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20 great songs, 20 bad movies
No other decade cranked out great soundtracks like the '80s. Trouble is -- sometimes the movies didn't live up to the music. (Someone's glaring at you, Rick Springfield!)
After a ton of reader feedback, here comes another top 20 that's certain to tweak some people the wrong way: The 20 best songs from really bad movies.
Some criteria to keep in mind: Though some movies are truly criminally bad ("Howard the Duck"), the song from that movie might not be truly great (Let's face it, "Don't Turn Away" isn't Thomas Dolby's best work either.) Likewise, some movies might not be truly awful ("St. Elmo's Fire), even the song is still quite good. (That's the nicest thing anyone's said about John Parr lately.)
So here goes. As usual, this is for entertainment purposes only. No wagering.
TOP 20 GREAT TUNES FROM BAD MOVIES:
20. Against All Odds (Phil Collins) from Against All Odds
19. Man In Motion (John Parr) from St. Elmo's Fire
18. Who Made Who (AC/DC) from Maximum Overdrive
17. Meet Me Halfway (Kenny Loggins) from Over The Top
16. Back To Paradise (.38 Special) from Revenge of the Nerds 2
15. Flash (Queen) from Flash Gordon
14. Twist of Fate (Olivia Newton-John) in Two of a Kind
13. No More Lonely Nights (Paul McCartney) from Give My Regards to Broad Street
12. View to a Kill (Duran Duran) from View to a Kill
11. Into the Groove (Madonna) from Desperately Seeking Susan
10. Is Your Love Strong Enough (Bryan Ferry) from Legend.
9. True Faith (New Order) from Bright Lights, Big City
8. One Vision (Queen) from Iron Eagle
7. Nobody's Fool (Kenny Loggins) from Caddyshack 2
6. Best Man in the World (Ann Wilson) from The Golden Child
5. Masquerade (Berlin) from Perfect
4. Hazy Shade Of Winter (The Bangles) from Less Than Zero
3. Together In Electric Dreams (Giorgio Moroder & Philip Oakey) from Electric Dreams
2. Xanadu (ELO and Olivia Newton-John) from Xanadu
1. Love Somebody (Rick Springfield) from Hard To Hold
Personally, I consider "Love Somebody" to be Springfield's best song. (I can't believe I had an internal list of that hidden inside me.) But "Hard To Hold"? I still have bad memories of going on a first date with a girl to see this movie -- only to find out she'd seen it already ... that same day. It's all downhill from there.
Honorable mentions: Don't Turn Away (Thomas Dolby) from Howard The Duck; Absolute Beginners (David Bowie) from Absolute Beginners; Love On The Rocks (Neil Diamond) from The Jazz Singer; Who's That Girl (Madonna) from Who's That Girl; Kiss (Prince) from Under The Cherry Moon; Get Up Offa That Thing (James Brown) from Doctor Detroit; Who's Johnny (El DeBarge) from Short Circuit; Take It Easy (Andy Taylor) from American Anthem
OK, what songs did we forget?
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About the blogger
Relive the '80s music, movies and culture with Tampa Bay Times entertainment news editor Steve Spears. A teen during the greatest decade ever, Steve is obsessed with everything from Duran Duran to Journey, John Hughes to John Cusack, and parachute pants to Reaganomics.
E-mail Steve Spears:
stuckinthe80s@tampabay.com
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