Rock’s 31 Best Movie Soundtrack Songs of 1985

It isn’t really true that everything was bigger in the ’80s, but the decade did find us embracing excess in a number of ways — including hefty shoulder pads, piled-high hair, and absolutely massive movie soundtracks. Drifting away from the orchestral scores that had long been the standard, filmmakers tried appealing to younger audiences by relying on tracks from Top 40 artists. This change produced some of the biggest-selling records of the era, with hit singles being spun off from multi-platinum soundtracks on a regular basis.

In honor of this bygone era, we’ve rounded up some of the best soundtrack cuts that turn 40 this year, including plenty of enduring favorites from a number of classic rock’s finest. Some were hits and some ended up staying deeper cuts, but they all have one thing in common: they sum up the star-studded soundtracks of their day. Take your ticket stub, heat up some popcorn, and slip on your favorite foam-covered headphones, because we’re dimming the lights and hitting play on our list of rock’s 31 best movie soundtrack songs of 1985:

“Only the Young,” Journey

Initially tabbed for inclusion on the Frontiers album, Journey‘s “Only the Young” was pulled at the last minute and offered to Scandal, whose recording is perfectly fine, but pales in comparison to the recording that eventually made its way to the Vision Quest soundtrack. Is this the band’s last great single? Perhaps. (It’s worth noting here that the “Only the Young” story is the opposite of many Quest cuts, several of which ended up on the soundtrack years after they were originally issued. John Waite’s “Change,” Red Rider’s “Lunatic Fringe,” and Sammy Hagar’s “I’ll Fall in Love Again” are all solid examples of songs that missed being included here because they were already well known.)

 

“Hungry for Heaven,” Dio

Internal conflicts were taking a major toll on Dio during the period leading up to 1985’s Sacred Heart LP, but they still had enough magic left to grind out tracks like “Hungry for Heaven,” which graced the Vision Quest soundtrack before being issued as a Sacred Heart single. Although it wasn’t a major hit, it distills Dio’s classic-era appeal forcefully enough to warrant a pair of devil horns or two.

 

“A View to a Kill,” Duran Duran

Bond movie theme songs are typically recorded by artists who happen to be hot at the moment, which has produced some strange results over the years. When it works, though, this approach really works — as evidenced by “A View to a Kill,” which, while having enough Bond-related lyrical content to keep you from forgetting why it was made, is also a genuinely funky cut that captures Duran Duran at its mid-’80s finest.

Read More: 12 Wrongly Forgotten Movies From the Summer of 1985

 

“To Live and Die in L.A.,” Wang Chung

Forget about “Everybody Have Fun Tonight” for a moment and see Wang Chung the way director William Friedkin must have seen them — a synth-pop duo with enough of a rock edge to add some extra drama to his sleek neo-noir thriller. The whole soundtrack is pretty terrific, but the title track is particularly great for driving around the city at dusk.

 

“Burning Heart,” Survivor

The long-running gag about the Rocky franchise is that every installment follows the same basic arc. It’s funny because it’s totally true, but formulas become formulas because they’re effective, and there isn’t necessarily any shame in going back to something that worked before. That rule apparently also applies to Rocky soundtracks, because after Survivor scored a smash hit with “Eye of the Tiger” from Rocky III, they were called back for the follow-up, and delivered another inspirational number made for training montages. In fact, we’d argue that “Burning Heart” does its job so well that the soundtrack producers definitely didn’t need to include “Eye of the Tiger” three songs later in the track listing.

 

“Heart’s on Fire,” John Cafferty

Okay, it’s admittedly pretty silly that “Burning Heart” is followed by “Heart’s on Fire,” which is doubly worth a chuckle because Cafferty sounds like he’s auditioning for Survivor. Still, a solid song is a solid song, and this one does exactly what it sets out to do. (Fun side note: “Heart’s on Fire” was co-written by Joe “Bean” Esposito, the singer-songwriter best known for his vocals on the Karate Kid classic “You’re the Best.”)

 

“No Easy Way Out,” Robert Tepper

One of several rousing anthems from gruff-voiced male singers on the Rocky IV soundtrack, “No Easy Way Out” seemed to signal big things for Robert Tepper, who broke the Top 40 with this song just a few years after co-writing “Into the Night” with Benny Mardones. Unfortunately, Tepper was signed to Scotti Bros., where breaking records by artists not named Survivor or “Weird Al” Yankovic was already becoming a lost art. Tepper has continued to record over the years, but “No Easy Way Out” remains his closest brush with mainstream stardom.

