Posted on July 2, 2012 
CategoriesThe 80’s gave us a lot of things we are not particularly proud of. Big hair. Shoulder pads. Melanie Griffith. In fact, those three could be combined to create the ultimate 80’s no-no. However, the 80’s did produce some excellent films. And even better, some amazing soundtracks to go with them. Here are some of my personal favorites.
The Lost Boys
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A true staple of the 80’s, The Lost Boys remains a cult classic. The soundtrack is immensely impressive. Capturing the feel of the movie pretty well, it’s a got some excellent tracks. There’s some INXS on there, along with a bit of indie coming from Echo and the Bunnymen. Some brilliant sax courtesy of Tim Cappello remains a highlight, but the stand out track for me has to be the main theme by Gerald McMann. Haunting, operatic and memorable.
If you only listen to one track: ‘Cry Little Sister’
Top Gun
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Yes, it’s cheesy. Yes we’d almost certainly like to punch Tom Cruise right in his 1000 megawatt grin. Yes, it’s nothing more than a 2 hour Air Force recruitment advertisement. But damn, the soundtrack rocks. From Kenny Loggins’ rocking ‘Danger Zone’ to Otis Redding’s mellow ‘Sittin On the Dock of The Bay’, it’s just a pure piece of Americana.
If you only listen to one track: ‘Top Gun Theme’
Return of the Living Dead
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I really like this because it’s again perfect for the film. It works. Its horror punk rock influences are evident throughout the soundtrack. It’s got a few great synth scores and excellent guitar riffs. My personal favourite is T.S.O.L’s ‘Nothing for You’. It’s similar to Echo and the Bunnymen’s sound and is a short, intense piece.
If you only listen to one track: ‘Burn the Flames’
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
Image via wn.com
Such a brilliant film, and the music is just as impressive. From The Beatles to Star Wars, there’s a random mix of tracks on here which will encourage you to take full advantage of that rare day off.
If you only listen to one track: ‘Love Missile F1-11’
Fright Night
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This is probably my personal favourite. Extremely difficult to obtain, it’s a great album all the way through. Every song is a winner. It’s truly a product of its time. There’s good club tracks like ‘Good Man in a Bad Time’ and ‘You can’t hide from the Beast Inside.’ sitting perfectly side by side with great slower tracks such as ‘Come to Me’ by Brad Fiedel. ‘Come to Me’ is such a tune and the stand out track of the album.
If you only listen to one track: ‘You Can’t Run (from the Beast Inside)
I highly recommend all of these for any child of the 80s. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed!
Halit Bozdogan is a writer for Appliances Online, the UK’s largest online white goods retailer. He loves the 80’s, and was born in ’82. The #1 song in the charts on his birthday was ‘Seven Tears’ by The Goombay Dance Band, the #1 album was ‘Love Songs’ by Barbara Streisand and the #1 film was ‘Porky’s’.
Jenna Cosgrove's Blog - Everything rad, sad and fab about 80s pop culture - movies, music, TV, celebs, reviews and general bodacious goings on. For 80's-come-latelys and those stricken with nostalgia for the best decade in history!
What about Back to the Future man? Or, I dunno, BLADE RUNNER? Or even Terminator? I wouldn’t mind you missing them out but you let bloody Top Gun in there, seriously? I’m appalled!
I understand why you might not like some of the entries, but the reason I didn’t include ones such as The Terminator or Blade Runner are because they are mainly instrumental. These soundtracks are all artist driven tracks. But I agree, they DO rock as well.
Some excellent choices here. I LOVE the soundtracks to John Hughes movies such as Pretty in Pink, the Breakfast Club and Ferris Bueller and have been meaning to branch out, and your suggestions seem an excellent place to start. Thanks
Hi Maddie,
Glad you liked the list. There’s so many more I wanted to choose from too. John Hughes films are brilliant. My favourite is Ferris Beuller, closely followed by 16 Candles. I highly recommend both Fright Night and The Lost Boys. Labyrinth is also a very cool one to go for.