Soundtrack Over the Top

One of the most 80s movie plots ever- an entrepreneur overcomes significant obstacles while starting his own business, passing up an angel seed round, albeit one that would eliminate his claim to equity, and bootstrapping the venture of his dreams via his side hustle.

Updated Oct 28 2022

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Over The Top Soundtrack album cover — Over The Top Soundtrack

Over the Top Track Listing

Winner Takes It All – Sammy Hagar
In This Country – Robin Zander
Take It Higher – Larry Greene
All I Need Is You – Big Trouble
Bad Nite – Frank Stallone
Meet Me Half Way – Kenny Loggins
Gypsy Soul – Asia
The Fight (Instrumental) – Giorgio Moroder
Mind Over Matter – Larry Greene
I Will Be Strong – Eddie Money

Sly Stallone's one man army flick about arm wrestling, featuring Kenny Loggins, Sammy Hagar, and Robin Zander.

80s & 90s Swag

Orrrrr ... a movie about a man who loses his wife, fights back against his father-in-law, and wins the heart of his son, all while arm wrestling his way to a trucking business.

His name? Lincoln Hawk!

Or is it Hawks? Hawkes!?

It's LITERALLY in the same conversation that both got brought up. Lincoln, we will use his first name because it's safe to, asks for odds on Lincoln Hawk ... the oddsmaker checks in with his counterpart asking about "Lincoln Hawks" ... and then the tournament board, before Meet Me Half Way ends, shows L Hawk.

(Can you get more 'Merrika than Lincoln Hawk?)

Sylvester Stallone as Lincoln Hawk in 1987's Over the Top — All he is missing is his trademark hat! Oh, and his kid!

Meet Me Half Way youtube video

Kenny looks like he just walked off the coke fueled rager that was the Top Gun wrap party, and into the bar down the street from where Stallone was filming Over the Top.

I'd like to imagine Stallone gave him a high level summary of the film, and over a few beers, Kenny, guitar in hand, pens Meet Me Half Way on the spot.

A straight up B-

The 80s could, and did, do better than Over the Top.

Over the Top Soundtrack notes

Winner Takes It All - Sammy Hagar

Two years after joining Van Halen and releasing 5150, the Red Rocker jumps on the Over the Top Soundtrack with the song Winner Takes IT All. Which, if we are being honest, is a bit lacking in the poetry department. Not exactly Van Halen's Right Now.

This song probably belongs on the Karate Kid Soundtrack.

The video for Winner Takes It All is basically a retelling of the movie, only featuring Sammy Hagar. The Red Rocker is just kickin' it in a cut up t-shirt and lounge pajama bottoms, running barefoot before shredding out the opening solo on his solid red 80s metal axe. Hagar rules!

Rick Zumwalt, who plays Bull in the movie, makes a cameo, along with Sly and a ton of other wrestlers. Clearly they took plenty of footage from the film.

Sammy Hagar and Sylvester Stallone arm wrestling in the Winner Takes It All video from the Over the Top soundtrack — In no world does Hagar win this one.

In This Country - Robin Zander

Synth. Reverb'd drums. Guitars that float on the breeze. Robin Zander, lead singer of Cheap Trick, is fully in his element. No stranger to 80s soundtracks, Zander and the rest of Cheap Trick were featured on the Top Gun Soundtrack just one year prior with Mighty Wings. Too bad they weren't invited back for the TG2: Maverick Soundtrack, as it would have been way more bad ass.

The song itself is 100% 'Merrika lyrically. Additionally, it shares common bonds with Track 6, Loggins' Meet Me Half Way.

Apparently the international version had Eddie Money (also on the Over the Top soundtrack) sing In This Country. Probably some contractual obligations.

Take It Higher - Larry Greene

Larry Greene's Take It Higher is upbeat montage music. As with Robin Zander, he too appears on the Top Gun Soundtrack with Through the Fire.

Perhaps he suffers from Pyromania?

All I Need is You - Big Trouble

A song about a man, his son, his truck, and a weight training pulley to practice arm wrestling on long hauls. Lincoln Hawk was the consummate 80s family man, working 161 hour weeks, sleeping one hour a night, and telling Robert Loggia to pound sand.

Bad Nite - Frank Stallone

Frank Stallone isn't half bad, but Hall & Oates he is not.

Bad Nite has the right combo of synth, bass, horns, and wailing guitar to drink some liquor to.

Lotta overdrive on that guitar tone.

The ladies backing him up on the vocals really makes the tune sparkle.

Meet Me Half Way - Kenny Loggins

Loggins, The Soundtrack Legend!

Kenny Loggins can do it all. From the power of Danger Zone (Top Gun), to the craft and finesse of Over the Top's Meet Me Half Way.

Guy is a total pro. Look at me, pro!

Meet Me Half Way is the Over the Top theme song. It plays in various formats throughout the entirety of the film, solo piano, acoustic guitar, full album version.

One version of Meet Me Half Way starts with a light piano fading out, a few Phil Collins drum beats, and then a has a ripping intro solo.

Lincoln and son Michael start their calisthenics routine at dawn, bathed in golden morning sunlight. One-armed rows off the truck grill, followed by Michael getting his sleeveless Jr. ROTC jacket make for a supreme father-son montage training scene.

Hawk Trucking looks to be hauling Brut cologne. Choice.

Gypsy Soul - Asia

Great pop rock! Gypsy Soul relives a bit of the late 70s, only with 80s tones.

Niiiiice solo.

The Fight - Giorgio Moroder

The synth, the beats, the wailing guitar ... what is this, The Transformers: The Movie Soundtrack?

Where is Vince DiCola!?

Giorgio Moroder's The Fight does an admirable job of trying to emulate the style and grandeur of DiCola's Rocky IV score. And for that matter, his score for The Transformers.