"STUCK IN THE MIDDLE WITH YOU" STEALERS WHEEL (1973)

This month, the Mental Jukebox revisits the movie soundtracks of the nineties. The music I’m highlighting are some of my personal favorites. In many cases, the movies themselves were huge for me as well. But the focus will still be on the music – as always. Let’s bring on the throwback classics, the grunge, the gangsta rap, and the indie gems. #31DaysOf90sMovieSongs

Movie: Reservoir Dogs

The torture scene in Reservoir Dogs wouldn’t be the same without this song. Torture scenes don’t often start with the question “Ever listen to K-Billy’s Super Sounds of the 70s?” and end with a policeman’s right ear cut off. But in the world of Tarantino, that’s just how it has to be. The director has a knack for finding the right track to enhance his scenes, and “Stuck in the Middle With You” was one his finest selections. The scene might make you cringe, but the music brings you into the fold.

The track’s melody is so addictive that it wasn’t completely absurd that Mr. Blonde shuffled his feet to it right before wielding his knife. Gerry Rafferty’s vocals are almost Dylan-esque with his nasal undertone. And that famous guitar slide and cowbell carried us into the song. Twenty years later, we would hear these sounds again mimicked on Sheryl Crow’s debut record. “Stuck in the Middle With You” became a one-hit wonder with two lives—an unforgettable birth in 1973 and then an equally unforgettable rebirth 20 years later.

“Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right. Here I am, stuck in the middle with you.”

"CIRCLE OF LIFE" ELTON JOHN (1994)

This month, the Mental Jukebox revisits the movie soundtracks of the nineties. The music I’m highlighting are some of my personal favorites. In many cases, the movies themselves were huge for me as well. But the focus will still be on the music – as always. Let’s bring on the throwback classics, the grunge, the gangsta rap, and the indie gems. #31DaysOf90sMovieSongs

Movie: The Lion King

What makes Disney, Disney? Plenty, it turns out. Disney movies have their own unique style of animation. They use only the best voiceovers. They feature really good, sometimes even phenomenal original music. And, above all, they tell great stories. Those last two points are inextricably linked. In a Disney movie, what makes the songs so great is their connection to the story. And vice versa. This is definitely the case with The Lion King – a soundtrack with almost all great originals, including this one by Elton John and Tim Rice.

I’m not the biggest Elton John fan. I’m not even a casual fan, to be honest. Great voice. Great piano player. Great composer. And definitely a great performer. But Elton just isn’t my cup of tea. That said, his collaboration with Tim Rice in “Circle of Life” is nearly flawless. The song is perfect for the movie. The melody starts off in a pedestrian manner in the verses, but things soar and shine in the chorus. The best part is the lyrics. It’s a manifesto for the movie. As the story goes, Tim Rice wrote these brilliant words and handed them over to the Rocket Man to turn into music. He pumped out a spectacular demo in an hour and a half. Now, that’s talent. Maybe I should listen to more Elton John.

“In the circle of life, it's the wheel of fortune. It's the leap of faith. It's the band of hope. 'Til we find our place on the path unwinding, in the circle, the circle of life.”

"I DON'T WANNA TALK ABOUT IT" INDIGO GIRLS (1993)

This month, the Mental Jukebox revisits the movie soundtracks of the nineties. The music I’m highlighting are some of my personal favorites. In many cases, the movies themselves were huge for me as well. But the focus will still be on the music – as always. Let’s bring on the throwback classics, the grunge, the gangsta rap, and the indie gems. #31DaysOf90sMovieSongs

Movie: Philadelphia

Indigo Girls was one of the first concerts I went to. It was 1991, and the duo was riding high on the strength of their debut album. While other folk artists like Suzanne Vega and Tracy Chapman helped pave the way, Indigo Girls took things to another level with their emphasis on harmonies and dual acoustic guitar parts to their songs. In high school, I had plenty of bangers to rock out to and hook-laden tracks to move to. But there was something about Indigo Girls that was different. Their songs came from these deep places in their hearts that made them instantly attractive to me. Songs like “Love’s Recovery", “Secure Yourself” and “Closer To Fine” are a part of my high school soundtrack. A few years later, they contributed a beautiful cover of “I Don’t Want To Talk About It”.

