This is the last gift sponsored by Sandisk slotRadio, so I thought we might actually talk about music. Since John Hughes passed, I’ve been thinking about how much more I enjoy movies when a director is passionate about the soundtrack.
My favorite Hughes scenes are about the music that’s playing in his characters’ lives. Remember Duckie lip-syncing to “Try a little Tenderness?”
Or Ferris Bueller’s “Danke Schoen” cum “Twist and Shout” on the parade float:
And of course, The Breakfast Club dance scene:
Then there are the Hughes songs that knock you flat and replay footage of your bedroom ceiling, circa 1985.
“Don’t You Forget About Me” by Simple Minds
“If You Were Here” by the Thompson Twins
“If You Leave” by OMD
So this present celebrates the music Mr. Hughes brought into our lives. If you win, I’ll send you everything you need for a nostalgic movie night.
The Ringwald holy trinity:
An absurdly large box of Watermelon Flavored Pop Rocks, (Purchased after I ate the packages I bought for you at the corner store. Taste the Explosion!):
And, of course, a Sandisk slotRadio:
It comes with a bunch of songs already, but also gives you the option of picking your own music. Before you load your workout mix, I’d like you to check into these:
The Ultimate John Hughes Playlist
John Hughes Movie Soundtrack Hits
Leave a comment below, bonus points if you tell me about your favorite music-related movie scene. Be sure to include your email address in the field provided (so I can reach you if you win) by August 14 at 5 p.m. PST. Just one comment, please — I have to delete duplicates for fairness. Random.org will decide who wins. I’ll contact the lucky via email, and I’ll also tell you who won here.
Danke schoen to Sandisk for making this gift project a go. It’s been fun.
Mighty Girl 
My favorite movie music moment is in “Moulin Rouge” when Ewan and Nicole and montaging 80s/90s love songs. I love anything I can sing along to. Pick me Random.org!
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The Say Anything boombox scene makes me cry each and every time. And that song…oh, that song hasn’t been the same since.
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I love, love, love John Hughes’ movies. My favorite scene is from Sixteen Candles at the end of the wedding when Sam is standing outside of the church and all of the cars pull away and there’s Jake waiting for her. Ah, made my teenage heart (and now my 40 year old heart) all mushy. Not really music related, but still my favorite!
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O Brother Where Art Thou….I love the sining scene at the end.
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Well, I’m not sure it’s my favorite, but the “In Your Eyes” Cusak scene is quite memorable.
I love the music – pretty much all of it – in Grosse Pointe Blank. That’s another movie that payed attention to its music.
Oh, and pick me! Pick me!
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Now, it’s hard to beat out those you’ve already mentioned – John Hughes really knew how to use a musical number, didn’t he? – I’m going to throw in a vote for Hugh Grant’s dance as the Prime Minister of England in “Love, Actually.” Faaaabulous.
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absolutely hands down the boombox scene from “Say Anything”. john cusack (and peter gabriel of course) melts my heart every time!
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So many to choose from:
In Marie Antoinette I loved the use of New Order’s “Ceremony” and of course Bow Wow Wow’s “I want candy”.
I will always love “Invincible” by Pat Benetar for the Legend of Billie Jean.
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I’ll have to echo the comments about Grosse Point Blank – the entire film. While it could have happened anywhere, I grew up in a different suburb of Detroit and had my high school reunion about the same time to nearly the same soundtrack. Although I didn’t kill a hit man in the hallway by my locker, the rest of the evening had a vague similarity.
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I love it when the director is really into the soundtrack… I’m a sucker for dance movies. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun is a great one for songs that bring the story (wonderful/horrible costumes and all!) to life.
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Without a doubt the Flashdance soundtrack conjures up the scene where the chick has water dumped on her chest from above while she’s splayed on a office waiting room chair. Tell me this isn’t major!
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I also love everything about Empire Records, but especially the scene near the end set to Sugar High. I had (have?) such a crush on record store boys.
