Editorial Reviews

Footloose was one of those rare pop culture phenomena that was so ephemeral it wound up defining the time. That's not to say that it wasn't silly -- after all, it was a film about a boy fighting to dance, just to dance! -- but it did capture the feeling of mainstream pop in the throes of the Reagan revolution. Perhaps that's why the soundtrack hasn't aged particularly well -- it was so emblematic of the era that it's forever tied to it. For an album that generated an astonishing number of hit singles (six, to be precise), it sure didn't produce any all-time pop classics. As a matter of fact, three of the four bonus tracks on this expanded 15th anniversary edition -- namely John Mellencamp's "Hurts So Good," Foreigner's "Waiting for a Girl Like You," Quiet Riot's "Bang Your Head (Metal Health)" -- have proven to be longer-lasting pop confections than most of the Footloose soundtrack. Nevertheless, there is considerable charm in the best of these pop artifacts: Kenny Loggins' goofy title track and hard-rocking "I'm Free (Heaven Helps the Man)"; Deniece Williams' sweet, synthesized "Let's Hear It for the Boy"; Bonnie Tyler's rampaging, Jim Steinman-directed "Holding Out for a Hero"; Karla Bonoff's soft rock classic "Somebody's Eyes"; and Mike Reno and Ann Wilson's "Almost Paradise," perhaps the definitive power ballad. All of these are dated, but they instantly evoke the summer of 1984, which is reason enough for Gen-X nostalgists to pick this up. Be forewarned, however: the remastering isn't noticeable and the four bonus tracks (including a remix of "Dancing in the Sheets") aren't necessarily enough to make the anniversary edition worth picking up if you already have the original album. Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

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