While not a Rod Stewart original, the song is certainly most attributed to him. Everything But The Girl also covered it. But my favorite version is the Indigo Girls recording. Somehow it sounds like an original Indigo Girls song even though it isn’t. It feels like it was made for their harmonies with Amy Ray on alto and Emily Saliers on soprano. It’s sung from a place of vulnerability and brokenness, held together by gorgeous acoustic guitar and piano elements that linger in your head long after you listened to it.

“If I stay here just a little bit longer, if I stay here, won't you listen to my heart?”

"LOW RIDER" WAR (1975)

This month, the Mental Jukebox revisits the movie soundtracks of the nineties. The music I’m highlighting are some of my personal favorites. In many cases, the movies themselves were huge for me as well. But the focus will still be on the music – as always. Let’s bring on the throwback classics, the grunge, the gangsta rap, and the indie gems. #31DaysOf90sMovieSongs

Movie: Dazed and Confused

Ever notice how some songs’ riffs instantly make people break out into whistling and humming? There’s magic in their notes and the way those notes are strung together that bring out the endorphins. They’re also instantly recognizable by everyone else around you – for better or for worse. Clapton’s guitar riff on Cream’s “Sunshine of Your Love”. The bass line in Queen’s “We Will Rock You”. And then, of course, there’s the alto sax hook in War’s “Low Rider”. But, look. There’s so much more to the song than just that one riff that we all hum along to.

Charles Miller’s alto sax riff is the defining element of the song. The element that probably contributes the most to the catchiness. But to ignore everything else would be like only talking about Michael Jordan – and discarding the rest of his team. The Scottie Pippen of the song is the impossibly low bass vocals – also handled by Charles Miller. They’re all-star vocals. The Rodman factor is handled by B.B. Dickerson’s stalwart bass line. Steady and strong. The Steve Kerr role is played by the percussion, featuring cow bells, congas and timbales. Each percussion element is like that occasional three-pointer, assist or hustle play that keeps the team in the game. A team is rarely successful because of a single player. Same goes for the hero element of a song. People might think of Charles Miller’s alto sax first, but they would be remiss to ignore the other parts of this song.

“Take a little trip with me.”

"DEAD SOULS" NINE INCH NAILS (1994)

This month, the Mental Jukebox revisits the movie soundtracks of the nineties. The music I’m highlighting are some of my personal favorites. In many cases, the movies themselves were huge for me as well. But the focus will still be on the music – as always. Let’s bring on the throwback classics, the grunge, the gangsta rap, and the indie gems. #31DaysOf90sMovieSongs

Movie: The Crow

The Crow’s dark underworld found the right musical counterparts in its soundtrack from top to bottom. With contributions from dark, edgy bands, the songs spanned the musical spectrum — from The Cure to Henry Rollins to Rage Against the Machine. The track list reads like a college radio playlist. And one of my favorites is the Nine Inch Nails’ cover of Joy Division’s “Dead Souls”. It’s pretty ballsy to cover Joy Division. If you’re gonna do it, you better sure as hell nail it. And nail it NIN sure did.

The Crow comic books have been known to find inspiration from Joy Division, making the inclusion of “Dead Souls” that much more powerful. Just as the movie brought a new element to the original stories and images, Nine Inch Nails found a way to reinvent the Joy Division song with its own unique musical sensibilities. While Joy Division took to the upper registers with Hooky’s bass lines high up on the fretboards and Ian Curtis’ spastic vocal tremors, NIN found a home in the lower registers, with cyclical bass drum beats, grating electric guitar riffs and Trent Reznor’s tormented chants. It’s a thing of beauty in its own dark way rather than try to be Ian Curtis 2.0.

