The Lost Boys was more than a film, it was a rite of passage for the disaffected youth of the 80s who knew, deep down, that not fitting in was way cooler than being ‘cool’. The teen vampire flick was a call to arms, packed full of blood-sucking, goth-rocking swagger and saxophone solos. The film’s timeless soundtrack was headed by homegrown heroes ">INXS and Jimmy Barnes joining forces for a rocking cover of The Easybeats' “Good Times”, placing Aussie rock square on the brooding SoCal map, and proving we could get down and dark with the best of them. 

Celebrating three decades and counting since The Lost Boys soundtrack was released, here are highlights from the album that defined a generation of sinister, spooky and strange with all the punk-rock attitude the teens and tweens of 1987 could dream of!

1. “Good Times” | INXS & Jimmy Barnes

This is what true rock and roll sounds like! The Frog brothers may have been goofy, but they were also a captivating kind of insane, and the electric energy of this Aussie rock trifecta makes for the perfect accompaniment to the Santa Carla scene, funny and chilling all at once. The song accompanies the famous, “Death by stereo” moment, which is possibly one of the best one-liners in all film history! The combination is simply perfect. 

2. “Power Play” | Eddie & The Tide

Founded by Steve "Eddie" Rice in 1983, Eddie & The Tide were a relatively well-established band by the time they turned up on The Lost Boys soundtrack. For lead actor, Jason Patric – who played Michael – The Lost Boys was only his second studio film, making "Power Play," the perfect theme song for someone trying to hold his own while starring alongside seasoned pros like Kiefer Sutherland, Dianne West, Corey Haim and Corey Feldman.

3. “I Still Believe” | Tim Capello

If there's one non-vampire moment that everyone remembers from The Lost Boys, it's the shot of a sweaty Tim Cappello thrusting his crotch, whipping his hair back and forth, and brandishing his saxophone like a weapon while performing The Call’s "I Still Believe." It doesn’t get more 80s than that! 

4. “People Are Strange” | Echo & The Bunnymen

Echo & the Bunnymen are a band rich in street cred, and this cover of the Doors classic “People Are Strange,” helmed by Doors keyboardist, Ray Manzarek himself only further seals the deal. It was the first time Manzarek worked with Ian McCulloch and co., but it wasn't the last. In addition to contributing keyboards to "Bedbugs and Ballyhoo" on the Bunnymen's self-titled album in 1987, he also jumped on stage for one the bands’ concerts in Los Angeles to perform the two songs along with a cover of The Doors' "Soul Kitchen."

5. “Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me” | Roger Daltrey

Roger Daltrey and Elton John go way back, the two even engaged in an epic onscreen pinball battle in Tommy, so it's no surprise that Daltrey jumped at the idea of covering this thematically appropriate track. Producer Beau Hill was working with a stack of metal artists at the time, including Alice Cooper, Ratt, and Twisted Sister and by all means, seems to have filtered some of that bombastic energy into Daltrey's very fitting version of "Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me." 

6. “Cry Little Sister” | Gerard McMann

Gerald McMann – who now goes by the moniker of G Tom Mac – somehow managed to compose The Lost Boys iconic and perfectly fitting theme song without even seeing a single frame from the film. Working from a copy of the screenplay alone, Mac connected with the story and channelled events from his own life to compose the track in record time, stating in a 2013 interview: "The song was brewing in my head with the choir as a chorus backing me. That all seemed to come within half an hour. Mike Maineri had this hypnotic beat, we refined it together, and my melody and chords melted right into it. Then I wrote the lyrics within an hour or two, recorded the demo, sent it to Joel [Schumacher], two days later got a call from him, ecstatic by the song and saying, "You nailed my theme song to The Lost Boys! I can't believe you wrote this without seeing a frame of film”

There really is nothing better than a healthy dose of ’80s nostalgia! Listen to The Lost Boys Soundtrack on Spotify: 

Listen to The Lost Boys Soundtrack on Apple Music: