John Hughes

Legendary writer, director and producer, John Hughes, passed away last week, leaving behind a surfeit of films that defined an entire generation. The movie mogul was the genius behind such 80’s and 90’s comedies as Home Alone, The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles and Plains, Trains and Automobiles. Having attended high school in Northbrook, IL, Hughes developed a dedicated love for the city of Chicago, and often set his films in the city or its surrounding suburbs (Weird Science, National Lampoons Vacation and Home Alone, to name a few). Hughes undoubtedly had a knack for crafting cinematic masterpieces; but he also was skilled in creating the perfect union between film and music, designing memorable soundtracks to accompany his movies. We’d like to honor John Hughes, by listing our favorite and most memorable songs from his films.

1. “Don’t You Forget About Me” by Simple Minds (Breakfast Club): Who doesn’t recall the song playing in the background, as Judd Nelson’s tough-guy character triumphantly raises his fist, as he stomps across the high school football field, Molly Ringwald’s diamond stud in his ear?

2. “If You Were Here” by the Thompson Twins (Sixteen Candles): This 80’s love song provides the ideal setting for a first kiss – luckily, Hughes realized this, as he chose it to set the mood for his characters’ (popular jock, Jake Ryan, and bashful redhead, Samantha Baker, played by Molly Ringwald) first kiss, sitting – where else – atop a dining room table, as Samantha blows out her birthday candles.

3. “Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want” by The Dream Academy (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off): This song, a gorgeous instrumental version of The Smiths’ New Wave classic, was featured as the film’s three teen-aged stars meandered through Chicago’s Art Institute.

4. “Holiday Road” by Lindsey Buckingham (National Lampoon’s Vacation): Likely the most upbeat song of the bunch, “Holiday Road” is easily identifiable with every Vacation film, providing comic relief as pitiable dad, Clark Griswold, tries to identify with his children, flirts with models in red sports cars, goes unappreciated and makes a general fool of himself.

5. “If You Leave” by Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark (Pretty in Pink): In 1985, this song was written specifically for Pretty in Pink. Its use in the film quickly launched the song into heavy rotation in the 80s, and is often associated with the film, which is one of Hughes’ most popular to date. What better pop song could represent a mid-80s prom? If only we didn’t have to associate with it poor Duckie’s (played by Jon Cryer), curse of perpetual unrequited love.

Honorable Mentions

- Home Alone (soundtrack) by John Williams (Home Alone)

- “True” by Spandau Ballet (Sixteen Candles)

- “Left of Center” by Suzanna Vega (Pretty in Pink)

- “Try a Little Tenderness” by Otis Redding (Pretty in Pink)

“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

- Ferris Bueller’s Day Off