“Someone take these dreams away that point me to another day.”

"KISS FROM A ROSE" SEAL (1994)

This month, the Mental Jukebox revisits the movie soundtracks of the nineties. The music I’m highlighting are some of my personal favorites. In many cases, the movies themselves were huge for me as well. But the focus will still be on the music – as always. Let’s bring on the throwback classics, the grunge, the gangsta rap, and the indie gems. #31DaysOf90sMovieSongs

Movie: Batman Forever

The trajectory of a song is a peculiar thing. It started out in a place that most songs don’t climb back out of: the trash can. Seal wrote it well before his debut album, and then tossed it aside not feeling happy about it. By the time he was about to record his second album, he decided to show it to his producer. Together, the two of them resurrected “Kiss From A Rose”. But shortly after the song entered the charts, it fell out. Then, in a twist of fate, it came back with a vengeance, reaching the top of the charts in the U.S. Of course, this second life and incredible success had a lot to do with the fact that it was chosen as the love theme for Batman Forever. But, there’s a lot more to it than that, starting with the fact that there’s just no other song quite like it in history.

“Kiss From A Rose” is as ambitious as it gets. The melody, epic. The musicality, cinematic. The voice, grand. The song takes you on an elegant voyage back in time. They don’t write pop songs like it anymore, and likely never will. “Kiss From A Rose” is like a black and white movie, and exceptionally grand at times. It takes its listeners on a voyage through a caravan of acoustics guitars, synthesizers, drums and string arrangements. But the most memorable part is Seal’s voice. The song display’s Seal’s iconic, soulful vocals with incredible versatility up and down the scales.

“And now that your rose is in bloom, a light hits the gloom on the gray.”

"ANGEL" GAVIN FRIDAY (1995)

This month, the Mental Jukebox revisits the movie soundtracks of the nineties. The music I’m highlighting are some of my personal favorites. In many cases, the movies themselves were huge for me as well. But the focus will still be on the music – as always. Let’s bring on the throwback classics, the grunge, the gangsta rap, and the indie gems. #31DaysOf90sMovieSongs

Movie: William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet

Prior to the Romeo + Juliet soundtrack, I had never heard of Gavin Friday or The Virgin Prunes. Later, I found out that he collaborated with Bono on a few tracks. He’s clearly a somebody in the music world, particularly in Ireland. But that didn’t matter for me. When the soundtrack came out, I was completely enveloped by it, and it became an album that my then-girlfriend and I listened to incessantly just because we saw that crappy, yet beautiful-looking movie that it came with. There were plenty of standouts on the record, but “Angel” soared to the top.

The interesting thing about “Angel” is that it was written before Romeo + Juliet, despite feeling like it was made just for the movie. The song mirrors the complicated situation that the main characters found themselves in. Like my then-girlfriend and I, they were helplessly in love to the point where it becomes impossible to put the brakes on it despite the impending doom. Flanked by gorgeous swirling synth layers, Friday’s falsetto feels like the whispering angel on one shoulder at times and the deceitful demon on the other.

“Angel.... hold on to me, love is all around me.”

"TEMPTATION" NEW ORDER (1982)

This month, the Mental Jukebox revisits the movie soundtracks of the nineties. The music I’m highlighting are some of my personal favorites. In many cases, the movies themselves were huge for me as well. But the focus will still be on the music – as always. Let’s bring on the throwback classics, the grunge, the gangsta rap, and the indie gems. #31DaysOf90sMovieSongs

Movie: Trainspotting

The Trainspotting soundtrack required vivid songs to match the movie’s vivid scenes. Lou Reed’s “Perfect Day” and Iggy Pop’s. “Lust for Life” captured the mood and energy of two very well-known scenes. But in an atypical move, the director chose to only have the character Diane sing “Temptation” instead of feature the full New Order version. But as an homage to the band, the ‘87 version of the song made its way onto this brilliant soundtrack.

