This Day In Music: August 22, 1990

PUMP UP THE VOLUME

Pump Up the Volume arrived at the perfect time for me. I was already obsessed with Christian Slater by the time the movie came out on this day in music on August 22, 1990, but his portrayal of Mark Hunter totally solidified it. By day, Mark was an introverted high school student; by night, he became the anonymous pirate-radio host Hard Harry.

As someone who loved my local underground radio station, shout out to Piper High, I was completely drawn into this movie. It captured that feeling of radio as a secret world: a place to find music no one else was listening to, hear voices that understood you, and feel a little less alone.

It also introduced me to one of my favorite bands of all time: Concrete Blonde. Their hauntingly beautiful cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Everybody Knows” became one of my favorite songs, and it remains inseparable from the late-night, rebellious energy of Pump Up the Volume for me.

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. If you buy through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

SOUNDTRACK NOTES

• Concrete Blonde — “Everybody Knows”
  Leonard Cohen’s song, made darker and more haunting through Concrete Blonde’s unforgettable cover.
• Pixies — “Wave of Mutilation”
  Exactly the kind of off-kilter, electric energy that makes the movie feel like a transmission from another frequency.
• Peter Murphy — “I’ve Got a Miniature Secret Camera”
  A beautifully strange, dance track that deepens the film’s late-night alternative-radio atmosphere.

Thirty-six years later, the movie still feels like a reminder to find your voice, turn up the music, and, when necessary, talk hard.