Being a soundtrack enthusiast and lately having frequented some rather entertaining and comprehensive soundtrack blogs, I've gotten a kick out of the often-cheesy, referential theme songs that seemed especially prevalent in the 80s. I'm referring especially to songs named after the film in which they appear, or which refer to characters or events of the film. These are usually bad exercises in songwriting, but in spite of this they're mostly quite catchy and oddly endearing. Am I alone in this obsession?

Above all else, I like that these songs were commissioned and produced for the film specifically, in contrast to the many lazy "music from and inspired by"-style soundtracks that followed on the heels of big soundtrack sellers like The Big Chill.

Some of my favorite "theme songs" (the complete soundtracks often contain at least a couple other nuggets; includes some '70s titles):
"Bit By Bit (Theme From Fletch)" - Stephanie Mills
"Heavy Metal" - Sammy Hagar
"To Live and Die in L.A." - Wang Chung
"Summer Lovers" - Michael Sembello
"Fast Times at Ridgemont High" - Sammy Hagar
"American Flyers" - Glenn Shorrock
"Running Scared" - Fee Waybill
"All the Right Moves" - Jennifer Warnes/Chris Thompson
"The Neverending Story" - Limahl/Giorgio Moroder
"Call Me (Theme From American Gigolo)" - Blondie/Giorgio Moroder
"Scarface (Push It to the Limit)" - Paul Engemann/Giorgio Moroder
"Just One of the Guys" - Shalamar
"Big Trouble in Little China" - John Carpenter/The Coupe De Villes
"Cat People (Putting Out Fire)" - David Bowie/Giorgio Moroder
"Together in Electric Dreams" - Giorgio Moroder with Philip Oakey
"Weird Science" - Oingo Boingo
"I Am the Future (Theme From Class of 1984)" - Alice Cooper
"It's a Long Road (Theme From First Blood)" - Dan Hill/Jerry Goldsmith
"The Goonies 'R' Good Enough" - Cyndi Lauper
"Live to Tell (Theme From At Close Range)" - Madonna/Patrick Leonard
"Teen Angel Eyes (Theme From The Last American Virgin" - Tommy Tutone
"Used Cars" - Bobby Bare
"Thank God It's Friday" - Love and Kisses

I wouldn't say I'm obsessed exactly, but I do have a real nostalgia for those cheesy 80s theme songs. Then again, I have a real nostalgia for cheesy 80s movies in general - unbelievably I'd never seen either DIRTY DANCING or FOOTLOOSE until a few weeks ago. They were every bit as bad and simulatneously good as I expected.

Favourite song though? If I had a pound for every compilation CD I've made up in the last few years with "Together in Electric Dreams" on, I'd have... probably about £4. But they've been well listened to - and of course, I recorded it from my old 7" single, just for full 80s crackly authenticity. I admit I got slightly jealous when my friend found a cheap copy of the soundtrack (on vinyl of course) but the green eyed monster was caged again when I realised that the majority of it is utter garbage.

Never seen the film though. It's not just unreleased/OOP on DVD/vhs - it never seems to pop up on telly here either. Anyone know if there are plans for a release? I really want to see it! (I reserve the right to regret this enthusiasm after watching it)

You could make a whole list of crappy theme songs just from Cannon movies!

At any rate, you haven't heard great music until you've experienced the "you've got to fight for your right to fight" song from TWIN DRAGON ENCOUNTER.

With me, it's more late '60s/early '70s theme songs and then a huge cut to 1990s anime theme songs.
"You Only Live Twice" - Nancy Sinatra - YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE
(+ other Bond songs)
"The Windmills of Your Mind" - THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR (I seem to recall the singer was Noel Harrison - onetime name actor and son of Rex)
"Everybody's Talkin' at Me" - Nilsson - MIDNIGHT COWBOY
"True Grit" - Glen Campbell - TRUE GRIT
"April Fools" - Dionne Warwick - APRIL FOOLS
"Come Saturday Morning" - THE STERILE CUCKOO
"Suicide is Painless" - M*A*S*H
"For All We Know" - the Carpenters - LOVERS AND OTHER STRANGERS
"Pocket Money" - Carole King - POCKET MONEY
"The Morning After" - Maureen McGovern - POSEIDON ADVENTURE
"A Man and a Train" - Marty Robbins - THE EMPEROR OF THE NORTH

I dunno, I just have a thing for songs with melodies and well-enunciated lyrics sung by nice voices that I can understand.