 

“The Sweetest Victory,” Touch

This is a bit of a weird one. Hardcore ’80s AOR heads might assume it was recorded by the short-lived group led by future Michael Bolton co-writer Mark Mangold, but those guys had long since split by the time Rocky IV came together. Instead, this Touch was a one-off band project assembled by future BulletBoys frontman Marq Torien; somehow, their demo was heard by Sylvester Stallone, and the rest is history.

 

“Surfin’ Dead,” The Cramps

The soundtracks of the ’80s were packed with big, bombastic rock songs, but they also made room for less mainstream detours — like this tongue-in-cheek number from psychobilly legends the Cramps, who recorded it for the Return of the Living Dead soundtrack. Still quite silly; still rocks hard.

 

“Once Bitten,” 3-Speed

An electro-rock three-piece led by singer Linda Chase, 3-Speed never made much of a dent in the marketplace during their brief time together, but they did rack up an impressive string of soundtrack appearances. Admittedly, some of those songs ended up on the soundtracks of movies like Voyage of the Rock Aliens, but they also cut “Wind Me Up” for the cult classic RAD, and they’ll forever go down in history as the band responsible for “Once Bitten,” the title track from the soundtrack to Jim Carrey’s 1985 vampire comedy. It (ahem) does not suck.

 

“Miami Vice Theme,” Harold Faltermeyer

Is it true that synths were responsible for some of the more regrettable moments from ’80s rock artists? Absolutely. But is it also true that synths sounded like the future, and helped produce some indubitably cool stuff that still rocks? One hundred percent yes, and Harold Faltermeyer was responsible for more than his share. A year after landing a huge hit with “Axel F” from the Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack, he returned with the Miami Vice theme, setting the tone for a show that made music a big part of its era-defining success. Makes you want to put on some shades and jump in a speedboat, doesn’t it?

 

“You Belong to the City,” Glenn Frey

We’re ignoring “Smuggler’s Blues” because it appeared on The Allnighter before it became the basis for a Miami Vice episode, but no such caveat exists for “You Belong to the City,” which Glenn Frey wrote and recorded specifically for the show — and which went on to become one of his biggest solo hits. A lot of the song’s success was due to the nagging sax riff played by Bill Bergman, who recorded his own version for his Midnight Sax album in 1986. Not the hardest-rocking song on our 1985 soundtrack mixtape, but it’s okay to cool down every once in a while.

 

“We Don’t Need Another Hero,” Tina Turner

Hot on the heels of her unexpected comeback with Private Dancer, Tina Turner wasted no opportunity to make up for lost time, including taking a co-starring role in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. While it was one of the year’s most hotly anticipated films, it proved to be at least a mild disappointment for many fans — with the exception of Turner’s soundtrack anthem, which turned out to be one of her biggest solo hits.

 

“Upset Stomach,” Stevie Wonder

Look, we’ll be the first to admit that “Upset Stomach” isn’t one of Stevie Wonder‘s best songs. On the other hand, “Stevie Wonder’s best songs” is an incredibly high bar to clear, and if we’re just looking at cuts he recorded for soundtracks during the ’80s, well, this one smokes “I Just Called to Say I Love You” six ways to Sunday. Overshadowed by Wonder’s hits from his then-current In Square Circle album, this is a sparkling, synth-fueled snapshot of his — and Motown’s — mid-’80s sound.

 

“I Got Nothing,” the Bangles

Taken on its own terms, the Goonies soundtrack is a fascinating ’80s time capsule even if you haven’t seen the movie. You’ve got established stars (Cyndi Lauper, REO Speedwagon, Philip Bailey), multiple genres (Teena Marie and Luther Vandross breaking up the pop and rock tracks, plus Dave Grusin’s orchestral theme), and up-and-coming artists. The Bangles fell into the latter camp at the time, as their hit Different Light LP didn’t arrive until early ’86, and “I Got Nothing” is a finger-snapping example of the early, harder-edged sound that got phased out in search of big pop hits.

 

“Save the Night,” Joseph Williams

The year before he made his big debut as the new lead singer of Toto, Joseph Williams made a persuasive case for himself as a solo artist with “Save the Night.” With its combination of bouncy keys and sleek guitar fills, the track points the way toward the type of thing Williams would soon be doing with his future bandmates; given his family connection to legendary composer John Williams, it also makes a ton of sense that he’d be drawn to soundtrack work.