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oh… this is SO TOUGH! i have to go with my favorite movie VALLEY GIRL and the scene at the club when the PLIMSOLS are playing… first, when randy takes julie to the club and they are so in love and then later, when he returns to the club after she’s dumped him and they play ‘million miles away.’ lovement!
another close second is ALTERED IMAGES ‘happy birthday’ in sixteen candles. you can’t understand the pride i felt, walking in to target, my 2 year old on my hip, when she started singing “if they were me, if they were me, and i was you. and i was you, i would like a present too.” double lovement!
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I love Singin’ in the Rain. It makes me want to go do some serious puddle splashing.
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What an awesome prize! I kinda sorta looked like Molly Ringwald during high school, but my then boyfriend called me “Molly Ringworm”, sweet huh? Anywho- I loved the music from “Weird Science”, Oingo Boingo rocked it out- so much fun!
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The classic final dance scene in Dirty Dancing. Oh how I wanted a pink dress and Patrick Swayze! A tie for that would be the scene in Once when they first sit down and play that “I don’t know you but I want you all the more for that…” song together. Goose bumps every time!
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My favorite John Hughes music moment is “If You Were Here” in “Sixteen Candles”, hands down–picture perfect moment, dreamy song and dreamy Michael Schoeffling!
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I love movies where the soundtrack plays a large role in the story. My most favorite is Magnolia, where sometimes the words to the song are louder than the dialogue. The first time I saw it was confused at first.. then I realized that the idea was to listen to the lyrics as they were the most important part of the scene.
Thanks to you and scandisc for this wonderful prize!
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Annie Hall, when Diane Keaton sings “It Seems Like Old Times” and then especially when they reprise the song in the final scene. It makes me cry just thinking about it.
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I know it has been mentioned already, but my favourite music scene is from That Thing You Do when the band hears the song on the radio for the first time.
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I love the part of True Romance when Clarence is on the pay phone and lip synching Hello Baby by Big Bopper.
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This is the cutest contest. My favorite scene is in High Fidelity when they play Dry The Rain by The Beta Band to see how many customers will buy the record right then. It’s a great song.
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So many to choose from but the one that comes to mind first is the one that shattered all my movie illusions with the turn to DVD. I sat in the theater and watched Rose Troche’s breakout movie, a little independent romance called Go Fish. The consummation scene is set to kd lang’s Wash Me Clean and it sold me irretrievably on the movie and the song. Years later the movie came out on DVD and I waited and waited for the song. The scene I thought it went with played out to something different and far less satisfying so I blamed my memory and waited some more. Guess they couldn’t pay for the rights for the song on DVD. It ruined the whole movie for me, so sad.
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I’ll say that the first time that I really noticed what a difference music made in a movie, i was about nine and watching Fred Flintstone tiptoe to the edge of a bowling lane to some staccato tchaikovsky-esque music. That’s nowhere near my favorite movies or movie-music, but it’s easier to remember that first one than pick out of many great moments!
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Pretty much the entire movie ‘The Commitments’ is my favorite musical memory–that movie ROCKED.
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I love the movie “Some Kind of Wonderful”, so I would have to say the kissing practice scene. Music is “She Loves Me”, by Stephen Duffy.
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hmmmmmm……. I am a lover of all things John Hughes. I think it’s inescapable for all children of the 80s. I had one friend tell me that they didn’t relate to his movies and I literally gasped.
BUT! My favorite movie soundtrack is from the movie Crooklyn. Love it!
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I’m a bit young to have LIVED the john hughes movies but they were the dialogues and soundtracks to my childhood. I’m not much of a news goer and I must admit this was the first I’d heard of John passing and it’s knocked the wind out of me. His movies are the classics that I already have my 3 year old watching. Thank you for your post.
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The John Hughs canon was an intregal part of my high school years. I was a little too Ally Sheedy for my own good, though.
