Back to the Future

 

The Power of Love is a song that I will never forget. Skateboards, guitars, thoughts of traveling back in time- all were things which majorly held my center of attention back in 1985.I had to have a skateboard, so I was awarded one after saving my paper route money for weeks and weeks. I had to have an electric guitar after seing my cousin Steve's electric guitar(a cherry red Ibanez), footswitches and Marshall amplifier to boot. The paper route saved me again! I got a black Gremlin guitar(a piece of garbage, but it was mine and it worked!). Traveling back in time? Well, I haven't figured that one out yet, but there was a movie that gave me some ideas.

In 1985 the mega hit, Back to the Future came out with Michael J. Fox as the scrawny but loveable Marty McFly. I saw this one weekend at the Marcus Theatre in Racine, WI one summer in 1985. My cousins, Joy and Steve were along, as well as my sister, Maureen and my brother Doug. We had a blast.

In the movie, Marty starts out with his high school rock and roll band auditioning for a talent show. The guys are absolutely murdering a song by none other than Mr. Huey Lewis and his band, the News. The song? The Power of Love, which the band starts with a massive and heavily distorted guitar introduction.

He barely gets started when he is told promptly by a judge, (who looks suspiciously familiar)that the band is "just too darn loud." Mr. Lewis is taking his song back, and all he had to do was dress up like a nerdy teacher/talent show judge.

The Power of Love plays in the movie as Marty skateboards through town, hanging onto cars, trucks, a bus(my favorite scene which my friend, Donny actually tried but he let go because he got scared of being run over). And it was as if my world was being played out on the big screen. Everything I wanted to ever do was done by Marty, and then Doc, who developed the most awesome time machine I have ever seen in a movie-a silver Delorean.

Huey Lewis and the News also have another song in the movie called Back in Time, which was maybe not as popular as The Power of Love, but it tells the story of going back in time to another era, something we all wish we could do, at least once in our lifetime.