More Music Friday – The John Hughes Edition

When Trent got home last night the first words out of my mouth were “Did you hear…?” and he quickly cut me off with “Yes, I know, John Hughes died. Are you going to get all angsty now?”

It’s no secret that I’m a huge John Hughes fan. Maybe it’s because my sister is fourteen years older than I am, so at the age of five I thought I was an troubled teen like her. I remember watching The Breakfast Club over and over in high school and being amazed that hardly any of my friends knew what I was talking about. My only solice was my high school boyfriend, who, like me, spent most Friday nights watching Pretty in Pink or St. Elmo’s Fire (and sometimes Howard the Duck, but that’s a whole other story).

And as I’ve watched all today’s teen a-holes get famous, I couldn’t help but hope good ole’ Johnny would make another teen hit and show us again what real kids are like. Not packaged pop stars who send naked photos via text message, but normal, everyday kids with problems that are relatable. John Hughes was different. He wasn’t Hollywood, he wasn’t just another studio big wig. He really cared. About his fans, about his actors, about his family and friends. It showed in his work, and in the people who worked with him. (If you haven’t read this story yet, you should. Even if you’re not a Hughes fan, you’ll be touched.)

We should celebrate the happy, and since it’s More Music Friday and Mr. Hughes had so many iconic musical moments in his films, I figured I’d share some with you all. But then I looked around the web and all the great moments I wanted to share are either invisible online or have been copyrighted so they can’t be shared here. So instead I’ll leave you with Ferris, on a float, singing Twist and Shout and my favorite Brat Pack mashup of all time, by the wonderful band Phoenix. Feel the happy, people. RIP John Hughes, you are already very missed.