James Ingram "How Do You Keep the Music Playing?"

"How Do You Keep the Music Playing?" came from the soundtrack to Best Friends -- a Burt Reynolds and Goldie Hawn rom-com from 1982. The film also co-starred Audra Lindley fresh off her four-year run as Mrs. Roper on Three's Company and later The Ropers.

Hootie & the Blowfish "I Go Blind"

Some popular '90s phenomenons that I somehow avoided:

• AOL Chat Rooms
• Overalls and flannel shirts
• Melrose Place, Seinfeld & Friends
• Hootie & the Blowfish, Nirvana & the Grunge movement

I hopped on the Seinfeld wagon in the 2000s but never really embraced anything else on this list especially Friends. Someone once described the show as a bunch of wimpy dudes who managed to date hot girls in an over-sized New York apartment. No arguments here. 

Jan Hammer "Theme from Miami Vice"

Two instrumentals charted during mid-1986: "Axel F" from Harold Faltermeyer from the Beverly Hills Cop Soundtrack as well as Jan Hammer's "Theme from Miami Vice". Although Miami Vice premiered in 1985, the single didn't get released to radio stations for another year. The synthesizer-heavy tune took the #1 spot on the Hot 100 and remained the last instrumental to capture that feat until 2013 when "Harlem Shake" matched it.

Jimmy Cliff "Hakuna Matata"

The original Lion King Soundtrack featured more than just hits from Elton John. The 1994 animated film also gave radio stations the single "Hakuna Matata" from Jimmy Cliff and Lebo M. Meaning "no worries" in Swahili, the song only managed to hit #25 on the Adult Contemporary Chart nearly a year after the movie premiered in theaters.

Jessica Simpson "Take My Breath Away"

You've finally seen it. Last week, the movie trailer for Top Gun: Maverick debuted even though the movie isn't scheduled to hit theaters until 2020. While the trailor featured some of the familiar faces and sounds as the original, it did not contain Kenny Loggins' "Highway to the Danger Zone" or Berlin's "Take My Breath Away" -- both songs were prominent in the original 1986 film. Did you forget Jessica Simpson also covered the ballad? She did so as an ode to her then-husband Nick Lachey in 2004.

Jennifer Lopez "Alive"

A few months before Celine Dion tore up the Adult Contemporary Charts with "I'm Alive" we found Jennifer Lopez and her ballad "Alive". Just like Dion's "I'm Alive", J-Lo's tune also appeared on a movie soundtrack: Stuart Little 2 for Celine while J-Lo's "Alive" appeared on the soundtrack to Enough. Though not as big of a bomb as her next film, Gigli, Enough also crashed at the box office and the stresses of juggling her busy singing and acting career eventually caused J-Lo to suffer a nervous breakdown.

Temptations "My Girl"

When you think of a mad-as-hell-and-not-gonna-take-it-anymore George Banks having a meltdown in the hotdog bun aisle at the grocery store, you immediately think of the 1991 movie Father of the Bride. Upon first watching this heartwarming movie in 1992, I was 15 years old and immediately connected with the character of George Banks: he loves his family, doesn't like letting go or major life changes, and holds in his anger until it inevitably explodes over something silly (like hotdog buns). Plus, the beloved Steve Martin stars as George Banks in the remake of the 1950 classic. What 15 year-old boy can watch a movie like Father of the Bride and immediately connect with a middle-aged character who's struggling to let go of his first-born daughter? Me, that's who.

When you meet someone with a shared love of family, baseball, radio, and the movie Father of the Bride, you're pretty lucky. When that same person also happens to have a heart of gold, laughs at all your stupid jokes and impressions and stares at you in a way no others have, you're pretty damn lucky. Add in stunning good looks and you feel like Brian McKenzie upon meeting Annie Banks.