Which doesn't explain my preference of late for anime theme songs, which are largely in Japanese, a language I've never mastered. There I think it's the quality of the voices and the upbeat music.

"Cruel Angel's Thesis" - Yoko Takahashi - NEON GENESIS EVANGELION
POKEMON theme song (original Japanese) sung by Rica Matsumoto
"The Alchemy of Love" - Nina Hagen - TENCHI MUYO IN LOVE
"When I Cry" - Dianne Reeves - THE DOG OF FLANDERS
"Rinbu Revolution" - Masami Okui - REVOLUTIONARY GIRL UTENA
"Turquoise Blue" - end song - GOLGO 13: QUEEN BEE
"Just Wild Beat Communication" - GUNDAM WING
"Eternal Wind" - Hiroko Moriguchi - GUNDAM F91
"Believe" & "Realize" - Nami Tamaki - GUNDAM SEED
"Reason" - Nami Tamaki - end theme - GUNDAM SEED DESTINY
"Angel's Pledge" - HIS AND HER CIRCUMSTANCES
"Yume no Naka e" - end theme - HIS AND HER CIRCUMSTANCES
"Midnight Blue" - Megumi Hayashibara - SLAYERS - THE MOTION PICTURE
(Plus tons of others by Megumi Hayashibara--I'm listening to a CD of hers right now)

Most of these, I know and love. I think the difference between these and the 80s tunes is that the earlier ones have aged better.

Most of the 80s themes have that "so bad it [can be] good" quality, whereas I'm not embarrassed to have "Windmills" or "Everybody's Talkin'" or Glen Campbell come streaming out of my iTunes...these are just good songs all around. :)

I always thought of the referential theme song as being more of a '70s phenomenon than an '80s one. All the great blaxploitation soundtracks were like this, for example. That said, I can think of a number of super cheesy '80s songs like this. The dumbest probably being the song that plays over the end credits in FIRST BLOOD. The song from BLOODSPORT where they keep chanting "Kumite! Kumite!" is another "good" one.

Going back to the 80's/shared title, add:

"Dr. Detroit" by Devo
"Xanadu" by Olivia Newton-John and ELO

I think Warner has the rights to ELECTRIC DREAMS now, and I believe someone asked them about a DVD release in one of the Home Theater Forum chats, but their response was that there were no current plans in that regard. It was released on laserdisc probably close to 20 years ago, and in the absence of a better alternative, copies of the LD are still in demand when they show up on the secondhand market.

Three mid-seventies AVCO Embassy movies:
"My Little Friend" by The Ray Conniff Singers from PAPER TIGER
"Diamonds" by The Three Degrees from DIAMONDS, naturally(and certainly not crappy, but kind of odd to have a song about how love is more important than money in a heist movie)
"Someday Soon" by Shirley Eikhard from THE DOMINO PRINCIPLE

How about the theme song to VICE SQUAD - I don't believe the band says the film's title in the lyrics, but they do sing about "neon slime" (Note: I think he is actually saying neon signs?) Its sounds an awful lot like an AC/DC rip off to me...

Edit: I just checked out the iMdb on VICE SQUAD and the song is "Neon Slime" and apparently Wings Hauser performed the vocals...

I like cheesy, inappropiate songs/themes sung by little-known female vocalists that were often found in late sixties/early seventies drive-in flicks. A few of my faves:

"Young Love, Like Shallow Water, Never Runs Deep" (THE YOUNG GRADUATES)
"Strawberries Need Rain" (STRAWBERRIES NEED RAIN)
"It's Incredible" (THE INCREDIBLE TWO HEADED TRANSPLANT)

SPIES LIKE US - Macca, was the first '80s movie theme that popped into my mind when getting onto this thread. I have the 12" vinyl with sooo many extra mixes, and somwhere a VHS promo with Paul Mc Cartney, Chevy Chase and Dan Ackroyd goofing it up in the recording studio. I remember being very impressed by Vanessa Angel in this movie as a Russian spy, but the film just didn't impress me as much as other John Landis efforts (he did have a certain filmic style).

Today I am mostly listening to a mash-up of Theme From Ghostbusters and Jacko's BAD, so my '80s movie theme obsession is carried over into today as well!

and there's the sub-sub genre of the slasher film's obligatory "bar band scene" or at least a song over the "going on vacation" montage that occurs early on in these type of things. The music usually seems to be by a band nepotistically related to someone in the production ("and my cousin's got a rock band that can do the main song for $100 bucks!").

"Fall Break" from THE MUTILATOR was a good example of that kind of badness.

