17 Movie Soundtracks Every Kid from the '80s Loved

1 | Dirty Dancing (1987)

Just how popular was the soundtrack to Dirty Dancing? The album spent a staggering 18 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Nobody puts Baby in the corner, indeed! The soundtrack's most well-known song, “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life,” was a massive hit on its own and won the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

2 | Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)

Before director Amy Heckerling defined teen life in the ‘90s with Clueless, she made her directorial debut defining teen life in the ‘80s with Fast Times at Ridgemont High. The songs included on the movie's soundtrack represent some of the biggest names of the decade, like The Go-Go’s, Oingo Boingo, and Don Henley. The Jackson Browne song “Somebody’s Baby,” which opens the album, even hit No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100.

3 | The Goonies (1985)

There are plenty of ‘80s staples on the soundtrack to The Goonies: The Bangles, Teena Marie, REO Speedwagon. But really it’s all about Cyndi Lauper, whose track “The Goonies ‘R’ Good Enough” became the film’s unofficial theme song. She actually performs it in the movie—or rather, a clip of her performing it on TV appears in the film—and the music video featured most of the cast.

4 | The Lost Boys (1987)

It’s hard to imagine Buffy the Vampire Slayer without The Lost Boys—the teen vampire movie defined the genre, not to mention directly inspired the makeup for Buffy’s vampires. The soundtrack is another one of those perfect ‘80s time capsules. (Exhibit A: Echo & the Bunnymen covering The Doors’ “People Are Strange.”) And the movie’s theme, “Cry Little Sister” by Gerard McMann, is impossible not to bop along to.

5 | Purple Rain (1984)

It makes sense that Purple Rain would have a masterful soundtrack since the film was designed to showcase Prince’s musical talents. He made his acting debut as The Kid, a character based on Prince himself. Songs like “When Doves Cry,” “Darling Nikki,” and, of course, “Purple Rain” became Prince standards. (Bonus fun fact: Purple Rain was the last film to receive the Academy Award for Best Original Song Score!)

6 | Batman (1989)

Five years after Purple Rain, Prince had another hit soundtrack album with Batman, which spent six weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. In 1989, comic book movies were far from the multimillion-dollar industry they are today, and the film’s relatively dark tone made it a tough sell for some. Nevertheless, it ended up being a critical and commercial success, and the equally daring soundtrack earned tons of fans of its own.

7 | Top Gun (1986)

At this point, the Berlin song “Take My Breath Away” is at least as well known as Top Gun itself. The movie’s theme won the Academy Award for Best Original Song, and helped propel the soundtrack to the Billboard 200's No. 1 spot, where it reigned for five weeks. The rest of the album is more of what you’d expect from an '80s movie soundtrack, including Cheap Trick, Teena Marie, and Loverboy, who had their own hit from the soundtrack with “Heaven in Your Eyes.”

8 | Cocktail (1988)

Another year, another Tom Cruise movie, another great '80s movie soundtrack. Sure, Cocktail didn't have quite the same cultural impact as Top Gun, but it still aided Cruise’s upward trajectory toward stratospheric superstardom. The soundtrack features a bunch of memorable songs from the film, like “Kokomo” by The Beach Boys, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” by Bobby McFerrin, and—most appropriately for a film where drinks are getting shaken and stirred—“All Shook Up” by Ry Cooder.

9 | Flash Gordon (1980)

Yes, it’s a soundtrack to a strange space opera based on a comic strip, but it’s also a Queen album. While Flash Gordon itself has faded over time—though a serious cult following still exists—the soundtrack is a staple for any Queen fan. The song “Flash” (or “Flash’s Theme”) was the only track to be released as a single, but the whole album got a rerelease in 2011 for the band’s 40th anniversary.

10 | The Breakfast Club (1985)

Don’t you forget about the soundtrack to John Hughes’ classic high school movie about what happens when a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess, and a criminal have to spend their Saturday in detention together. The soundtrack was a modest hit on its own, but the breakout hit was Simple Minds’ “(Don’t You) Forget About Me,” which hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and will give any ‘80s kid major nostalgia.

11 | Pretty in Pink (1986)

A year after The Breakfast Club's release, Hughes put out another major entry in the teen movie canon: Pretty in Pink. The new wave soundtrack is even more well regarded than The Breakfast Club’s, thanks to songs by New Order, The Smiths, and, crucially, The Psychedelic Furs, whose “Pretty in Pink” gave the film its title. (If there’s one other song tied to the movie, however, it’s “If You Leave” by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark.)

12 | Flashdance (1983)

What people remember about Flashdance is the music—well, maybe that, the poster with Jennifer Beals in a giant sweatshirt, and all that dancing. It doesn’t get much more ‘80s than this certified gold album, which had two No. 1 hits: the Oscar-winning “Flashdance… What a Feeling,” by Irene Cara, and “Maniac,” by Michael Sembello. There’s a good chance you were rocking out to both in the ‘80s, whether or not you saw the movie.

13 | The Big Chill (1983)

If you were an ‘80s kid looking for a throwback, you probably turned to the soundtrack to The Big Chill, director Lawrence Kasdan’s dramedy about a group of friends who reunite after 15 years apart. The whole film is steeped in nostalgia, so it makes sense that the soundtrack would be, too. There are so many ‘60s classics included on the album: “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” by Marvin Gaye, and The Temptations doing “My Girl” and “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg.”

14 | St. Elmo’s Fire (1985)

While it starred some of the same Brat Pack members who made their mark in Hughes films, St. Elmo’s Fire had a slightly more grown-up mystique. The soundtrack by David Foster has a similarly adult vibe, and it was better received than the film itself. The song “St. Elmo’s Fire (Man in Motion),” by English singer John Parr, spent two weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

15 | The Blues Brothers (1980)

The Blues Brothers had such impressive careers that sometimes it’s easy to forget they began as a sketch on Saturday Night Live, with John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd playing Jake and Elwood Blues. In 1980, they got their first feature film, along with a soundtrack naturally. It was actually the second Blue Brothers album, but it had one of their biggest hits, a cover of the Spencer Davis Group song “Gimme Some Lovin’.”

16 | Say Anything (1989)

If you can say anything about Say Anything, it’s that moment. You know the one: when Cusack's Lloyd Dobler holds up that boombox and blast's Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes,” one of 11 tracks on the soundtrack. None of them carry that same level of iconic status—it’s hard to compete with the song featured in one of the most famous romantic comedy scenes of all time—but the soundtrack also has Depeche Mode, The Replacements, and, yes, Cusack himself doing the “Lloyd Dobler Rap.”

17 | Footloose (1984)

Kick off the Sunday shoes! The soundtrack to Footloose, the movie musical about Kevin Bacon’s rebellious Ren McCormack liberating a town where dancing is banned, has so many hits that it’s no surprise it spent a month at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The title song by Kenny Loggins was a No. 1 hit on its own, along with “Let’s Hear It for the Boy” by Deniece Williams. Any child of the '80s can't help but give this soundtrack a hand! And for a sartorial look at the zaniest decade of last century, check out these 25 Things Cool People Wore in the 1980s.

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