This weekend, I'm celebrating Stephani's birthday by flying her favorite airline into her beloved Sky Harbor Airport followed by a tour of her former Phoenix haunts: Oreganos, Fossil Creek, and her old stomping grounds of ASU (where they apparently wore bathing suits to class). Throw in a visit to Comerica Theater to see the messiah himself (Rob Thomas), and you have yourself one heck of a birthday weekend. If we're lucky, maybe we'll even watch Father of the Bride on the plane...

Happy birthday, Stephani!
xo 

Los Lobos "La Bamba"

Turn back the clock to June 20, 1987 and you'll hear "La Bamba" playing all over the radio. Not long after, the song went to #1 on the Hot 100 (#4 on the Adult Contemporary Chart). No, it wasn't the Richie Valens version, but rather a remake from Los Lobos. Released 32 years ago today, the song with all-Spanish lyrics coincided with the release of the movie La Bamba -- a box office hit from the summer of 1987.

Celine Dion "I'm Alive"

Celine Dion recorded "I'm Alive" for the Stuart Little 2 Soundtrack and the uplifting tune went on to become one Celine's signature songs when she performs in Vegas.

Ton Loc "Wild Thing"

I worked alongside Chicago radio personality Bill Leff who, before his radio career, once starred movies. Leff was one of the Cleveland Indians fans featured throughout the 1989 classic Major League. With his quick wit, spot-on impersonations and huge heart, Leff remains one of most favorite Chicago radio personalities. Today, he comprises half of the "Bill & Wendy Show" on WGN radio.

This year marked the 30th anniversary of Major League. It's streaming on Amazon Prime at the moment and you might notice one of the fictional baseball players in the movie used Leff's name ("Billy Leff"). Keen observers will notice the centerfield scoreboard contains an advertisement for WTMJ--which are call letters for a Milwaukee TV and radio station. Even though the movie was based in Cleveland, it was actually filmed at Old County Stadium in Milwaukee. Scheduling conflicts with the Indians and Browns caused producers to head north to film. While Major League came out around the same time as Ton Loc's "Wild Thing", the movie used a different version of the song.

When in Rome "The Promise"

You know "The Promise" from When in Rome. The band or song name might not ring a bell, but when you hear it...you'll immediately think of tetherball. Specifically, the closing scene from Napoleon Dynamite that featured the Brit-pop tune while Napoleon and Deb shared a game of tetherball. The phrase "When in Rome" would later become one of Ron Burgundy's catchphrases in Anchorman.

Rod Stewart "Faith of the Heart"

The fear of walking in on one of your friends doing something embarrassing is real. I had four male roommates in college. Stuff that happens behind closed doors could accidentally be seen. One time, I walked into my friend Matt's house. He and I were seniors in college and back home that summer living with our parents. We were about to embark on a three-day road trip to visit some other friends who didn't come home for the summer. For some reason, we named our trip "The Cut-It-Out Tour". Anyway, I walked into Matt's house and his mom tells me he's downstairs in their basement. Matt was always downstairs. He had a pool table, a pull-out sofa, comfy La-Z-Boy chairs, and cable TV. This is why Matt was always in the basement. Matt was supposed to be all packed, dressed and ready to go when I arrived, so I truly was not happy to be walking down into his basement. I notice him sprawled out on the floor watching a movie. Not just any movie, Patch Adams. Yes, the Robin Williams movie from 1998. To make matters worse, Matt is bawling. He sees me and tries to laugh it off by telling me that everyone was wearing a red nose (whatever the hell that means). My eyes are wide as I say, "We're supposed to be on the road and you're down here in your boxers watching Patch Adams and crying?!?" He laughs again. For twenty years and counting, I have and continue to use this story against Matt.

Sheena Easton "For Your Eyes Only"

The theme song to the James Bond flick "For Your Eyes Only" didn't originally belong to Sheena Easton. Bill Conti (who was behind the Rocky Theme) co-wrote the song with the idea of Dusty Springfield or Donna Summer singing the ballad -- but that never happened. Blondie recorded their own version of the song, but it was newcomer Sheena Easton whose version Conti eventually chose for the film.