Even better/worse is that mindnumbing "everybody's got something to do/everybody but you" song from NIGHT TRAIN TO TERROR.

One stupid song that I really do like is Natural Magic's "Standing at the Crossroads" from KING FRAT. Maybe it's just because the sax player wears a pith helmet, I don't know.

There's also the hilarious "Boogie Lightning" in DON'T GO IN THE HOUSE.

Two more non-horror songs I find amusing are "Money Is the Root of All Happiness" in THE CANDY SNATCHERS and "It's Too Damn Bad" from TERMINAL ISLAND. I suspect these songs are supposed to be funny, but you can never tell with films this trashy.

I think also of the many self-referential New Wave band theme songs of the time, usually with an "I Wanna Be a ~" -type title. 'Course, off the top of my head I can only come up with a couple of local acts' (Generators; Wild Giraffes), but trust me, it was a trend.

(Okay: Wang Chung – there's one! "Everybody Wang Chung tonight...")

Some more:
"Revenge of the Nerds" - The Rubinoos
"Bachelor Party" - Oingo Boingo
"Thief of Hearts" - Melissa Manchester
"Night Shift" - Quarterflash

Written earlier and reworked for the film:
"Pretty in Pink" - Psychedelic Furs

Can a film have more than one "theme/title song"?
"Heavy Metal (Takin' a Ride)" - Don Felder
"Fast Times (The Best Years of Our Lives)" - Billy Squier

From the 70s:
"You're at the Crossroads of Your Life (Theme From Massacre at Central High)" - Tommy Leonetti

A good secondary theme:
"I Don't Know (Spicoli's Theme)" [Fast Times at Ridgemont High] - Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band

Two interesting facts about the Heavy Metal and Fast Times soundtracks:

Heart (co-leader Nancy Wilson is married to Cameron Crowe) were commissioned to write a song for Fast Times. The song entitled, "Fast Times," was rejected by the producers, but subsequently appeared on their 1982 album, "Private Audition."

Blue Oyster Cult's first submission to the Heavy Metal people was rejected because it referred too closely to the onscreen action/screenplay. The song, "Vengeance (The Pact)," was to appear during the "Taarna" segment. The song can be found on the band's 1981 album, "Fire of Unknown Origin."

Instead, BOC's "Veteran of the Psychic Wars" (with lyrics by Michael Moorcock) was used during the "Harry Canyon" segment.

Can't say I'm familiar with the latter, but I often wonder about THE CANDY SNATCHERS. When I first heard it, I genuinely thought it was serious, but then when you watch the rest of the film it's impossible to tell.

I've always assumed that the folks behind THE CANDY SNATCHERS were aiming for a LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT kind of thing, but then either decided to make it funnier or else accidentally made it that way. I wonder, with that in mind, was the song at the start supposed to be reminiscent of the David Hess songs in LHOTL? It certainly sounds like it was. Anyone know if there's anything on the DVD supplements about it? I keep meaning to pick up the disc but as yet my sole experience of CANDY SNATCHERS is limited to two cinema screenings.

Damn you all for discussing the 70s though... this thread has suddenly made me desperate to seek out a copy of that Demis Roussos song from THE NIGHT TRAIN MURDERS.

I don't recall any discussion on the disc--certainly nothing in-depth--about the song, though I'd like to have an mp3 of it.

Maybe it can be traced back to Survivor's ROCKY 3 theme "Eye of the Tiger", but nothing cracks me up more than 80's "You-gotta-fight" songs... they usually ran during a training montage or overthe end credits... the funniest parody came from the SOUTH PARK guys with their theme to ORGASMO: "What makes a man..."

"You gotta FIGHT...for your RIGHT to FIGHT!"

All that, and no mention of Ghostbusters?

There's a very funny parody of this type of song in an episode of the animated tv show HOME MOVIES, where Brendan has to buckle down and study for a test. I can't do it justice as it's mostly in the delivery....

Not necessarily "theme songs" but...

"Pretty in Pink" by the Psychedelic Furs is pretty awesome - especially that rippin' sax work (and I'm being serious)....

Also - from PRETTY IN PINK - "Wouldn't it be Good" not by Danny Hutton Hitters but the original by Nik Kershaw...this is pure 80s pop bliss..."If You Leave," by OMD is sweet indeed and, of course, "Bring on the Dancing Horses," which made little sense but was pretty Echo and the Bunnymen. Oh and that tasty Suzanne Vega hit "Left of Center."