“Temptation” was somewhat easy to miss the first time around if you’re from the States. It was only released as a single at first — and only charted in the U.K. But the singles compilation Substance became a post-punk must-have in the late 80s, which gave me my first exposure to the song. Like the entire Substance double-disc, I loved “Temptation” from the get go. It was devoid of any remnants of Joy Division, but Sumner, Hooky, Morris and Gilbert reinvented a new sound together with swagger and tenacity. In my mind, it is one of the true great New Order anthems. Each band member firing on all cylinders.

“Tonight, I think I'll walk alone. I'll find my soul as I go home.”

"NEARLY LOST YOU" SCREAMING TREES (1992)

This month, the Mental Jukebox revisits the movie soundtracks of the nineties. The music I’m highlighting are some of my personal favorites. In many cases, the movies themselves were huge for me as well. But the focus will still be on the music – as always. Let’s bring on the throwback classics, the grunge, the gangsta rap, and the indie gems. #31DaysOf90sMovieSongs

Movie: Singles

Grunge was one of the few genres that seemed to come out of nowhere to take over the world. It was a strain of alternative rock that was practically unavoidable by the masses. Just how influential was the period? Well, as anyone who owned a flannel shirt in the early 90s can tell you, it impacted pretty much everything. Even non-grunge acts became more grunge-like during that era. Depeche Mode, Suzanne Vega and other artists all released albums that borrowed elements of the grunge sound into their recordings during the period. But the real stuff was where it was at. And right up there near the top was Screaming Trees’ “Nearly Lost You”.

Singles was one of those rare creative expressions that managed to define a new generation while also encapsulating an important musical era. It didn’t just use actors to achieve those ends. The film took place in Seattle – and actual members of Soundgarden, Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains appear in it. When “Nearly Lost You” came out, it could be heard constantly in my dorm hall. It got into your head, and then just stayed there. Mark Lanegan’s vocals were nearly Tom Waits-like, and the guitar riff swirled around like a siren. “Nearly Lost You” was just as important as any track off Nevermind, Dirt, BadMotorFinger and Ten – and it should come as no surprise that it became one of the most memorable songs from the Singles soundtrack.

“Did you hear the distant lie calling me back to my sin.”

"GIRL, YOU'LL BE A WOMAN SOON" URGE OVERKILL (1994)

This month, the Mental Jukebox revisits the movie soundtracks of the nineties. The music I’m highlighting are some of my personal favorites. In many cases, the movies themselves were huge for me as well. But the focus will still be on the music – as always. Let’s bring on the throwback classics, the grunge, the gangsta rap, and the indie gems. #31DaysOf90sMovieSongs

Movie: Pulp Fiction

The idea of covering a Neil Diamond song isn’t anything new. Long before Urge Overkill did it, others tried their hand at the task and created covers that were even more iconic than the originals. UB40 brought “Red Red Wine” to the masses. And The Monkees made “I’m A Believer” a classic. But Urge Overkill was a bit of an unlikely participant in the Diamond cover caravan. They rocked a lot harder and opened for Nirvana and Pearl Jam at the time they recorded the song. But their cover of “Girl, You’ll Be A Woman Soon” is a cultural icon, ushering the song into the mainstream consciousness as part of the Pulp Fiction movie soundtrack.

There’s more to “Girl, You’ll Be a Woman Soon” than the catchy chorus. The song thrives on several tempo changes and strumming styles and the underlying flamenco persona on Diamond’s version is still there though slightly toned down. In the song, it feels like the girl rushes through the red muleta and emerges as a woman on the other side. The guitar certainly plays a prominent role in Urge Overkill’s music. But here, it. takes a backseat and the vocals take centerstage, making it a perfect track for the heroin overdose scene.

“Can't count all the ways I'd die for you, girl. And all they can say is "He's not your kind".”

