From the Archives: The Rave Ups
Positively Lost me
Good Morning!
Today we’re resurfacing a post from last year, and listening to “Positively Lost Me” by The Rave Ups
John Hughes' films hold a special place in your heart if you're a certain age. They are almost their own genre. The characters are iconic. The plots are relatable. The dialogue occasionally questionable when viewed through a modern lens.
We loved Ferris. We empathized with Claire. We rooted for Duckie.
But Hughes's films are more than just the movies themselves. Perhaps more than any other filmmaker at the time, his soundtracks were like nothing else. Hughes was a Boomer and always included a little 50-60s rock or soul in the mix. But his tastes skewed more toward British & new wave.
In many ways, these films served as music discovery vehicles. Hughes wasn't just a director; he was your older brother bringing cool music home from the dorms. The tracks he picked added texture and context to what was happening on screen and permanently attached them to specific moments.
Don't believe me? Try playing Simple Minds' "Don't You Forget About Me" without imagining Bender punching the air.
Like "Don't You Forget About Me’ in The Breakfast Club, OMD's "If You Leave" became a smash— forever attached to the ending scene in Pretty In Pink.
Both movies-and both of these scenes are timeless.
But another band plays before Andie chooses between Duckie and Blaine at the prom. And not at the dance, but at the CATS club. When Andie brings Blaine in, The Rave-Ups are on stage.
The song they're playing? "Positively Lost Me."
The track was left off the movie's official soundtrack, and the band's "Town and Country" record was out of print for years before being resurrected by iTunes. It was finally re-released on CD in 2016. Today, it sounds as good as ever.
Hughes, of course, is no longer with us. Nor is the theater where I used to see most of these films. Gone, too, is the Tower Records that was just down the street, where I did most of my music shopping. But the films are still around. And so is the music.
As for the band? After 30+ years, they put out a record earlier this year.
1985. 2022. Timeless.
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I must have studied those scenes about 100 times before it dawned on me that Molly has a band name written on her notebook in Sixteen Candles — and so I wondered if it was the same band. Once I was old enough to escape from the ’burbs via a friend’s car or a ride from someone who could drive, I hit up the Tower Records in Seattle to see if they had any Rave-Ups CDs. Sadly, the “Rave-Ups” card slot was always blank, and it never occurred to me to ask if I could order a disc (I mean, except for the Columbia Record Club, which I obviously belonged to).
Read more about one fan’s quest to find Town & Country here.
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Listen:
“Positively Lost Me” by The Rave-Ups | Town & Country, 1985
Click the record to listen on your platform of choice.
As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this track!
Thanks for being here,
Kevin—
Haven’t played this one in a long time. It sort of reminds me of The Call and maybe Translator. Not sure I ever listened to an entire album by them.
This one has been on my playlists forever! If I’m remembering correctly, they were one of Molly Ringwald’s favorite bands, and she was behind having this song in Pretty In Pink.