In Honor of "Footloose," 5 Great '80s Soundtracks

Flashdance (1983): She's just a steel-town girl on a Saturday night looking for the fight of her life. Is that so wrong? Rarely do you see a woman who's a welder by day and dancer by night, but back in the '80s you did in the film that made Jennifer Beals a star and became a pop-culture phenomenon. You know you cut the neck out of more than a few sweatshirts back then. "Flashdance" came out during the early years of MTV when they actually showed ... more 

Flashdance (1983): She's just a steel-town girl on a Saturday night looking for the fight of her life. Is that so wrong? Rarely do you see a woman who's a welder by day and dancer by night, but back in the '80s you did in the film that made Jennifer Beals a star and became a pop-culture phenomenon. You know you cut the neck out of more than a few sweatshirts back then. "Flashdance" came out during the early years of MTV when they actually showed videos, and the clip for "Maniac" was in heavy rotation that summer, featuring Beals' character leaping, spinning, stomping her feet. Director Adrian Lyne made self-aware, sleazy cheese but the music -- including the Oscar-winning theme song, sung once again by Cara -- made it palatable for a mainstream audience. less