B-Side Movie Music JOY JOY JOY

After somehow managing to rent two movies from the EXACT year of 1985 this weekend, I realized I was way overdue for a music retrospective of the GREATEST SONGS TO EVER SEEM FAMILIAR BUT YOU CAN'T FIGURE OUT WHY UNTIL YOU ACCIDENTALLY SEE THE MOVIE AGAIN PRAISE GOD! Let's Vulcan mind meld here: You are not going to agree with me. You are going to feel slightly woozy. You might feel an unexpected burst of happiness despite yourself. You will click the links, even though you know you might never come back from this exactly the same way you came in. For this I do NOT apologize. Because these weirdo, awesome, terrifying, trembling, haughty, sexy, bad ass songs deserve one more second in the sun. And so...my Dream Playlist of 80's Movie B Sides. God I love you.

We Fight for Love (Commando)
Hearts On Fire (Rocky IV)
Feel the Heat (Cobra)
Hands Off (Once Bitten)
I’m Free (Footloose)
My Science Project
We Are Not Alone (The Breakfast Club)
Strong as I Am (Manhunter)
You Got Me Burning (The Terminator)
No Easy Way Out (Rocky IV)
If You Were Here (Sixteen Candles)
Far From Over (Staying Alive)

Liner Notes:

Commando song: Just one thing to say: Thanks, Liesl, for watching this movie with me 471 times in 1986 or so. You'd just met me, you really wanted to believe I was a fun, bright, semi-interesting person, and I made you run a gauntlet of fire by making you watch this movie many times, only because I was in LURVE with Arnold and I was, c'mon, 14.

Rocky Movie Exercise Montage should not need explanation. Look at the muscles and weeeeeeep.

Feel the Heat! I never saw this movie! But I loved this song. We watched it in the common area in the creepy, deserted WSU dorm they placed us in for Creative Writing Camp. When I hear it, I always remember that weird, wonderful experience, and my shockingly angsty contribution to the final "published," spiral bound horror of adolescent keening, "Cipher." Guess what it was about.

Hands Off is awesome. Despite Jim Carrey's weird rubber face.

I'm Free, my fave song from the whole movie. YES, even against "Let's Hear It for the Boy" and, err, "Footloose."

My Science Project, such sublime 80's synth silliness. The Tubes have done worse to other soundtracks. Do a search. Start with Xanadu.

We Are Not Alone. OMG I stand behind my belief that Molly Ringwald's dance moves to this song are the best ever ever ever! I still think she's cool, even though I've seen the miniseries, The Stand. (shammmmmme)

Strong As I Am. The BETTER movie version of The Red Dragon. Face it, Yazzle. It is true. If you need to borrow it to FINALLY understand, let me know.

You Got Me Burning. Um, Best Attempted Murder Scene Ever? Remember!? Tech Noir? Kyle Reese? The mirror! Sarah Connor! Ducking! Terminator! Rata-tat-tat. Lurve!

No Easy Way Out. Weirdly, I don't think of montages of sad and happy memories of my boxing partners and wife yelling at me. Instead, I think of shop class, where I excelled despite that being the worst year of life ever. Such peace in measuring quietly. The last time I ever felt safe in the arms of Mathematics.

If You Were Here. Best Zing! of unrealistic (But who cares!) wish fulfillment of every nerd girl who ever wanted a way too pretty boy. Still resonates.

Far from Over. No 80's B side can exist without Frank.