Despite this, my favorite music movie overall is still The Commitments. It’s based on a wonderful book and has great music. However, the best scene in the movie doesn’t have a song; it’s the one where the band is first meeting in the back garden. The three girls, “The Commitmentettes” are climbing down a ladder. The trumpet player says:
Praise glory, brother Rabbitte. Will they be wearing black dresses?
Brilliant line.
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so, so many. reading through these comments has been so much fun.
The final scene in 16 Candles.
Say Anything – In Your Eyes
Almost Famous – Tiny Dancer scene
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I can’t declare that it’s my absolute favorite, but one particular favorite is from Stranger than Fiction when Will Ferrell is playing “Whole Wide World” and then the real song blasts in right as Maggie Gyllenhaal kisses him. It’s too wonderful :).
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I have to admit, the volleyball scene from Top Gun. I loaded Kenny Loggins “Playing with the Boys” into my ipod for those times when a girl needs a little mental uplifting. It’s like visions of sugarplums dancing in my head!
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I have always liked the “Twist and Shout” scene in Ferris Bueller’s Day off. But of course, now that you’ve asked, I can’t remember the many others that I know I’ll be mad I didn’t mention.
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I watched Dirty Dancing with my mother a thousand times. Such good memories. I couldn’t pick just one.
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Not John Hughes related, but I love the scene in “The Royal Tenenbaums” when Royal goes out on the town with Ari and Uzi to the tune of “Me and Julio” by Paul Simon. It fits so perfectly I get goosebumps. Actually, that whole movie has a great soundtrack.
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I think the first time I was really moved by a soundtrack was Pump Up the Volume in 1990. I felt so moved by the characters–esp those feeling out of place, even when things look find from the outside. And, oh, yes, my first celebrity crush- christian slater.
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“Ain’t no sunshine when she’s gone” in Notting Hill – I just love the scene where they show the passage of time in the market…
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Ferris Bueller and his amazing day off. There were a couple of songs in there that still hit home for me!
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I’m fickle. I always love best, the movie I’m watching now.
John Hughes was the master. He has had way more influence in our house than Michael Jackson. I never sat my daughter down and made her listen to Thriller – but there have been required viewings of Ferris, 16 Candle and Pretty in Pink (all of which she loves now).
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I don’t know if anyone said this but, bohemian rhapsody in wayne’s world. best movie song. ever.
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Man, was there anything John Hughes didn’t do right? His movies are such a classic part of my past I don’t think I can hardly narrow it down, but if I had to pick – it would be when Sam and Jake are sitting on the table around her birthday cake listening to If You Were Here. I had big plans to have my first kiss to that song.
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I loved She’s Having a Baby (and all other things Kevin Bacon). The song that stands out in that movie for me is the original version of Women’s Work by Kate Bush. The Maxwell remake of it was just featured on So You Think You Can Dance in the Tyde Diorio routine about breast cancer – fabulous!
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I adore the use of Bi Mir Bist Du Schoen at the end of Swing Kids. Such happy music accompanying horrific events.
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I have 2 favorites: Dirty Dancing and Top Gun! 🙂
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I love the opening music (and whole soundtrack) from Pulp Fiction. It just sets the scene for such a great flick.
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i absolutely LOVE the scene at the parade where ferris bueller is lip syncing danke schoen. john hughes was amazing. i’m trying to remember something musical from sixteen candles, but all that keeps popping up is when the geek is dancing with molly ringwald at the gym. that music! ha.
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I’m a bit young to be a true John Hughes fan, but thanks to older brothers, I experienced all his glory by proxy. Empire Records for my generation…then graduating on to Garden State and Dan in Real Life soundtracks.
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i love the soundtrack to ‘a knights tale’ and also Ghost…oh i do not have the time to list them all!
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Hands down favorite…Ducky in his crappy little room, feeling sorry for himself, with Morrissey singing “Please, please please, let me get what I want this time…” How many similar mooning moments did I have with the Smiths during that era?? Ah, youth!
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I like the song in the movie She’s Having a Baby: This woman’s work by Kate bush. It is during the scene when she is giving birth. It is a very touching moment in the film.
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