‘Back to the Future’: The Story Behind The Classic Movie Soundtrack
Featuring iconic tunes by Huey Lewis & The News and much more, the soundtrack still thrills.
Released in the summer of 1985, Back to the Future was a blockbuster for the ages. The tale of a teen (Michael J. Fox) whose inventor friend (Christopher Lloyd) sends him 30 years into the past in a time-travelling DeLorean remains one of Hollywood’s perfect achievements: a fast-paced action-comedy pleasing crowds for more than 40 years. It’s spun off two sequels, comic books, a theme park ride and even a Broadway musical.
It’s no surprise that BTTF has a soundtrack fit to shatter the space-time continuum. The original LP was a 10-track musical companion to the onscreen thrills. ‘80s rarity hunters still dig Lindsey Buckingham’s nervy “Time Bomb Town” or the Phil Collins-produced light pop-reggae of Eric Clapton’s “Heaven is One Step Away.” Nothing quickens the pulse quite like the selections from the epic film score, which was nominated for a Grammy Award and established composer Alan Silvestri as an A-lister, scoring everything from Forrest Gump to The Avengers.
Listen to or buy the Back to the Future soundtrack now.
The album boasts performances from a pivotal scene where Marty McFly ensures his future parents fall in love at a school dance. As bandleader Marvin Berry, actor/singer Harry Waters Jr. delivers a smooth take on The Penguins’ “Earth Angel.” And who can forget that fiery take on “Johnny B. Goode,” where Marty accidentally “invents” the song three years before Chuck Berry?
Fox, an avid guitarist, only pretended to play the song in the film, with Mark Campbell of Jack Mack and The Heart Attack providing vocals and licks. But it was still his favorite scene to shoot. “I worked harder on [that] scene than any other portion of the movie,” he wrote in his 2025 memoir Future Boy. “Other than the hours I spent filming”—pulling double duty on both BTTF and his hit sitcom Family Ties—”most of my free time was dedicated to jamming.”
But Back to the Future’s enduring contribution to music history is a pair of classics from Huey Lewis & The News. Fresh off the blockbuster Sports, director Robert Zemeckis approached Lewis, suggesting that a teen like Marty would count The News as his favorite band. But the frontman needed convincing.
“I went, ‘Wow, I’m flattered,’” he told Rolling Stone. “But I don’t know how to write for film, and I don’t fancy much writing a song called ‘Back to the Future.’” After being assured he could submit anything, the group cut the upbeat “The Power of Love,” heard near the start of the film, and the end-credits favorite “Back in Time.” (Lewis even cameoed in the film as a Battle of the Bands judge.)
“The Power of Love” topped the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks and earned the movie one of its four Oscar nominations. Four decades on, the Back to the Future soundtrack will take you back to when you first saw this classic film—no flux capacitor necessary.
