The much-buzzed about (and brilliantly WYSIWYG-named) Hot Tub Time Machine opens today, a comedic romp starring John Cusack and the titular Jacuzzi that turns the clock back to 1986, fueled by some weird science.
Hopefully, it’s as ridiculously awesome as it sounds, but the soundtrack is ridiculously good. Of course, if you were at all cogent during the Day-Glo Decade, you probably have these songs, albeit on vinyl or cassette.
“Louder Than A Bomb (Back Into Time)” – Public Enemy
“Perfect Way” – Scritti Politti
“The Safety Dance” – Men Without Hats
“What You Need” – INXS
“Modern Love” – David Bowie
“I Will Dare” – The Replacements
“Push It” – Salt-N-Pepa
“Bring On The Dancing Horses” – Echo & The Bunnymen
“Save It For Later” – The English Beat
“True” – Spandau Ballet
“Bizarre Love Triangle” – New Order
“Once In A Lifetime” – Talking Heads
“Home Sweet Home” – Mötley Crüe
The soundtrack to Hot Tub Time Machine also features a pair of karaoke-style tracks from co-star Craig Robinson (“Jessie’s Girl” and “Let’s Get It Started’). Frivolity aside, I’ve got two minor-ish quibbles with the tracklisting since the film mostly takes place in 1986: Salt-N-Pepa’s “Push It” was released in 1987, and the Public Enemy track the year after that.
As noted above, joining the rewind for Hot Tub Time Machine is Scritti Politti’s “Perfect Way.” One of my favorites from the days of the 45, it’s really fantastic to see the song selected for the film. The music supervisor is genius, really, because I think most would have overlooked it and gone all-out obvious (you know, like “The Safety Dance,” though I won’t deny my utter adoration for its echo-y spelling chant).
“Perfect Way” peaked at #11 on December 21, 1985, one notch shy of the top ten. It was Scritti Politti’s sole U.S. Top 40 chart entry, but today the crystalline “Perfect Way” sounds just as spot-on gorgeous as it did 25 years ago. Hear here:
Did you know that Miles Davis covered Scritti Politti’s “Perfect Way” for his 1986 album, Tutu? I did not, but Davis played the tune in concert several times too, likely making the girls (and guys) go crazy.
Purchase Scritti Politti – “Perfect Way” via iTunes, Amazon MP3.
