Love, Simon may be a celebration of young love in all forms, but the soundtrack of the coming-of-age story is an unabashed love letter to John Hughes and the youth-celebrating films of the 1980s . Hughes relied on pop music to help drive the plots of his movies. The Beatles’ cover of “Twist and Shout” made the parade scene in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off a celebration of the freedom of youth. When “Rollercoaster” by Bleachers plays in Love, Simon, it complements the feeling of freedom I experienced when I was finally old to drive around with my friends, windows down and iced coffees in hand. Hughes also used songs to help the audience better understand the motives of a character. “Pretty In Pink” by the Psychedelic Furs serves as an anthem for the new wave-loving outsider Andie Walsh. Before the story of one of Molly Ringwald’s most iconic characters unfolds on screen, we feel like we already know her after hearing the song. The same goes for Simon. He hides so much of himself, but the audience gets an idea of what he is thinking through the music. We sense him holding his breath as he makes one of his first, major life choices on his own. The Bleachers’ track “Keep It A Secret” beckons back to the unignorable questioning and acts as an anthem for Simon in the same way “Left of Center” by Suzanne Vega gave us insight into the inner thoughts of Andie Walsh. In this way, Love, Simon differs from the John Hughes’ teen film format. Rather than the songs speaking as a narrator, the movie uses the music to get inside the character’s head more directly. By listening to “Keep It A Secret,” we are reminded of the precipice Simon is standing on. Before the first chorus of Bleachers’ “Wild Heart” is finished, we also get to share in his renewed sense of liberation and triumph.