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Oh, maybe he’s no Romeo,
But he’s my love and one man show.
Whoawhoawhoawhoa
Let’s hear it for the boy.

I heard this song twice on the radio last week. Normally, this song does nothing for me independent of the movie scene associated with it. But the instant it comes on the radio, there is a flash to a country boy learning to dance, painfully awkward in the beginning, Texas two-step wonder three minutes and nine seconds later by the end of the song.

The song is associated with a movie scene and it makes you wanna crank the volume when you recall that scene. In this instance, the movie is Footloose, originally released in 1984. Remade in 2011.

Movie scene associated songs seem to go hand in hand with some classic movies from the 80’s. Though not necessarily classic by movie award winning standards, those movies made us feel good, taught a minor life lesson and had some contemporary songs to make the movie memorable. Of course, there were some hot chicks and good looking guys both of which were easy on the eyes. They were fun.

Normally, the camel painstakingly researches such things, but he will shoot straight from the hump on this topic. Two things influenced the use of contemporary music into the main stream movie media. Feel free to add a complementary or conflicting comment if you disagree.

1. Camel logic says it all began in 1977 with the Disco smash movie, Saturday Night Fever. Contemporary dance songs blared through movie speakers with a high quality that nobody had at home in those days.

And we all went to see it five or six times and learned the dances at home and bought a white suit and learned to walk in rhythm swinging a bucket of paint and bought a disco ball and uh wait. That wasn’t me, really it wasn’t. But I heard a lot of people did that after seeing the movie and drank 7-7’s and well, that wasn’t me so I don’t know the rest of what others did.

2. Television, seven years later realized, “Hey, this is a concept” and sprang a TV series called Miami Vice that aired on Friday nights and featured countless contemporary classic songs that weaved into the story lines. The show ran from 1984 to 1989. Many a Friday night out began in …at home … with an episode of Miami Vice. In case you forgot to feel it the air tonight then, here’s a clip now from the pilot for the series:

Yes, that was a Ferrari Daytona Spyder and a phone booth in the same scene.

OK. That’s the first and last video clip Wedwand will show for this entry. This is a theater of the mind. Wedwand will mention the movie, the primary song and the secondary song. (Yes, most of these movies had at least two songs.) The reader will conjure their imagination and recall the scene(s) associated with the tune and let that very thought transport them in time.

These two entities are mutually coexistent. In the absence of the song, would the movie have been as good? Likely not. In the absence of the movie, would the song be as popular? Not likely.

So close your eyes and come along for the ride. Ok, if you close your eyes, you can’t read any more. Hold tight, new instructions. Read the movie. Read the song. Then close your eyes and I’ll kiss you. As the Beatles said, tomorrow I’ll miss you.

Movies from the 80’s that are resplendent in this theme are:

Movie and Year of Release: Footloose 1984
Song: Footloose, Kenny Loggins
Secondary Song: Let’s Hear it For the Boy, Deniece Williams
Scene: First time dance in the HS Gym

Movie and Year of Release: Top Gun 1986
Song: Danger Zone, Kenny Loggins
Secondary Song: Take My Breath Away, Berlin
Scene: Request permission for a fly by..

Movie and Year of Release: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off 1986
Song: Twist and Shout
Secondary Song: Danke Shoen
Scene: Von Stueben Day Parade in Chicago

Movie and Year of Release: Breakfast Club 1985
Song: Don’t’ You … Forget About Me, Simple Minds
Secondary Song: We are Not Alone Karla DeVito
Scene: Leaving detention HS parking lot

Movie and Year of Release: Eddie and The Cruisers 1983
Song: On the Dark Side John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band
Secondary Song: Tender Years JC & the BBB again
Scene: Garage band makes it on stage finally

O gosh. There’s too many. Eye Of the Tiger, St Elmo’s Fire, Against All Odds, Power Of Love, I’m Alright, In The Air Tonight, Old Time Rock and Roll, The Heat Is On, Ghostbusters.

If Hollywood had a “Golden Age” from the late 20’s to the early 60’s, it surely has a “Here’s a Song. Envision the Movie Age” or call it the Wax Age of 80’s movies.

Gosh I missed another hundred or so I am sure. Apologies to, Against All Odds, Cruel Summer, In Your Eyes, Maniac, Roxanne, The Heat Is On, Holiday Road, This Must Be The Place, I’m Alright Don’t Nobody Worry Bout Me …..

Got a favorite, let Wedwand know.

FOOTNOTE:

Cover photo is the empty sky after a Top Gun “fly by” tonight. Gotta be quick or you miss it …. I missed it, but the blue sky is still cool.