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8 Pop Queens of the 80s in 8 Modern Movies

A collection of tracks from some of the best pop artists of the 1980s.

By Brenden Cordonero Last updated

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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)

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Joey King

Joey King

Selena Gomez

Selena Gomez

John Corbett

John Corbett

Bridget Moynahan

Bridget Moynahan

Ginnifer Goodwin

Ginnifer Goodwin

Josh Duhamel

Josh Duhamel

Sandra Oh

Sandra Oh

Hutch Dano

Hutch Dano

Sierra McCormick

Sierra McCormick

Jason Spevack

Jason Spevack

Kathryn Zenna

Kathryn Zenna

Janet Wright

Janet Wright

Directed by Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum

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)

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Mae Whitman

Mae Whitman

Robbie Amell

Robbie Amell

Bella Thorne

Bella Thorne

Skyler Samuels

Skyler Samuels

Bianca A. Santos

Bianca A. Santos

Romany Malco

Romany Malco

Ken Jeong

Ken Jeong

Chris Wylde

Chris Wylde

Allison Janney

Allison Janney

Seth Meriwether

Seth Meriwether

Rebecca Weil

Brian Dewar McNamara

Directed by Ari Sandel

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)

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Dakota Johnson

Dakota Johnson

Sydney Sweeney

Sydney Sweeney

Isabela Merced

Isabela Merced

Celeste O'Connor

Celeste O'Connor

Tahar Rahim

Tahar Rahim

Mike Epps

Mike Epps

Emma Roberts

Emma Roberts

Adam Scott

Adam Scott

Kerry Bishé

Kerry Bishé

Zosia Mamet

Zosia Mamet

José María Yázpik

José María Yázpik

Kathy-Ann Hart

Kathy-Ann Hart

Directed by S.J. Clarkson

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)

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Jennifer Garner

Jennifer Garner

Mark Ruffalo

Mark Ruffalo

Judy Greer

Judy Greer

Andy Serkis

Andy Serkis

Kathy Baker

Kathy Baker

Phil Reeves

Phil Reeves

Sam Ball

Sam Ball

Marcia DeBonis

Marcia DeBonis

Christa B. Allen

Christa B. Allen

Sean Marquette

Sean Marquette

Kiersten Warren

Kiersten Warren

Joe Grifasi

Joe Grifasi

Directed by Gary Winick

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)

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Jake Gyllenhaal

Jake Gyllenhaal

Anne Hathaway

Anne Hathaway

Oliver Platt

Oliver Platt

Hank Azaria

Hank Azaria

Josh Gad

Josh Gad

Gabriel Macht

Gabriel Macht

Judy Greer

Judy Greer

Jill Clayburgh

Jill Clayburgh

George Segal

George Segal

Kate Jennings Grant

Kate Jennings Grant

Katheryn Winnick

Katheryn Winnick

Kimberly Scott

Kimberly Scott

Directed by Edward Zwick

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)

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James McAvoy

James McAvoy

Michael Fassbender

Michael Fassbender

Oscar Isaac

Oscar Isaac

Jennifer Lawrence

Jennifer Lawrence

Nicholas Hoult

Nicholas Hoult

Rose Byrne

Rose Byrne

Tye Sheridan

Tye Sheridan

Sophie Turner

Sophie Turner

Evan Peters

Evan Peters

Kodi Smit-McPhee

Kodi Smit-McPhee

Olivia Munn

Olivia Munn

Alexandra Shipp

Alexandra Shipp

Directed by Bryan Singer

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)

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Bailee Madison

Bailee Madison

Christina Hendricks

Christina Hendricks

Martin Henderson

Martin Henderson

Lewis Pullman

Lewis Pullman

Damian Maffei

Damian Maffei

Emma Bellomy

Emma Bellomy

Lea Enslin

Lea Enslin

Mary Louise Casanta

Ken Strunk

Ken Strunk

Rachel Kuhn

Leah Roberts

Leah Roberts

Preston Sadleir

Preston Sadleir

Directed by Johannes Roberts

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)

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Ryan Reynolds

Ryan Reynolds

Hugh Jackman

Hugh Jackman

Emma Corrin

Emma Corrin

Morena Baccarin

Morena Baccarin

Rob Delaney

Rob Delaney

Leslie Uggams

Leslie Uggams

Karan Soni

Karan Soni

Matthew Macfadyen

Matthew Macfadyen

Brianna Hildebrand

Brianna Hildebrand

Shioli Kutsuna

Shioli Kutsuna

Stefan Kapicic

Stefan Kapicic

Lewis Tan

Lewis Tan

Directed by Shawn Levy

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.

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