The genius of Pretty In Pink’s new wave soundtrack
The Trainspotting soundtrack is often held up as the gold standard for film soundtracks, capturing the essence of the early Britpop period and featuring some healthy new wave influences. However, there is another cult soundtrack that may even rival the power of the score accompanying Danny Boyle’s movie. That soundtrack comes in the form of 1986’s Pretty In Pink.
The Howard Deutsch-directed romantic comedy-drama features everything needed for a successful 1980s high school drama, written by John Hughes, a metric ton of hairspray, and a killer soundtrack.
Taking its name from the title of a Psychedelic Furs song, this should come as no real surprise, but the soundtrack as a whole could exist quite happily as a ‘best of new wave’ compilation album featuring works by New Order, Echo and the Bunnymen, O.M.D. and many more. A re-recorded version of the Furs’ ‘Pretty in Pink’ was made for the film, and it became the band’s biggest US hit at the time, showing the soundtrack’s power over audiences.
At the time, most 1980s teen dramas would be filled with generic, nondescript classic rock, or maybe Culture Club if you got lucky, but Hughes’ films tended to keep things current. Across his filmography, there is no shortage of great soundtracks. From the iconic use of Simple Minds’ ‘Don’t You (Forget About Me)’ in The Breakfast Club to Ferris Bueller belting out ‘Twist and Shout’ during the parade on his day off. Hughes’ use of music in film made a lasting impact, and perhaps for this reason, his movies remain adored and revered as some of the greatest of the time period.
Across the soundtracks of his filmography, Pretty In Pink is the magnum opus. It is one of those rare soundtracks that suits the film so well that the songs become forever tied to the storyline. Anyone who has seen the film will surely struggle to listen to ‘If You Leave’ by O.M.D. without recounting the film’s ending and Molly Ringwald’s romantic dilemma.
In the movie, Ringwald’s character, Andie, must choose between the rich yet sensitive popular kid, played by Andrew McCarthy, and her best friend, Jon Cryer, who is secretly in love with her. As love triangles go, few are as well soundtracked as this one. In fact, the soundtrack was listed by Rolling Stone as one of the greatest of all time, beating the likes of American Graffiti, The Graduate, and even Trainspotting.
More than being an excellent soundtrack, though, the songs that feature in the film were a key component of its success. Several weeks before the film even opened, the soundtrack was released as a full album, which was not common for many films then. David Anderle, director of film music at A&M in 1986, said: “The great thing about this soundtrack is that it really sounds like a legitimate album, not a compilation”, and it is hard to disagree with him.
Over 35 years since its initial release, the film and its soundtrack are still enthralling audiences, and it will likely stay that way for years to come.
