Song of the Day 4/10: Huey Lewis and the News, “Back in Time”

In its third installment the “Back to the Future” film series sent Marty McFly back to the Old West. Arizona’s Supreme Court did the same thing to Arizona’s womenfolk yesterday.

You might recall that the original film, released in 1985, featured a couple of songs by Huey Lewis and the News, the Hootie and the Blowfish of their day. When the film’s producers approached Lewis about writing songs for the soundtrack, he said he had no idea how. They said they’d take anything, so he gave them “The Power of Love,” which has nothing to do with the movie, but then penned “Back in Time,” which uses lots of elements from the plot. “The Power of Love” was a Billboard No. 1 single. “Back in Time,” which ran during the closing credits, wasn’t released as a single but reached No. 3 on the airplay-based Modern Rock chart.

For those who don’t keep abreast of theater, “Back to the Future” is now a Broadway musical, after earning surprisingly good reviews in its run in London’s West End. The show’s music is by Alan Silvestri, who wrote the scores for the films, and hitmaker Glen Ballard, but it also includes the two songs by Lewis. As it did for the original film, “Back in Time” closes the show. Here it is sung by Olly Dobson, who created the role of Marty McFly on the West End.