Much of the power of ‘Back to the Future’ rests in its score and songs

For a film comedy about time travel, music plays a surprisingly large role in “Back to the Future” (1985). Along with Alan Silvestri’s score, the movie features hits of the ’50s and original songs that became charttoppers in the ’80s. 

The film follows Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox), who goes back in time to secure the future. Before Marty takes off in a DeLorean time machine, the film introduces his band, the Pinheads. After Marty lands in the ’50s, he goes back to the music as he performs with the band the Starlighters. 

Of the film’s soundtrack, legendary director Steven Spielberg, whose Amblin Entertainment produced the film, has declared: “Alan’s score is the heartbeat of ’Back to the Future.’ His music is so powerful and emotional, it transcends the screen and becomes part of the audience’s experience of the film. It’s timeless.”

Ahead of the CSO at the Movies live-to-picture concerts June 26-28 of “Back to the Future,” conducted by David Newman, here are some facts about the film’s score, new songs and classic tunes. 

"It’s got to be big": “Back to the Future” director Robert Zemeckis had worked with Alan Silvestri on the score of “Romancing the Stone” (1984). Silvestri reports that the only direction Zemeckis gave him for “Back to the Future” was "it’s got to be big." To accomplish that, Silvestri composed an orchestral score to create a sound that contrasted with the film’s small-town setting and the time-changing events occurring there. In addition, Silvestri wrote a heroic theme designed to be recognizable in just a few notes.

Sealing the deal: However, Steven Spielberg wasn’t initially sure about Alan Silvestri’s writing the score. Based on Silvestri’s previous work, Spielberg doubted whether the composer could deliver the rousing score that the movie needed. Spielberg changed his mind when he heard the orchestra rehearsing Silvestri’s score. As the musicians were playing a dramatic passage, Spielberg told Zemeckis, “That’s brilliant! That’s what it needs to be!” Zemeckis said, “Yeah, it is. That’s the main theme that Alan sent us.”

Golden oldies: Heard in the background, as diegetic (source) music, are the songs “The Wallflower” (“Dance with Me, Henry”) by Etta James (written by Johnny Otis, Hank Ballard and James), “Earth Angel” originally by the doo-wop group the Penguins, “Mr. Sandman” by the Four Aces, “Pledging My Love” by Johnny Ace amd “Johnny B. Goode” by Chuck Berry. The ’80s-era tracks are “Heaven Is One Step Away” by Eric Clapton, “Time Bomb Town” by Lindsey Buckingham and “Out the Window” by Eddie Van Halen.

A soundtrack recruit: The filmmakers asked ’80s rocker Huey Lewis to write a theme song for “Back to the Future.” Lewis initially declined because he "didn’t know how to write film songs" and didn’t like the idea of writing a song titled “Back to the Future.” When Zemeckis told Lewis he could write anything he wanted, he relented. The result was “The Power of Love,” which became Huey Lewis and the News’ first No. 1 on the Billboard Top 100. Zemeckis liked it so much, he asked Lewis for another song for the film’s end credits, and Lewis delivered “Back in Time,” which became another hit.

In an interview with People magazine in 2015, Lewis admitted that "it’s actually quite easy to write for film. In a way, it’s easier, in that you don’t have to invest yourself in it. So that was a lot of fun, actually."

Nominations and wins: Along with its chart-topping history, “The Power of Love” was nominated for best song at the 1986 Academy Awards. However, it lost to “Say You, Say Me,” written and sung by Lionel Richie for “White Nights” (1984). “The Power of Love” was nominated in the same category at the Golden Globes the same year, and this time, it won.

“Back to the Future: The Musical”: The musical based on the film bowed at England’s Manchester Opera House in 2020 and moved to London’s West End in 2021. With music and lyrics by Alan Silvestri and Glen Ballard, and a book by Bob Gale, it went on win an Olivier Award for best new musical in 2022. Though it features several songs from the original film, it is not a jukebox musical. Most of the stage production’s music was composed and written specifically for the theater version. While “The Power of Love,” “Earth Angel,” “Johnny B. Goode,” and “Back in Time” return, they represent a minority of the show’s songs, with most being new tunes written by Silvestri and Ballard.