Pick a Day

Music History Events: Movies

June 7, 1991 Spike Lee's film Jungle Fever debuts in theaters. It boasts a soundtrack written and produced by Stevie Wonder and features Queen Latifah's acting debut. The rapper plays a waitress who snubs the interracial couple played by Wesley Snipes and Annabella Sciorra.

June 16, 1990 The Swedish pop duo Roxette earn their third chart-topper when their breakup ballad "It Must Have Been Love" from the Pretty Woman soundtrack hits #1.

March 9, 1990 The first of the House Party movies is released in theaters. The film stars Kid 'n Play as teenagers throwing a party while their parents are away - ain't gonna hurt nobody, we're just dancing y'all.

January 19, 1990 Reba McEntire makes her acting debut fending off snake-like monsters in the horror flick Tremors, starring Kevin Bacon.

December 1, 1989 Christmas Vacation, starring Chevy Chase, hits theaters in the US, with a theme song written by the powerhouse songwriting duo Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, and sung by Mavis Staples.

November 22, 1989 In Back to the Future Part II, Marty McFly spies on his future self, who is foolishly led into a shady business deal by his co-worker Douglas J. Needles, played by Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

July 21, 1989 The Spike Lee joint Do The Right Thing opens in theaters, introducing the Public Enemy anthem "Fight The Power," which opens the film and plays on Radio Raheem's boombox whenever he shows up.

April 14, 1989 Cameron Crowe's teen drama Say Anything…, starring John Cusack and Ione Skye, opens in theaters. The movie is famous for an iconic scene featuring Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes."More

December 22, 1988 During an interview, Phil Collins jokes about wanting to make a film version of "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" with Danny DeVito and Bob Hoskins. DeVito later reads the interview and contacts Phil about actually making the movie. Hoskins also signs on (as well as Kim Basinger as Goldilocks) but the film is never made.

November 4, 1988 The U2 documentary Rattle And Hum opens worldwide.

September 16, 1988 Phil Collins lands his first leading role in a film, playing real-life criminal Buster Edwards in the box-office bomb Buster. Musically, the movie isn't a bust, with two #1 hits on the soundtrack: "A Groovy Kind Of Love" and "Two Hearts."

August 6, 1988 Thanks to its inclusion on the Dirty Dancing soundtrack, the Contours' 1962 hit "Do You Love Me" makes another chart run, peaking at #11.

June 3, 1988 Tom Hanks and Robert Loggia play a memorable duet of "Heart and Soul" and "Chopsticks" on a foot-operated electronic keyboard in the fantasy comedy Big.

November 8, 1987 Generating footage for their Rattle and Hum documentary, U2 play a free "Save the Yuppie" concert at Justin Herman Plaza in San Francisco. An arrest warrant is issued for Bono after he spray paints "Rock n Roll Stops Traffic" on a fountain sculpture.

August 21, 1987 The film Dirty Dancing is released. In November, the soundtrack goes to #1 in America, where it sells over 11 million copies.

August 14, 1987 Rap trio the Fat Boys star in the movie Disorderlies, where they play caretakers hired for their incompetence.

October 10, 1986 The film True Stories, directed by and starring David Byrne, is released in theaters. The soundtrack serves as Talking Heads' seventh album.

July 2, 1986 The second Prince movie, Under the Cherry Moon, hits theaters. Unlike the first, Purple Rain, Prince directs it himself.More

February 28, 1986 The movie Pretty In Pink, based on the Psychedelic Furs song but with a very distorted interpretation of the lyric, is released in theaters.More

October 1, 1985 The low-budget independent film A Certain Sacrifice, starring Madonna, is released on home video to capitalize on the pop star's fame. It was filmed five years earlier but was never released in theaters.

July 19, 1985 The Legend of Billie Jean, starring Helen Slater and Christian Slater as teens who become accidental outlaws, debuts in theaters, boasting the hit theme song "Invincible" by Pat Benatar. The teen flick receives mixed reviews but goes on to become a cult classic, despite Benatar calling it "one of the worst movies ever made."More

June 7, 1985 The movie Perfect debuts in theaters, starring John Travolta as a Rolling Stone reporter who falls for aerobics instructor Jamie Lee Curtis. While the drama is a dud with critics, it portrays Rolling Stone as more than a music magazine – which is exactly what its editor-in-chief Jann Wenner hoped. More

July 20, 1984 The NeverEnding Story debuts in US theaters, featuring a theme song by former Kajagoogoo lead singer Limahl.

June 8, 1984 The movie Beat Street opens in theaters. One of the first films with a hip-hop backdrop, it features appearances by Doug E. Fresh, Melle Mel and Afrika Bambaataa & Soul Sonic Force.

June 7, 1984 The film Ghostbusters is released. Its theme song bears similarities to Huey Lewis' "I Want a New Drug." Ghostbusters theme writer Ray Parker, Jr. and Huey settle out of court.

December 16, 1983 Hoping to jumpstart her flagging acting career after the box-office bomb Xanadu, Olivia Newton-John reunites with Grease co-star John Travolta in the fantasy film Two of a Kind. It flops, but yields the Top 10 hit "Twist Of Fate."

July 30, 1982 The Ron Howard comedy Night Shift, starring Henry Winkler and Michael Keaton, debuts in theaters. The soundtrack features the song "That's What Friends Are For," performed by Rod Stewart. Written by Burt Bacharach and Carole Bayer Sager, it becomes a huge hit four years later when Dionne Warwick, Elton John, Gladys Knight, and Stevie Wonder (aka Dionne & Friends) cover it for AIDS awareness, winning Grammys for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and Song of the Year.

July 23, 1982 Dolly Parton stars as a brothel owner in the musical film The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, alongside Burt Reynolds. She earns a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.

February 20, 1982 Death Wish II is released in the USA with a soundtrack by Jimmy Page.

July 17, 1981 Universal Pictures releases the romantic drama Endless Love, starring Brooke Shields. The film is quickly forgotten, but the theme song, a duet by Lionel Richie and Diana Ross, spends nine weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earns Richie an Academy Award nomination for Best Song.