John Hughes’ movies in the ’80s were a staple for any teen or tween. From Sixteen Candles and Pretty in Pink to Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and The Breakfast Club, these films were a right of passage for every Gen Xer. While the movies themselves were filled with rising stars and great story lines, they were also the soundtrack for a generation. In fact, the music may be what’s most memorable about some of Hughes’ movies.
Videos by Suggest
‘Life Moves Pretty Fast: The John Hughes Mixtapes’
If you’ve ever wanted a collection of music from these coming of age films, you’re finally in luck. For the first time ever, an official compilation of songs from Hughes’ ’80s movies is available. The collection, Life Moves Pretty Fast: The John Hughes Mixtapes, contains music that brings back memories of childhood and adolescence for many of us.
RELATED: You’ll Never Guess The One-Hit Wonder Jennifer Love Hewitt And Fergie Sang Backup On In the ’80s
The four-disc set contains music from the director’s famous movies. Of course the mix includes songs like “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” by Simple Minds from The Breakfast Club. Another given is “Pretty in Pink” by the Psychedelic Furs from the Molly Ringwald classic. However, there’s also “Six Days on the Road” by Steve Earle & The Dukes from the movie Planes, Trains And Automobiles. The cuts only go deeper from there.
The deluxe CD and LP set includes a four CD box set with 74 tracks. In the limited deluxe edition, the set comes in a larger outer box with a 14-track cassette. But the main reason to get the deluxe edition is because of the special 7” single that you’ll get. This vinyl of the Flowerpot Men’s “Beat City” / Blue Room “I’m Afraid” was originally given only to John Hughes fan club members back when Ferris Bueller’s Day Off premiered. Who wouldn’t want a piece of this ’80s nostalgia?
‘He Only Made Movies So He Could Choose What Music To Put In Them’
We can all thank John Hughes’ music supervisor Tarquin Gotch for the new anthology. The entertainment executive was responsible for supervising the music for many of the film producer’s well-known movies, including Uncle Buck and She’s Having a Baby.
As Gotch said about the music, “Back when we were working on these movie soundtracks, the best way to send music around the world was cassettes by Fedex. We sent John cassettes of newly released music, of demos, of just finished mixes, and in return he would send VHS videos of the scenes that needed music. John said he only made movies so he could choose what music to put in them, so as his success at the box office grew, and thus his power with the studios, the number of tracks in his films, by up-and-coming UK bands, steadily grew.”
The new box set also contains actual cover artwork that Hughes made for his mixtapes. With this blast from the past, you’re sure to want to dust off your boombox and crank these hits!