Franke and the Knockouts "Sweetheart"

Franke and the Knockouts are responsible for the 1981 song "Sweetheart", but also for most of the radio hits from the Dirty Dancing Soundtrack. Lead singer Franke Previte (who sounds like he could be the lead singer of Toto) co-wrote both "Hungry Eyes" and "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" which later became hits for Eric Carmen and Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes, respectfully.

Karla Bonoff "Standing Right Next to Me"

The generation that grew up during the 1990s lost one of their former teenage heartthrobs last month: Luke Perry. While he's best known as Dylan McKay in Beverly Hills, 90210, Perry exited the teenage soap after five seasons to take on more grown-up roles in films (Perry returned to 90210 for the show's final two seasons). The year before leaving 90210, Perry starred as rodeo legend Lane Frost in the film 8 Seconds. While not a hit at the box office, the film's soundtrack gave us the Adult Contemporary hit "Standing Right Next to Me" from singer/songwriter Karla Bonoff.

Elton John "Sad Songs (Say So Much)"

Asked by Barbara Walters to use his music to sum up the various stages of his life, Elton John sat at his piano, thought a moment and then played "Rocket Man" to represent the 1970s. He joked that the line "I'll be high as a kite by then" was the pitiful truth. Elton chose "Sad Songs" to represented the 1980s and then paused before smiling as he played "The One" to represent his present life in the 1990s. For the first time in years, Elton was clean, found love and was about to become super-rich thanks to his music in Disney's The Lion King. That interview with Walters aired in 1994 and so much has changed in 25 years. As he continues his farewell tour, Elton promises to tell-all in his upcoming autobiography. What haven't we heard? I suppose we'll have to stay tuned...

Goo Goo Dolls "Iris"

The most-played song from 1998 came from an Alternative-Rock band with a goofy name. The Goo Goo Dolls released "Iris" for the City of Angels Soundtrack, but later included it in their Dizzy Up the Girl album. The song found homes on Alternative, Rock, Top 40, and Adult Contemporary radio stations which propelled it to the top spot on all of those formats. While not a well-received movie, the City of Angels Soundtrack also featured radio hits from Alanis Morissette and Sarah McLachlan.

Bryan Adams & Barbara Streisand "I Finally Found Someone"

Largely absent on Adult Contemporary radio during in the '90s, Barbara Streisand elbowed her way back thanks to her duet with Bryan Adams. The pair teamed up for the sleepy ballad "I Finally Found Someone" on The Mirror Has Two Faces Soundtrack. While not exactly a toe-tapper, the tune hit #2 on the Adult Contemporary Charts and #8 on the Hot 100 Chart.

Whitney Houston "I Will Always Love You"

Whitney Houston never planned to cover Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You" for The Bodyguard Soundtrack. Instead, she planned to sing "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted", but reversed course when she heard Paul Young was doing a version for Fried Green Tomatoes. Since Houston had complete creative control over which songs made the movie, she resumed her hunt for a different song. Credit her co-star Kevin Costner for suggesting she choose "I Will Always Love You". The song went on to become one of the biggest hits of 1992 and 1993 -- spending an astounding 14 weeks atop the Hot 100 Chart. I still remember hearing the song at every school dance and on nearly every contemporary radio station in Chicago. The Bodyguard Soundtrack went on to be the best-selling soundtrack of all-time and, when Whitney died, Dolly Parton quoted lyrics from the ballad in praise of Whitney: "I will always be grateful and in awe of the wonderful performance she did on my song and I can truly say from the bottom of my heart, 'Whitney, I will always love you. You will be missed.'" 

Shanice "Saving Forever for You"

How do you envision the third re-boot of Beverly Hills, 90210? It's said to feature the majority of the original cast in an unconventional take on a re-boot. Guess we'll just have to speculate and wonder whether the Peach Pit has a gluten-free menu. The original show helped introduce artists and music to the show's fans -- so much so that the show released Beverly Hills, 90210 The Album which included hits like "Love Is" from Vanessa Williams & Brian McKnight and "Saving Forever for You" from Shanice.