"Don't You (Forget About Me)" from THE BREAKFAST CLUB by Simple Minds still works and rocks a little...

"Repo Man Theme Song" (from REPO MAN) by the Iggster's pretty rad. As is "Coup D'etat" by the Circle Jerks and "Pablo Picasso" by Burning Sensations. "TV Party" by Black Flag is hilarious (especially when mimicked by Emilio Estevez...)

MIKE'S MURDER had a buncha Joe Jackson tunes that worked better than the film:

"Cosmopolitan," "Laundromat Monday," and "Moonlight."

I was also partial to the work of Giorgio Moroder, especially "Scarface (Push it to the Limit") from SCARFACE and (of course) Deborah Harry's wicked "Rush Rush."

Moroder's work for AMERICAN GIGOLO was great as was his music for THIEF OF HEARTS.

Both scores are good, though Thief of Hearts is actually by Moroder cohort Harold Faltermeyer.

Agreed on Pretty in Pink though I must say that the original version of the song from the "Talk Talk Talk" album is far superior to the re-recorded version for the soundtrack.

Nik Kershaw's original "Wouldn't It Be Good" is definitely the only version of that song worth listening to, IMHO. :D

I forgot about Repo Man...it's been so long since I listened to the album. I do fondly remember the "Pablo Picasso" cover.

I always wanted to see Mike's Murder and hear the music. I understand Jackson's score has recently been released to CD for the first time. Apparently, the film was re-edited and Jackson's score mostly replaced by one by John Barry. I would love to see the original cut which is said to be far more interesting than the released version, which presents the events of the story in a more linear fashion.

The "theme" from CRUISING, "It's Easy," I think it's called, always lodges itself in the iPod of my brain for a few days after I've watched the film.

STREETS OF FIRE has a fabulous 80/retro soundtrack. So does ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS; the import CD, which can be gotten cheaply from Amazon, has a lot of the jazz licks omitted from the US soundtrack.

A VIEW TO A KILL is an excellent title track in search of a decent movie. Once Duran Duran sings it the film is effectively over. Queen's FLASH GORDON score is well-matched with the visuals.

iHave to admit that my iPod has the themes from AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN ST. ELMO'S FIRE, WHITE NIGHTS, and AGAINST ALL ODDS. Huey Lewis' "The Power of Love" from BACK TO THE FUTURE was another fave. "Don't You" was my very favorite, though. Reading this thread makes me nostalgic for movie themes, though they got very bad after TITANIC (I like the swoonily romantic ZORRO theme, though, another James Horner composition as I recall).

Right on there with Pretty in Pink...

I have the Joe Jackson vinyl album of MIKE'S MURDER and forgot most of it didn't show up in the film. For a time it was my favorite Joe Jackson album...(that is - up there with Look Sharp...)

Add me to the "the original recording of 'Pretty In Pink' was much better" chorus.

REPO MAN has been brought up, but not SID & NANCY? Joe Strummer, The Pogues, John Cale (a song better than most anything else on his Artificial Intelliegence album this was an outtake from), AND Gary Oldman covering The Stooges (not too well, but...)?

Interestingly, in the wake of Mike's Murder, Jackson seemed to be jonesing for more scoring opportunities. On the 1984 album, "Body & Soul" (the title itself a reference to two well-known films and several jazz-era albums), Jackson opens with the soaring "The Verdict" said to be inspired by the 1982 film of the same name.

"It's So Easy" is a great one, to be sure. Willy DeVille (who previously performed under the name Mink DeVille) is one of the more unsung figures of the CBGB scene of the late 70s. Cruising is an excellent soundtrack that works wonderfully within the film, but also stands tall on its own. Perhaps with the upcoming DVD and limited theatrical release of the film, some enterprising label will release the soundtrack on CD or make it available digitally.

Tarantino likes Cruising so much he showed up at the Directors' Fortnight screening in Cannes and put "It's So Easy" on his "Death Proof" soundtrack, but I couldn't place it in the film. I am assuming that it shows up in the extended version of "Death Proof," which might just be my only reason for seeking it out. :rolleyes:

Streets of Fire, nice! The Springsteen song of the same name was originally supposed to be the theme of the film, but I believe the film's producers and Bruce's people couldn't come to an agreement financially. Or, perhaps Bruce wasn't pleased with the film. I cannot recall, but I recall there being some commentary about this in a 1984/85 era Film Comment. I think Elvis Mitchell may have written the piece.

