Editorial Reviews

She's Having a Baby was the last in a series of 1980s coming-of-age movies written and usually directed by John Hughes, following Sixteen Candles (1984), The Breakfast Club (1985), Pretty in Pink (1986), Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986), and Some Kind of Wonderful (1987). In the earlier films, Hughes had focused on high school, but She's Having a Baby traced the lives of a young couple from marriage to the birth of their first child. It was a comedy-drama examining American middle-class mores in the '80s, and Stewart Copeland's score matched its tone, while such musical inclusions as the male lead character's labored attempt at procreation to the tune of Sam Cooke's "Chain Gang" added humorous elements. You won't hear any of that music on the original motion-picture soundtrack, however. Hughes had a track record for assembling successful soundtrack albums, notably getting gold-record certifications for The Breakfast Club (which featured the number one hit "[Don't You] Forget About Me") and Pretty in Pink. Although She's Having a Baby was set in Chicago, he put together a ten-track album of recordings by British acts, including a title song from ex-English Beat singer Dave Wakeling; new songs from XTC, Everything but the Girl, and Kate Bush that touched on the film's theme of family; tracks from recent albums by Love and Rockets and Gene Loves Jezebel; and inspired covers by Bryan Ferry and Kirsty MacColl. On the LP, the songs were broken up onto a "He" side, reflecting the male character's uncertainties and eventual capitulation, and a "She" side commenting on the female character's longing and impatience. The songs were some of the best by the performers, and the result was a classic soundtrack album, even if it was one that had only a tangential relationship to the film itself. William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide

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