10 Ways The Music Industry Owes John Hughes Big Time

10. Those Perfect Theme Songs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceeiNPv6hrU Nobody could pick a theme song quite like John Hughes, which makes sense, as a lot of his films begin simply as playlists. In a 2010 interview with Vanity Fair, Molly Ringwald described Hughes' typical screenwriting process, via a film ultimately never came to fruition called Lovecats, based on the Cure song of the same name: "I played this song for John, and he started writing a script, and he gave me a mix tape of what the soundtrack was gonna be. Which was pretty much Dave Brubeck, with the last song by Bob Dylan." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqmTMiIMG74 But you can see how the origins of films like Weird Science and Pretty in Pink took place, with film titles originating in songs by Oingo Boingo and the Psychedelic Furs respectively. The latter film, it should be noted, is often ranked as having one of the greatest soundtracks of all time, and for good reason: with songs by the Smiths, New Order, OMD, INXS, as well as the title song by the Psychedelic Furs, which was re-recorded in a more pop-friendly manner for the film. One of Hughes' greatest film tropes is his use of theme songs, being both memorable in melody and pertinent lyrical content, a grasp on which only bolsters the strength of Hughes' voice across all mediums available to him. And while his songs often serve a narrative purpose, some are just plain catchy and enjoyable in a way that can totally be isolated from the film. Case in point: Lindsey Buckingham's "Holiday Road." The song serves as a franchise flagship, plot interlude, and just a great showcase for Fleetwood Mac's driving pop song-writing engine.