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April 14, 2026

Huey Lewis & The News: Why They Were the Soundtrack to the 80s Bay Area | The Playlist

Huey Lewis & The News: Why They Were the Soundtrack to the 80s Bay Area | The Playlist

It's funny which artists you gravitate to when you're young. I don't know why Huey Lewis & The News was my cup of tea as a youngster in the mid-80s. I know my dad played Huey a bit inside the house. He recorded their videos on MTV and VH-1. But he did that with a lot of music acts, including ones I never really rocked with.

If I were to guess, I think what made them cool in my eyes, and thus, their music as well, was that they were fans of my favorite sports teams. The band would often sing the Star Spangled Banner at important 49ers, Giants, and Warriors games and I'd alway associated them with Bay Area sports. You can even see Joe Montana and crew perform on "Hip To Be Square" in Oakland in 1986. There's even some bad choreography.

Once I knew they were good with my teams, they were good with me. I must've played Fore! a thousand times. 

Mike and I put together our Top 5 lists for the band and then Mike sprinkled in some other songs to make a full playlist. Enjoy. 

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Top 5 Huey Lewis Hits: From Sports to Back to the Future

Huey Lewis and the News dominated the 80s with blue-collar rock and infectious hooks, but which tracks are truly the best? For many fans, choosing between a movie anthem like "The Power of Love" and a vocal masterclass like "Naturally" is nearly impossible. In this episode of Top 5, hosts Garrett Gonzales and Mike Joseph take on the challenge of ranking their five favorite songs from the legendary Bay Area band. The duo explores the band's transition from bar-band stalwarts to global superstars...