1985 No. 1 Art Rock Hit Became the Anthem of a Cult Classic Still Beloved 37 Years Later

April 14, 2026, marks the 37th anniversary of the release of the romantic comedy-drama film Say Anything…, in which actor John Cusack stars opposite Ione Skye as Lloyd Dobler and Diane Court.

The movie, which debuted in theaters by 20th Century Fox on April 14, 1989, is a coming-of-age film that captures the intensity of first love and focuses on the unlikely pairing of two high school graduates. Cusack's character is an unconventional dreamer without a future plan, while Skye's role is that of a class valedictorian who is headed for academic success.

Regardless of the striking contrast between the two individuals, Dobler (Cusack) doesn't hesitate to pursue Court (Skye), which works in his favor as she accepts his romantic gestures.

An Iconic Scene

Though drama unfolds and tension builds as the story continues with Court's overprotective father being unaccepting of Dobler, one moment in the Cameron Crowe-directed film has stood out as an iconic scene that will be remembered for years to come.

And that's the famous "boombox scene."

In that sincere and vulnerable moment, Dobler is shown standing outside Court's bedroom window late at night, holding a boombox over his head. What's heard at that point is Peter Gabriel's 1986 soft rock classic "In Your Eyes," being blasted into the air.

The song became a defining moment of the film that still carries weight today because it captures a feeling of emotional risk that's both rare and timeless. In pop culture, that boombox moment became a long-lasting symbol of romantic devotion.

A Near-Miss

Surprisingly, however, "In Your Eyes" almost never made it into the film. According to Entertainment Weekly, Crowe had the initial idea of using Billy Idol's "To Be A Lover," but that song would've changed the vibe of the story.

"No song worked, especially ‘To Be A Lover,' or anything we were playing in the boom box in the number of times that we tried to shoot it-nothing worked," he told the outlet. "We had songwriters come in and try to write a song-nothing worked."

Crowe had an inkling to listen to his old wedding tape that included the Gabriel hit. He says listening to "In Your Eyes" gave him "this chill because all the words linked up to what we'd filmed and what we were struggling to find a score to or a song."

"I just raced to the editing room, and we put it on, and it was perfect," he shared.

However, locking down the song was another battle.

"A guy from Geffen Records (Gabriel's label) came and saw the movie, took me aside and said, ‘I'm going to tell you what nobody else is going to tell you. It's not Fast Times. You've really missed with this movie. If you really want to save your career, you should be doing another Spicoli movie, and I'm just going to tell you the truth right now," Crowe recalled. "I was like, ‘Oh f-, now we're really not going to get the song. We're doomed.'"

The other rejection Crowe faced was an initial "no" from Gabriel, himself, who told him, "I appreciate you asking for the song. It's a very personal song to me, and I just hope you don't mind that I have to turn you down."

Luckily, Gabriel had mistaken Crowe's film for someone else's, and after watching it, he ultimately approved the use of the song.In the end, that near-missed opportunity became the very heartbeat of Say Anything… Decades later, the image of Dobler standing beneath Courti's window, holding a boombox with his heart on the line and the classic "In Your Eyes" playing on, remains one of cinema's most memorable expressions of love.

Related: 1987 Soft-Rock Theme for a Comedy Cult Classic Was a No. 1 Hit 39 Years Ago Today

Copyright 2026 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved

This story was originally published April 13, 2026 at 9:00 PM.