Way Back 2026

September 3, 2026 - One Horror, One Sci-Fi and a Biographical Movie Serve Up Several Classic Soul, Rock and Pop Hits

Three current theatrical films offer up a fair share of vintage tracks, starting with Buddy, a creepy children's horror-comedy featuring already-well-exposed '60s smashes "For Once in My Life" by Stevie Wonder, "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" by Frankie Valli and "Godfather" James Brown's dance-obsession-disclosure, "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag." The Dog Stars deals with apocalypse survivors in Colorado, and a dog, and at least two songs spanning more than a decade: "Memories Are Made of This," Dean Martin's chart topper from 1955, and "Tupelo Honey" by former Them lead Van Morrison.

Tony, a biopic covering the life of celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain, has a healthy dose of '70s rock, punk and soul selections throughout, while throwing in a few earlier songs in the rock genre. "Flying" by Faces (singer Rod Stewart and guitarist Ron Wood were in the band) was recorded in the fall of 1969 and originally released as Small Faces (the group's previous name) before they shortened it. "Down on the Street," an early track by punk innovators The Stooges and spotlight-hogging lead singer Iggy Pop, is heard, in addition to "The Brain," a 1968 recording by London band The Action that went unreleased for decades but is now gaining favor. Patti Page tops off the Tony soundtrack with her 1957 hit "Old Cape Cod," completely contrasting everything else heard in the film.


August 2, 2026 - Paul, Art, Jackie, Booker and Dick Dale Play, Plus There's a '60s Bonus: Spider-Man!

Simon and Garfunkel's 1966 hit "Homeward Bound" has surfaced on an Allstate TV commercial, a rarity for the duo. Also streaming via home screen ad breaks: the Farmer's Dog is featuring "What the World Needs Now is Love," Jackie DeShannon's point-of-view in '65 that there was '...just too little of' it. Meanwhile, Zepbound suggests exercising to the sound of "Green Onions" by Booker T. and the MG's, while a joint effort by Uber Eats and Taco Bell is acompanied by the driving guitar of Dick Dale on the often-cranked-to-eleven instrumental "Miserlou."

In theaters, instant blockbuster Spider-Man: Brand New Day gives viewers a moment with the original 1967 cartoon theme ('Spider-Man...does whatever a spider can!') composed by J. Robert ("Lolita Ya-Ya") Harris and Paul Francis Webster (a three-time Oscar winner who didn't usually do TV themes). But when Marvel Comics' head man Stan Lee calls in a favor, who can refuse?



What the World Needs Now is Love Green Onions

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