"SISTER CHRISTIAN" NIGHT RANGER (1984)

This month, the Mental Jukebox revisits the movie soundtracks of the nineties. The music I’m highlighting are some of my personal favorites. In many cases, the movies themselves were huge for me as well. But the focus will still be on the music – as always. Let’s bring on the throwback classics, the grunge, the gangsta rap, and the indie gems. #31DaysOf90sMovieSongs

Movie: Boogie Nights

Boogie Nights rode on the back of a vivid, throwback soundtrack — and Night Ranger was at the helm. Call it a glorified karaoke anthem or a cheesy power ballad, but the one thing “Sister Christian” has is that it sticks. Arguably the most memorable musical moment of Boogie Nights, it’s difficult to turn off the melody once the song comes on – and it becomes an impossible task when you get to the iconic chorus. I’m always sucked into its excessive, long-haired, hard rock world, for better or worse.

“Sister Christian” is a musical paradox to the Boogie Nights scene that it appears in. It’s steady, resolute, that’s what makes it a power ballad. But beyond the cymbal crashes and soaring 80’s guitar riffs, even the opening piano chords are unflinching. It’s the rock in a completely unstable scene that feels like it’s about to erupt at any given moment. The sounds of those gun shots are impossible for the characters to prepare for. It just happens. But with “Sister Christian”, you feel the groove and the rhythm, and you know exactly where it’s going – and when. Maybe that dynamic is what makes “Sister Christian” so likable beyond the movie, too.

“You're motoring. What's your price for flight in finding mister right? You'll be alright tonight.”

"WISE UP" AIMEE MANN (1999)

This month, the Mental Jukebox revisits the movie soundtracks of the nineties. The music I’m highlighting are some of my personal favorites. In many cases, the movies themselves were huge for me as well. But the focus will still be on the music – as always. Let’s bring on the throwback classics, the grunge, the gangsta rap, and the indie gems. #31DaysOf90sMovieSongs

Movie: Magnolia

Magnolia is one of those rare gems that benefits from a brilliant album. But the movie didn’t inspire the music. P.T. Anderson clarified that Aimee Mann’s songs actually inspired the film. It’s about the rhythm and sounds of life – where the feeling of isolation is excruciating and unavoidable. The frog scene may be the most iconic moment, but, for me, the most memorable scene was the ensemble performance of “Wise Up”, when each cast member took turns singing the song. What would’ve been a disaster move in another movie just made perfect sense in Magnolia. It just worked. And it wouldn’t have been possible if Aimee Mann didn’t write and record such an incredible song.

It’s interesting that some of the most beautiful songs we know are also some of the most sad songs we know. “Wise Up” is one of them. There are many great Aimee Mann songs on the soundtrack, but what made this one unique was how Mann spanned a range of emotions in a single vocal performance, going from fragile to assured, hopeless to fearless, all within three and a half minutes. While “Wise Up” wasn’t written specifically for Magnolia, it seemed to perfectly convey the condition of each of the characters in the film so well, making it one of my favorite soundtracks of all time.

“You're sure there's a cure. And you have finally found it.”

"NEW DAWN FADES" MOBY (1994)

This month, the Mental Jukebox revisits the movie soundtracks of the nineties. The music I’m highlighting are some of my personal favorites. In many cases, the movies themselves were huge for me as well. But the focus will still be on the music – as always. Let’s bring on the throwback classics, the grunge, the gangsta rap, and the indie gems. #31DaysOf90sMovieSongs

Movie: Heat

Heat is one of my all-time favorite movies. It’s not just a crime thriller. It’s the story of how hate and respect can indeed co-exist. It’s a reminder that we might have a lot more in common with our enemies than we might dare think. And few movies capture the dark, ominous and isolating veneer of L.A. as powerfully and as beautifully as Heat. Michael Mann needed an equally ominous soundscape, which he found in Moby’s cover of Joy Division’s “New Dawn Fades”.

