The 1980s saw the meteoric rise of female pop icons that changed how we listen to and perceive music and artists. Over four decades later, much of their music continues to be played through film and television, giving future generations a chance to listen to these unforgettable tunes. Even now, these timeless classics continue to score movies, as heard in a recent film starring the “Merc with a mouth,” but we’ll get to that in a moment. Let’s get started and see how these pop queens make a scene.
The Bangles - Eternal Flame
Ramona and Beezus (2010)
Joey King
Selena Gomez
John Corbett
Bridget Moynahan
Ginnifer Goodwin
Josh Duhamel
Sandra Oh
Hutch Dano
Sierra McCormick
Jason Spevack
Kathryn Zenna
Janet Wright
Ramona and Beezus (2010), directed by Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum, stars Joey King and Selena Gomez, respectively, in this lighthearted family dramedy about the relationship of two very different sisters. In one scene, Ramona attempts to distract her Aunt Bea (Ginnifer Goodwin) and an old flame, Hobart (Josh Duhamel), from rekindling since Ramona and Aunt Bea are very close. Unfortunately for Ramona, Hobart finds an old cassette tape from their high school romance and begins to play it. What we hear is none other than one of the many hits from The Bangles, “Eternal Flame,” signifying that their love for each other never went away.
Check out the full Ramona and Beezus soundtrack here.
Joan Jett - Bad Reputation
The Duff (2010)
Mae Whitman
Robbie Amell
Bella Thorne
Skyler Samuels
Bianca A. Santos
Romany Malco
Ken Jeong
Chris Wylde
Allison Janney
Seth Meriwether
Rebecca Weil
Brian Dewar McNamara
The DUFF (2015), directed by Ari Sandel, is a hilarious, rowdy comedy about a teen girl, Bianca (Mae Whitman), overcoming the odds against a cutthroat bully, Madison (Bella Thorne). Her handsome childhood best friend Wesley (Robbie Amell) explains that D.U.F.F. means “Designated Ugly Fat Friend”: in other words, one friend out of a group is more approachable than the others because they are objectively ugly. Rightfully upset that her best friend would say that to her, she begins to care less about her image and leans into the label. “Bad Reputation” by Joan Jett appropriately plays as she leaves for school wearing only her pajamas.
Check out the full The DUFF soundtrack here.
Tiffany - I Think We’re Alone Now
Madame Web (2024)
Dakota Johnson
Sydney Sweeney
Isabela Merced
Celeste O'Connor
Tahar Rahim
Mike Epps
Emma Roberts
Adam Scott
Kerry Bishé
Zosia Mamet
José María Yázpik
Kathy-Ann Hart
S.J. Clarkson directed this mythical take on the Marvel Spider-Man universe, starring Dakota Johnson as the titular role in Madame Web (2024), a story that takes place before the birth of Spider-Man. Cassandra (Dakota Johnson) is born with the power of premonition. She uses it to find three teen girls (Sydney Sweeney, Isabela Merced, and Celeste O’Connor) who are in danger of the man who killed her mother. While all four women hide at a motel one morning, Cassandra must wake the girls up and get moving. Cassandra then begins to play “I Think We’re Alone Now” by Tiffany very loudly until one of them turns it off. At this point in the film, the characters are just starting to bond, showing that these girls aren’t alone any longer.
Another pop queen from a decade later also features in the movie, as Britney Spear's "Toxic" scores a scene where Cassandra frantically searches for her "spider sisters."
Check out the full Madame Web soundtrack here.
Whitney Houston - I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)
13 Going on 30 (2004)
Jennifer Garner
Mark Ruffalo
Judy Greer
Andy Serkis
Kathy Baker
Phil Reeves
Sam Ball
Marcia DeBonis
Christa B. Allen
Sean Marquette
Kiersten Warren
Joe Grifasi
Starring Jennifer Garner as the main character, Jenna, 13 Going on 30 (2004), directed by Gary Winick, is the oldest film on this list, but it’s as timeless as the music it used. When 13-year-old Jenna felt like an outcast, she wished to be 30. The following day, she wakes up as a successful woman with the life of her dreams, but as she tries to learn more about the 17 years she missed, her dream reality begins to crumble. During the scene when 30-year-old Jenna gets ready for a party as if she was still 13, the exciting and flawless track “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)” by Whitney Houston graces your ears, signifying her youth and playfulness as she is a tween in an adult’s body.
