You know that feeling when a movie is just "okay," but the music makes you feel like you’ve lived an entire lifetime in two hours? That’s 1986 for you. Specifically, it’s the About Last Night movie soundtrack. If you grew up in the eighties, or even if you’re just a fan of that glossy, neon-soaked Chicago aesthetic, you probably remember Rob Lowe and Demi Moore looking impossibly cool. But honestly? The music did the heavy lifting. It wasn't just background noise. It was the emotional connective tissue for a movie trying to figure out if casual flings could actually turn into real adulthood.
The mid-80s were a weird time for film scores. Producers were moving away from traditional orchestral arrangements and leaning hard into "song-score" territory. They wanted hits. They wanted MTV play. And with this film, they got exactly that, but with a surprising amount of soul.
The Sheena Easton Connection and the Sound of '86
Let’s talk about "So Far, So Good." It’s the opening track. Sheena Easton was a massive star at the time, and this song basically screams 1986. It’s got those gated reverb drums that hit like a ton of bricks and that shimmering synth-pop sheen. If you close your eyes while listening to it, you can practically see the steam rising from a Chicago subway grate.
The About Last Night movie soundtrack succeeded because it didn't just grab random Top 40 hits. It curated a specific vibe. It’s moody. It’s energetic. It’s a little bit desperate. Most people forget that the legendary Nile Rodgers was involved in the production of some of these tracks. That’s why the basslines feel so intentional.
Why "The Best of Me" Still Hits Different
You can’t discuss this record without mentioning David Foster and Olivia Newton-John. "The Best of Me" is the quintessential power ballad of the era. It’s sugary, sure. It’s sentimental. But in the context of the movie—where Danny and Debbie are struggling with the transition from bar-hopping to domesticity—it works.
Foster is a polarizing figure in music history because he basically invented the "over-produced" sound of the eighties. But he’s a genius at melody. The song peaked on the Billboard Adult Contemporary charts for a reason. It captured that specific mid-twenties anxiety of giving someone your "best" and wondering if it’s going to be enough. It’s a theme that never really gets old, even if the synthesizers do.
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A Departure from the Brat Pack Norm
Usually, movies featuring members of the "Brat Pack" went for a very specific New Wave sound. Think The Breakfast Club or Pretty in Pink. Those soundtracks were alternative. They were for the weird kids.
About Last Night was different. It was for the "young professionals." The music reflected that. It was more polished, more soulful, and arguably more mainstream. It featured John Waite doing "If Anybody Had a Heart," which is a masterclass in blue-eyed soul. Waite has one of those voices that sounds like it’s been through a few breakups and a few packs of cigarettes, which fit the grit of the David Mamet-inspired dialogue perfectly.
Bob Seger and the Heartland Influence
One of the most surprising additions to the About Last Night movie soundtrack was Bob Seger’s "Living Inside My Heart." It’s a stripped-back, vulnerable moment for Seger. While he was usually known for stadium-rocking anthems, this track brought a much-needed groundedness to the film.
Chicago is a central character in the movie. You have the nightlife, the bars, the cold wind off the lake. Seger’s voice carries that Midwestern weight. It grounds the gloss. Without tracks like this, the soundtrack might have felt too much like a long-form music video. Instead, it feels like a collection of songs someone would actually have on a mixtape in their apartment.
The Weird Bits: Paul Davis and Jermaine Jackson
Not every track was a chart-topper, but the deep cuts are where the character is. Paul Davis—the "I Go Crazy" guy—showed up with "Words into Action." It’s a catchy bit of soft rock that feels very "working at an ad agency in 1986."
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Then you have Jermaine Jackson. His contribution, "Words into Action," is often overlooked, but it represents that bridge between R&B and pop that was happening at the time. The soundtrack is a weird melting pot. You have Scottish pop stars, Detroit rockers, and R&B royalty all thrown together. It shouldn't work. But it does.
The Production Quality: Looking at the Credits
If you look at the liner notes, the names are staggering. You have Peter Cetera contributing "Glory of Love"—though that’s technically more associated with The Karate Kid Part II, it’s often lumped into this era of Foster-produced dominance.
The real magic of the About Last Night movie soundtrack is in the engineering. It was recorded during the peak of the analog-to-digital transition. You can hear it in the crispness of the high-hats and the warmth of the vocals. It’s a "big" sounding record. It was designed to be played loud on a high-end home stereo system, the kind Danny would have spent too much money on in the movie.
Why It Holds Up Better Than the Movie
Let’s be honest. The movie has some issues. Some of the dialogue hasn't aged perfectly, and the pacing is a bit erratic. But the soundtrack? You can put that on today and it still feels like a cohesive statement.
It’s about a specific moment in time when pop music was trying to be "grown-up." Before the grunge explosion of the nineties and after the disco burnout of the seventies, there was this window where adult contemporary was actually cool. Or at least, it was well-made.
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Misconceptions About the Tracklist
A lot of people think the soundtrack includes every song heard in the bars during the film. It doesn't. Like many eighties releases, the official LP was limited by physical space. There are several background tracks and incidental pieces by JD Souther that didn't make the primary cut.
If you're looking for the full experience, you often have to hunt down the individual singles. But the core ten tracks on the official release are remarkably curated. There's no "filler." Every song serves a purpose.
- Identify the Vibe: If you're building a retro playlist, start with "So Far, So Good." It sets the tempo.
- The Ballad Balance: Don't skip the John Waite track. It's the most "authentic" feeling song on the record.
- Check the Credits: Look for the David Foster influence. It explains why the whole thing sounds so unified despite having different artists.
- Context Matters: Listen to it while walking through a city at night. That’s how it was meant to be heard.
The About Last Night movie soundtrack isn't just a relic. It’s a blueprint for how to use pop music to tell a story about people who are trying—and often failing—to grow up. It’s messy, it’s polished, and it’s undeniably eighties.
To truly appreciate the nuances of this era of music production, your next step should be exploring the discography of Nile Rodgers and David Foster from 1984 to 1987. Comparing their production techniques on this soundtrack versus their work on solo artist albums reveals exactly how film studios pressured producers to create a "cinematic" pop sound. Start by A/B testing Sheena Easton's work on this album against her earlier hits to hear the shift in synth-layering complexity.