And speaking of Springsteen (and Michael Pare) - EDDIE AND THE CRUISERS was based on Springsteen-esque tuneage by John Cafferty & the Beaver Brown Band (lip synched by Michael Pare who played Eddie who supposedly disappeared a la Jim Morrison...talk about an identity crisis...).

But the music from EDDIE AND THE CRUISERS wasn't half bad if not half baked. I can still pretty much hum the chorus of "On the Dark Side" (which is really half baked Springsteen...).

Cafferty had a minor hit in the summer of 85 (I think) with C-I-T-Y.

And look how this reissue of his "Tough All Over" disc was labeled:

The Voice of Eddie and the Cruisers

As if this would get you to buy... :blink:

Kinda takes the myth right out of the man...

Thanks for the "It's So Easy" info. Switching gears, I also like Mick Jagger's catchy theme for RUTHLESS PEOPLE.

:D

That's pretty amusing...it's worth noting that the "The Voice of Eddie and the Cruisers" also gave us the infinitely catchy "Hearts on Fire" (from Rocky IV).

...and also gave us "The Voice of America's Sons " from COBRA!

(And if you thought "the voice of EDDIE AND THE CRUISERS" offers little incentive to buy a CD, what about the soundtrack to EDDIE AND THE CRUISERS 2?)

Other 80s movie songs I remember, if not like:

"Fletch (Get Out of Town)" by Dan Hartman (who did the song "I Can Dream About You" from the also Michael Pare-starring STREETS OF FIRE that many people of the time thought was actually performed by the pseudoTemptations act featured in the film). Also I thought the instrumental FLETCH theme that played throughout the movie was a pretty shameless Harold Faltermeyer "Axel F" ripoff.

Though stylistically more of a throwback, The Busboys' themes for 48 HOURS ("The Boys Are Back In Town") and GHOSTBUSTERS ("Cleaning Up the Town") I thought were better than average.

I think the main title to Paul Schrader's LIGHT OF DAY, written by Springsteen but performed by Joan Jett and Michael J. Fox (I think?) with their fictitious band the Barbusters was pretty good. (The story goes that Springsteen wrote it for Schrader after Springsteen backed out of starring in the original version of the movie, known as BORN IN THE USA, and used the title for his album.)

More goofy ones, in a horror vein: The J. Geils Band theme for FRIGHT NIGHT, Alice Cooper's "He's Back" for FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 6: JASON LIVES and the various NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET songs, including "The Dream Warriors" by Dokken, and the rap themes by The Fat Boys and Whodini and I think someone else (at least one of them featuring Freddy himself doing the rapping!)

The FRIGHT NIGHT theme song was no doubt hobbled by the fact it was the first single the J. Geils Band released without their charismatic lead singer Peter Wolf.

NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 4's official theme song was The Fat Boys' "Are You Ready For Freddy" and I don't think Englund actually raps on it, though he does have an amusing cameo in the video ("What a nightmare! Who were those guys?")
There was some confusion about this though because a few months before the movie came out, D.J. Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince had released a single called "Nightmare on My Street," which was a clear homage to the series, and featured a rap verse by an actor intended to be Freddy Kruger, but it was not officially licensed by New Line. I think they threatened to sue, but since the lyrics never directly trod on their intellectual property, no lawsuit took place.

:D

It's my understanding that the Fletch score was composed by Faltermeyer as a sort of sendup of his, by then ubiquitous, "Axel F."

Well that's what I get for just posting from my dim memory of that film without doing even a cursory bit of double-checking--sorry, and thanks!

Another '80s "You-Gotta-Fight" classic: "You're the Best" by Joe Esposito, from THE KARATE KID (heard more recently again on SOUTH PARK and the Opie and Anthony radio show)

And why hasn't anyone mentioned the rap classic "City of Crime" by Dan Aykroyd and two-time Academy Award-winner Tom Hanks from their movie of DRAGNET?
(I could have sworn I'd seen a video in which Freddy had a rap bit...)
For anyone interested in Freddy Krueger's (non-movie) recording career, here you go:

http://wayoutjunk.blogspot.com/2006/09/fre...atest-hits.html

[QUOTE]Another '80s "You-Gotta-Fight" classic: "You're the Best" by Joe Esposito, from THE KARATE KID (heard more recently again on SOUTH PARK and the Opie and Anthony radio show)[/QUOTE

If you're fan of Karate Kid, and judging from your post, you are, then you should check out this video:
Sweep the Leg, Johnny!

Cinematical Seven: Great 80s Soundtrack Songs