While Joy Division’s original felt like it played out inside a dark cellar, Moby’s version sprawls across the L.A. cityscape. There’s an expansiveness felt in the performance and the production. The guitar riff soars up while the bass notes descend down. Can anybody be on the same level as Ian Curtis? Maybe not. But Moby certainly fared well in getting inside Curtis’ skin and into his shoes for a few epic, haunting minutes. I can’t think of a better track to rear its head as Heat neared its climax.

“We'll give you everything and more. The strain is too much, can't take much more.”

"THE MAN IN ME" BOB DYLAN (1970)

This month, the Mental Jukebox revisits the movie soundtracks of the nineties. The music I’m highlighting are some of my personal favorites. In many cases, the movies themselves were huge for me as well. But the focus will still be on the music – as always. Let’s bring on the throwback classics, the grunge, the gangsta rap, and the indie gems. #31DaysOf90sMovieSongs

Movie: The Big Lebowski

One of my all-time favorite movies, The Big Lebowski features a strong, diverse set of songs on its soundtrack — from a Gypsy Kings cover to a CCR staple. But no other song on the soundtrack embodies the film and The Dude more than “The Man in Me”. The song a director picks for an opening scene can sometimes make or break a film. It’s the mood setter. And the Coen brothers nailed it. There was no better song to kick off The Big Lebowski than Bob Dylan’s “The Man in Me”.

Not your typical Dylan anthem, it felt like it was written and performed specifically for The Dude — a melodious homage to the main character. Beyond the opening scene inside Ralph’s Supermarket, it’s used again in the famed hallucination scene — and apparently Jeff Bridges has sung it and led audience participation at Lebowski Fest. It’s not just widely loved, it’s beloved. “The Man In Me” is The Dude put to music – with its “la la las” and stoner organ hook, endearing us to the main character from the very opening scene.

“Storm clouds are raging all around my door. I think to myself I might not take it anymore. Take a woman like your kind to find the man in me.”

"DON'T YOU (FORGET ABOUT ME)" SIMPLE MINDS (1985)

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: The Breakfast Club

Few movies turned the high school experience upside down better than The Breakfast Club. It introduced us to all the cliques, spent nearly three quarters of the movie going through all the stereotypes, and then it flipped the paradigm on its head. The movie ends with Anthony Michael Hall’s character reading his note to the principal out loud: “Each of us is a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess and a criminal.” Then one of the most iconic 80’s songs comes on as Bender walks through the high school football field, pumps his fist and we go to the closing credits. “Don’t You” was the exclamation mark for the whole movie.

Instantly recognizable from that first hit of the snare. “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” was a turning point in the commercial trajectory of Simple Minds. Up until then, they wrote a fair amount of great music, but not many in the States knew about them. The Breakfast Club changed all that. This was one of the original brat pack anthems. This was one of our anthems. No matter how you saw us. In the simplest terms. In the most convenient definitions. A brain. An athlete. A basket case. A princess. A criminal.

“Don't you try and pretend. It's my feeling we'll win in the end.”

"WHITE RABBIT" JEFFERSON AIRPLANE (1967)

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: Platoon

Another case of a great scene made even greater because of the music. “White Rabbit” was a perfect choice for the movie scene. Guys getting high. Minds expanding. Charlie Sheen walks in to a room with very little clarity about what happens there. Tensions rising. Then falling almost instantly. All the while, Grace Slick’s phenomenal lyrics paint a picture of what might be happening inside their heads. There’s mystery in the story and in the melody, making it a wiser musical choice than some other stoner anthem, like a Pink Floyd song.

A reimagination of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, “White Rabbit” is a trip. It brings the classic story to life in a psychedelic twist probably created with the aid of mind-expanding substances. It goes down a rabbit hole of Spanish-influenced rhythms and guitar playing. Grace Slick once said that the song was heavily influenced by Miles Davis’ Sketches of Spain album, which you can hear most clearly in the instrumentation, but also in the melody as well. “White Rabbit” is a wild blend of cultures and mediums with an adult’s liberating interpretation of a childhood tale.