 

“Fletch, Get Outta Town,” Dan Hartman

Dan Hartman was on a roll in 1985. After years of struggling to get his solo career going, the former Edgar Winter Group frontman finally hit paydirt with “I Can Dream About You,” a Top 10 hit whose placement in the Streets of Fire soundtrack helped spur a succession of Top 40 singles. Sticking with soundtrack work, Hartman co-wrote “Living in America,” the James Brown hit from Rocky IV, and contributed a pair of songs to Fletch. Unfortunately, this is where Hartman’s hot streak ended, perhaps because the soundtrack wasn’t particularly star-studded, and the song selection leans heavy on synth-pop and ballads. It’s sort of a shame, because “Fletch, Get Outta Town” is every bit as charmingly ridiculous as the title implies.

 

“Don’t You (Forget About Me),” Simple Minds

Hey, hey, hey, hey. Breakfast Club soundtrack producer Keith Forsey famously offered this massive hit to his frequent collaborator Billy Idol, who took a pass, as did Bryan Ferry — and Simple Minds were also initially reluctant to record it, preferring to focus on songs they’d written themselves. They ended up being glad they changed their minds, because “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” went on to become the band’s biggest American hit.

 

“The Power of Love,” Huey Lewis and the News

Coming off five straight Top 20 hits from their wildly popular Sports LP, Huey Lewis and the News could have landed in heavy rotation with almost anything in the summer of ’85. They didn’t settle for just anything, though; instead, they served up one of the era’s most perfect soundtrack anthems, tied to the biggest movie of the summer. Huey might have called it revenge for what happened with Ghostbusters — but for listeners, it was just an irresistible single, with all the power chords and fake horns that any ’80s music fan could ask for.

 

“Time Bomb Town,” Lindsey Buckingham

It’s no “Holiday Road,” but this Back to the Future soundtrack cut pulses with the nervous energy of Buckingham’s ’80s solo work while pointing the way toward the tremendously radio-friendly stuff he’d bring to the table for Fleetwood Mac‘s comeback with Tango in the Night a couple of years later.

 

“Heaven Is One Step Away,” Eric Clapton

This Phil Collins-produced castoff from the Behind the Sun sessions is an extremely middle-of-the-road number from a very middle-of-the-road period in Eric Clapton‘s career. It’s also pretty darn catchy, however, and does a decent job of hinting at the Michelob rock that fueled his full-on comeback the following year.

 

“Back in Time,” Huey Lewis and the News

Not content to deliver only one soundtrack classic for Back to the Future, Huey Lewis and the News also recorded “Back in Time,” a cheerfully uptempo number whose many lyrical allusions to the film’s storyline somehow manage to (mostly) avoid feeling awkward. Like pretty much everything the group did during this period, it’s effortlessly catchy and sounds like a hit — and it was, rising to No. 3 on the Mainstream Rock chart.

 

“St. Elmo’s Fire (Man in Motion),” John Parr

Were it not for this song, John Parr would be mostly remembered in the United States for “Naughty Naughty,” a song mostly notable for rhyming “naughty” with itself. Fortunately, Parr managed to catch the ear of David Foster, who was at the peak of his ’80s powers when he was hired to produce the St. Elmo’s Fire soundtrack, and the two collaborated on this song, which became Parr’s only American No. 1 hit. Although the lyrics contain references to the film, they were mainly inspired by athlete Rick Hansen, who was then in the midst of a global effort to raise awareness for spinal cord injuries — a nod to real-life perseverance that makes the song even more stirring. Add in musical contributions from members of Toto, REO Speedwagon, and Mr. Mister, and the end results are perfectly 1985.

 

“Shake Down,” Billy Squier

The impact of the “Rock Me Tonite” video on Billy Squier’s career has been debated for years, and while it’s probably true that the clip didn’t do him many favors, it’s also worth considering that as talented as he is, Squier’s biggest songs followed a fairly strict formula. Big beats, big guitars, those sneering, high-pitched vocals — they combined to produce some timeless tracks, but after a while, they also created the impression that if you’d heard one Squier song, you’d basically heard them all. All of which is to say that while “Shake Down” ended up being one of the deeper cuts on the St. Elmo’s Fire soundtrack, it’s also a fine, mildly funky rock number, and if it doesn’t give you anything you’ve already gotten from his hits, that’s totally okay.

 

“Young and Innocent,” Elefante

After leaving the temporarily disintegrated Kansas in 1984, singer John Elefante put together a project with his brother Dino, which the siblings sensibly christened Elefante. The band ended up hitting a series of label dead ends, but they got off to a pretty impressive start with “Young and Innocent,” which adds some majestic power ballad theatrics to the St. Elmo’s Fire soundtrack. Nine times out of ten, having David Foster behind the boards for your first recording would have led to a hit in 1985 — or at least a long-term record deal. This song turned out to be one of those exceptions that proves the rule.

