How Dan Hartman, one of the best songwriters of the eighties, almost missed his biggest hit.

The Twelve Inch 113 : "I Can Dream About You" (Dan Hartman)

The Rise of '80s Soundtracks 

What do Ghostbusters, Footloose, and Top Gun have in common? They all feature unforgettable soundtrack hits that defined the '80s. In this era, no decade combined music and movies quite like the eighties, and the formula worked time and time again. This week's "Twelve Inch" story revolves around one such hit: "I Can Dream About You" by Dan Hartman, from the long-forgotten film Streets of Fire.

Last week we discussed Saturday Night Fever and the role it played in the succes & demise of disco. But there was another consequence. In the wake of Saturday Night Fever's success, film production companies went all-in on soundtracks during the '80s. A hit song or MTV-friendly music video could be a major promotional tool for a movie, and emerging artists could gain exposure by having their songs featured on a soundtrack. (Would the Simple Minds ever have been able to get to break the US without “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” ?) However, the relationship between songs…