“And if you go chasing rabbits and you know you're going to fall. Tell 'em a hookah-smoking caterpillar has given you the call. Call Alice when she was just small.”

"TRUE FAITH" NEW ORDER (1987)

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: Bright Lights, Big City

“True Faith” is far more than just a great song. It was a new direction for the band. A stake in the ground from New Order that, whether you liked it or not, stated they were now moving boldly into a new dance rock phase. There were clear signs of dance rock throughout the band’s history, the most notable examples being “Blue Monday”, “The Perfect Kiss” and “Bizarre Love Triangle”. But “True Faith” was the point where it started to feel like the synth gods won — and the rock roots were losing their hold.

The dance stuff from New Order is not my favorite side to the band, but “True Faith” is probably my favorite of the bunch — even ahead of the aforementioned classics. Stephen Morris’ drums are in attack mode from the get go. The bass synth does its thing, but then Hooky’s signature upper octave foray sneaks in like a slithering snake to break up the dance party. Sumner’s lyrics are some of the most memorable, endearing words he’s written — a nostalgic gift for their fans.

“My morning sun is the drug that brings me near to the childhood I lost, replaced by fear.”

"IN THE AIR TONIGHT" PHIL COLLINS (1981)

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.”

"BUT NOT TONIGHT" DEPECHE MODE (1986)

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: Modern Girls

Depeche Mode has always been that type of band that generates a strong disposition among the public. A good number of people seem to either love them or hate them. There’s even a band that wasn’t shy about their disdain for the synth pop act, calling themselves KMFDM. I’ll let you use your imagination to figure out what those initials stand for if you don’t know already. The haters may think of the band as too soft, but perhaps they haven’t heard “I Feel You” or “A Question Of Time”. Others think they’re all synth, no rock – and those critics probably never heard “Never Let Me Down Again” or “In Your Room”. Those who love the band have plenty of favorites – and “But Not Tonight” is often cited as one of their best. I know I think it is.

“But Not Tonight” wasn’t a hit. It wasn’t a single. It was a lowly b-side to the more well-known “Stripped”. But it was an anthem for the era. It’s a bit complicated. Its lyrics portray a sense of optimism and liberation found in solitude. The song may not be inherently upbeat, but it always seems to lift up its listeners because the fans are connecting with the poetic words of Martin Gore and baritone vocals of David Gahan. In recent years, Depeche Mode has been performing a stripped down version of this song on tour with Martin Gore on vocals. But I think I’ll always love the original recording. It’s vintage, unadulterated Depeche Mode.

“How good it feels to be alone tonight.”

"CRUEL SUMMER" BANANARAMA (1983)

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: The Karate Kid

Bananarama may not be the most exceptional singers in the world. Their voices were rather pedestrian. The trio would often forgo harmonies, opting instead to sing the same exact notes. Which begs the question, why did they need three singers? Well, the reason was because the three of them – Siobhan Fahey, Sarah Dallin and Keren Woodward – looked so damn cool in videos and on stage with their long, new wave-frizzed locks and 80’s fashion cues. They were fun. They were entertaining. And they were highly successful, locking in their spots on Band Aid, garnering countless hits in the UK, and even a couple of Top Ten showings in the U.S., including this song “Cruel Summer”.

Songs in the opening and closing scenes of movies tend to be the most memorable ones – and “Cruel Summer” was the opening number in The Karate Kid, the soundtrack for that first day of school for Daniel LaRusso, Ali Mills, Johnny Lawrence and the rest of the town. It was perfect for the scene. Bananarama sings the song intentionally with a monotonous dread. It sorta works, but it’s the instrumentation that gives the song its edge. Synth hooks and guitar riffs that were textbook new wave musicality. Question is, who composed those hooks and who plays them on the record? Seemed like either no one cares to know, or maybe some people cared too much that those musicians would somehow detract from the power of the female trio.

“It's too close for comfort. This heat has got right out of hand.”