After spending an entire month looking back at the 80’s, I realized one thing. I need more. Luckily, a couple of fellow music fans on Twitter came up with the brilliant idea to highlight #30DaysOf80sMovieSongs during the month of April. I couldn’t resist at the opportunity to keep going, to keep listening, and to keep celebrating the decade that has meant more to me than any other from a musical standpoint. Each day I’m playing a different soundtrack favorite on the Mental Jukebox.
Movie: Risky Business
Before the mainstream pop tendencies of No Jacket Required came this Phil Collins anthem that became larger than life without crushing the charts. It was a dark period in his personal life, and the musical explorations in the song reflected the prog DNA of Peter Gabriel and early Genesis that we don’t typically associate w/Collins’ solo career. The song became larger than life in one of the greatest scenes in television history, occurring in the pilot episode of Miami Vice. It also made an appearance in the eighties flick Risky Business.
The power of “In The Air Tonight” can be boiled down to two moments, both revolving around the percussion. First, the creepy, ominous drum machine in the opening, a peculiar instrument of choice for a drummer. And second, the explosive drum barrage at the 3:40 mark, which is arguably the most famous drum break in music history. One showed Collins’ reclusive, detached persona, the other revealing an outburst of emotion. Deeply personal, but something music fans could feel on their own. Absolutely brilliant.
“I've been waiting for this moment for all my life, oh Lord, oh Lord.”