 

“This Time It Was Really Right,” Jon Anderson

The biggest knock against David Foster’s 1980s work is probably that he had a tendency to impose his own sound on his clients rather than focusing on their unique musical strengths. “This Time It Was Really Right,” written and recorded during the interminable stretch when Yes were slogging through the sessions that produced Big Generator, supports that argument: From the slick Michael Landau/Steve Lukather guitars to the Chicago-style horn section, it could just as easily have been sung by Bill Champlin or Peter Cetera. Still, hearing Anderson in this context is a fun change of pace; it’s kind of tempting to imagine what he and Foster might have done with a full album together.

 

“Saved My Life,” Fee Waybill

Speaking of Lukather, he co-wrote “Saved My Life” with Waybill and Foster, reuniting the team behind the Tubes’ 1983 hit single “She’s a Beauty.” Lightning failed to strike twice here — at least on the charts, where Fee and his bandmates’ fortunes were already fading following the lukewarm reception that greeted their ’85 Love Bomb LP. But does that make this a bad song? Not in the slightest. At his peak, Waybill was the rare singer-songwriter who could indulge in quirky humor just as easily as he could sail a fat Top 40 pitch across the middle of the plate, and “Saved My Life” displays the latter strength beautifully. The hits he’d soon write with Richard Marx helped his bank account, but it’s still tempting to imagine a world where Waybill and Foster did more stuff like this.

 

Oingo Boingo, “Weird Science”

Like their idiosyncratic frontman Danny Elfman, Oingo Boingo were always too quirky to have a real chance at sustained Top 40 success. They came pretty close to latching onto that brass ring a couple of times, however — and never closer than “Weird Science,” which somehow finds a way to encapsulate the film’s dorky adolescent energy without ever forgetting the all-important business of giving audiences a catchy song that lingers long after the final chorus fades.

 

Max Carl, “The Circle”

He’d soon go on to join 38 Special for the brief stint that produced one of their biggest hits with “Second Chance,” but in 1985, Max Carl was busy giving his solo career its own second chance following several years as the frontman for ’80s soundtrack mainstays Jack Mack and the Heart Attack. Although Carl’s Circle LP was a commercial dud, the title track highlights the qualities that not only made him an appealing pick to replace Don Barnes in 38 Special, but later led him to be a part of a short-lived supergroup with Paul Carrack and ex-Eagles Don Felder and Timothy B. Schmit. That project was wiped out by the Eagles reunion, and Carl went on to join Grand Funk Railroad, all of which serves as a reminder of how rock ‘n’ roll careers can hinge on luck and good timing as much as talent.

 

John Hiatt, “Snake Charmer”

In 1985, John Hiatt was at a low point, personally and professionally: He was fast on his way to losing his third record deal, he was in the midst of his second divorce, and he was fresh out of rehab, where he’d finally been forced to reckon with his years of alcoholism. Yet even during his wilderness years, Hiatt was always able to deliver terrific songs at any given moment — and “Snake Charmer,” a mostly forgotten cut from the second side of the White Nights soundtrack, is a perfect example. Produced by Phil Ramone, “Charmer” plays to Hiatt’s strengths in ways that a lot of his early records failed to; not only does the record rock, but he sounds loose and energized. Two years later, he’d be back with Bring the Family, the album that revitalized — and redefined — his career.

 

“Separate Lives,” Phil Collins and Marilyn Martin

Stephen Bishop entered the ’80s as a hot commodity, having racked up three Top 40 hits (including the Mellow Gold classic “On and On”) and made an unforgettable cameo in Animal House before the turn of the decade. Fame can be fickle, though, and Bishop’s commercial fortunes cooled as quickly as they’d heated up; when 1980’s Red Cab to Manhattan LP failed to chart, he spent most of the rest of the decade in hibernation, with his next album — 1985’s Sleeping with Girls — only seeing release in Asian territories. But hidden in that record’s track listing was “Separate Lives,” a raw ballad Bishop had written about his breakup with actor Karen Allen, and when Bishop’s friend Phil Collins was hired to cut a track for the White Nights soundtrack, he decided to perform it as a duet with Marilyn Martin. The result was not only a massive hit for Collins, but a temporary reprieve for Bishop, who was signed to Atlantic on the strength of his famous friend’s say-so. Unfortunately, he was slow to capitalize on that momentum, taking four years to release the partly Collins-produced follow-up. (He also titled it Bowling in Paris and signed off on some truly garish cover art, which didn’t help at all.)