John Hughes

The touch, the feel of John Hughes—the soundtrack of the lives of everyone in the 1980's. Sixteen Candles doesn't have an original score. Instead, it has the biggest hits of the 1980s selected by John Hughes and woven into a memorable soundtrack.

Some of the songs are used for humorous effect, like the "Dragnet" theme playing to introduce the Geek on the bus—which is pretty funny—or "Turning Japanese" used in a scene with Long Duk Dong…which wouldn't be funny even if he were Japanese. Or is that the joke? We're not sure. (Once more: this movie is so racist.)

Other big names on the soundtrack include Oingo Boingo, Patti Smith, and David Bowie. The Thompson Twins "If You Were Here" plays over the ending segment when Jake is finally here. And when Spandau Ballet sings "True" at the school dance, "This is the sound of my soul," it's not just the sound of their soul, it's the sound of an entire generation.