RANDOM HUGHES-INGS

Lately I’ve been in a retro kind of music mood. It could be because on the digital cable system, there is a channel that plays nothing but early to mid 80’s new wave and punk. In other words, a perennial gold mine of music to satisfy my childhood memories.

Two groups that have gotten lots of play lately are ironically enough, two groups that have had recognizable songs in a couple of John Hughes films. They are The English Beat, and The Psychedelic Furs.

Many of you (or none of you depending on your age and interest level), may remember The Furs’ song “Pretty in Pink” which is the title song of the movie with the same name with teen queen Molly Ringwald, Andrew McCarthy (later of Mannequin and Weekend at Bernie’s fame), and Jon Cryer (now of Two and a Half Men). This one is more well known than The English Beat’s “Rotating Heads” from Ferris Beuller’s Day Off.

But It’s funny how you remember a band for being known for a song or two and then when you tap into their complete repertoire, you find that they made several more songs that you actually know. When you hear the song, you do one of those “Oh, these guys sang that song?” or some variation thereof.

Case in point, I had been hearing the Beat’s “Save it for Later” several times over the last few weeks, and the song was in my head constantly and then that was it. I had to hit ITunes and get that song and while I was at it, listen to some other 30 second clips of their stuff. I ended up downloading the entire album “Special Beat Service.” Among the songs, “Rotating Heads” sounded too familiar.

I bought the song and after playing it from beginning to end, I then imagined a young Ferris Beuller (Matthew Broderick) running through the streets of his Chicago suburb trying to beat his sister Jeannie (Jennifer Grey in a polar opposite role to her Baby in Dirty Dancing) home before she reveals that he was never sick.

And finally coming to the part in the song where he hits the trampoline in slow motion and lands feet first only to be met by his nemesis, Principal Edward Rooney. Have you seen the movie? Is it starting to sound familiar now? “How would feel about another yeeeeeear of high school?”

As for the Furs’, Pretty in Pink sealed their fate as the quintessential 80’s prom rock band with other familiar songs like “The Ghost in You” “Heartbreak Beat” and “All that Money Wants.”

Whatever the members of these two bands are doing now, they should dedicate a little time every now and then to thanking John Hughes for their immortality.