Check out the full 13 Going on 30 soundtrack here.
Belinda Carlisle - Heaven is a Place on Earth
Love & Other Drugs (2010)
Jake Gyllenhaal
Anne Hathaway
Oliver Platt
Hank Azaria
Josh Gad
Gabriel Macht
Judy Greer
Jill Clayburgh
George Segal
Kate Jennings Grant
Katheryn Winnick
Kimberly Scott
In Love & Other Drugs (2010), directed by Edward Zwick, Jamie (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a cunning Viagra salesman who falls in love with a sickly woman named Maggie (Anne Hathaway) after promising each other they would keep it casual. To sell Viagra, Jamie uses his charm and sneaky methods to take out the competition, which just so happens to be Maggie’s ex-boyfriend (Gabriel Macht), who is representing another pharmaceutical company. During a montage of sales pitches to different hospitals, “Heaven is a Place on Earth” by Belinda Carlisle hilariously plays as Jamie secures the interest of the nurses and doctors.
Check out the full Love & Other Drugs soundtrack here.
Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)
X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)
James McAvoy
Michael Fassbender
Oscar Isaac
Jennifer Lawrence
Nicholas Hoult
Rose Byrne
Tye Sheridan
Sophie Turner
Evan Peters
Kodi Smit-McPhee
Olivia Munn
Alexandra Shipp
James Mcavoy and Michael Fassbender reprise their roles as the conflicted mutant duo Professor Xavier and Magneto, respectively, in X-Men: Apocalypse (2016), with Oscar Isaac as the titular villain, Apocalypse. Directed by Bryan Singer, the film has one of modern film's most brilliant slow-mo sequences. When an explosion goes off in Xavier’s school for mutants, Peter Maximoff (Evan Peters) singlehandedly saves all the students with his superhuman speed, all while listening to “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” by the Eurythmics on his Walkman cassette player. Though Eurythmics is a coed duo, Annie Lenox’s vocal ability in this track is undeniably iconic and perfectly scores this ethereal, dream-like sequence.
Check out the full X-Men: Apocalypse soundtrack here.
Bonnie Tyler - Total Eclipse of the Heart
The Strangers: Prey at Night (2018)
Bailee Madison
Christina Hendricks
Martin Henderson
Lewis Pullman
Damian Maffei
Emma Bellomy
Lea Enslin
Mary Louise Casanta
Ken Strunk
Rachel Kuhn
Leah Roberts
Preston Sadleir
In The Strangers: Prey at Night (2018), a family gets viciously murdered one by one after taking a trip to a trailer park to visit family. After teen siblings Luke and Kinsey (Lewis Pullman and Bailee Madison) discover that their aunt and uncle have been murdered, it sets off a game of cat and mouse between the family and the cold-blooded murderers. When Luke is on the run looking for help, he finds himself in the pool area of a motel. The power mysteriously turns on, and a nearby speaker plays “Total Eclipse of the Heart” by Bonnie Tyler. It interestingly begins at the point in the song where Tyler sings, “Turn around bright eyes.” At the moment, one of the murderers runs up behind Luke, almost as if the song is warning him.
Check out the full The Strangers: Prey at Night soundtrack here.
Madonna - Like a Prayer
Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)
Ryan Reynolds
Hugh Jackman
Emma Corrin
Morena Baccarin
Rob Delaney
Leslie Uggams
Karan Soni
Matthew Macfadyen
Brianna Hildebrand
Shioli Kutsuna
Stefan Kapicic
Lewis Tan
We couldn’t make this list without discussing the instant Marvel classic directed by Shawn Levy, Deadpool & Wolverine (2024). This film is full of great music and even greater scenes with top-notch comedy and action sequences. Near the film's climax, Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) and Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) are up against a massive crowd of crazy, bloodthirsty Deadpool variants. The bloody, fast-paced fight scene perfectly accompanies Madonna’s smash hit “Like a Prayer.”
Check out the full Deadpool & Wolverine soundtrack here.