For John Hughes, a righteous dude.

August 7, 2009

As you have all heard, John Hughes, 80’s teen-film legend, died yesterday and for anyone who grew up watching his films it feels like a small part of our childhood is now missing. I was just entering the world during his prime years (’84-’86) but I still felt his impact. He was obviously highly influential in the film world, especially in showing realistic depictions of teenagers and their angst-filled lives. Many of my favorite filmmakers now (Wes Anderson, Judd Apatow, etc) owe much to the work of John Hughes. From Sixteen Candles to Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, his films have stood the test of time.

Hughes’ influence in the music world also can not be understated. His use of pop songs in his movies (especially of the new wave and synth-pop variety) helped soundtrack a generation. It’s hard not to hear a song with those big airy synths and not be reminded of a Hughes film. So in tribute to pop culture icon, here’s a mix of some of my favorite songs from John Hughes movies. Hopefully this will bring back some good memories of the kids of Shermer High.

MP3 Simple Minds – Don’t You Forget About Me (from The Breakfast Club)
MP3 The Smiths - Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want (from Pretty in Pink / Ferris Bueller’s Day Off)
MP3 Altered Images – Happy Birthday (from Sixteen Candles)
MP3 New Order – Shell Shock (from Pretty in Pink)
MP3 Yello – Oh Yea (from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off)
MP3 David Bowie – Young Americans (from Sixteen Candles)
MP3 The Jesus and Mary Chain – The Hardest Walk (from Some Kind of Wonderful)
MP3 Bing Crosby – Mele Kalikimaka (from Christmas Vacation)
MP3 OMD – If You Leave (from Pretty In Pink)

Also: Pitchfork has a musical video tribute to John Hughes you should check out. Now would also be a good time to view that Lisztomania “brat pack” fan video which features a couple of his films or pop in that M83 album from last year. And remember “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

Posted by Taylor in Film, Mix