d want to include them. Here, though, we present the ultimate, canonical, indisputable ranking of the most radical songs from ’80s movies. But what are the absolute best songs from ’80s movies? Everyone has their personal favorites: the ones that instantly conjure memories (or at least fantasies) of spraying on Aquanet, throwing on some spandex and heading to the multiplex in your Delorean. Suffice to say, an ’80s movie can’t be considered a true ’80s movie if the soundtrack isn’t banging. And shoot, don’t even get us started on Purple Rain. Or Michael J Fox skating through Hill Valley without Huey Lewis crooning about ‘The Power of Love’.
Or Ghostbusters without Ray Parker Jr.’s theme song. But try to imagine any John Hughes film without the new wave hits that accompanied them. Sure, the 1960s has a handful of songs still used to signal ‘ the ’60s, maaaan ’, and the 1990s produced some classic soundtracks. No decade combined music and movies quite like the ’80s.
