<p id=”par-1_41″>The 1980s was a golden age of <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/movies/”>movie</a> theme songs. For example, the decade gave us the perennial favorite <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/no-lindsey-buckinghams-holiday-road-not-christmas-song.html/”>“Holiday Road” by Lindsey Buckingham</a> from <em>National Lampoon’s Vacation</em>. The tune fit a sequence from the movie that Buckingham had not seen.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-lindsey-buckingham-said-he-had-some-luck-with-holiday-road”>Lindsey Buckingham said he had some ‘luck’ with ‘Holiday Road’</h2>
<p id=”par-2_87″>During a 2018 interview with <a href=”https://www.stereogum.com/2025688/lindsey-buckingham-interview-fleetwood-mac/interviews/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Stereogum</a>, Buckingham discussed writing “Holiday Road” for <em>National Lampoon’s Vacation</em>. He was approached by director Harold Ramis. “We came up with this thing, and I remember very clearly him coming out to the studio with a couple of his people, producers, Matty [Simmons], I think, and listening to this song for the first time,” he said. “He was literally blown away at how effective it was and how some of the subject matter, without me even having seen the film, was addressed.”</p>
<p id=”par-3_81″>Buckingham said the track fit the movie by accident. “It had dog barks in it — I didn’t know there was going to be a scene in the movie where a dog gets dragged behind a car without them knowing it,” he said. “Obviously, I knew it had to be somewhat uplifting and a little bit funny, which it is, but somehow we nailed it beyond his expectations certainly. He was like, ‘Holy crap.’ A lot of that was just luck.”</p>
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<iframe title=”National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983) Official Trailer – Chevy Chase Comedy Movie HD” width=”925″ height=”520″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/FHThGmVfE3A?feature=oembed” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” referrerpolicy=”strict-origin-when-cross-origin” allowfullscreen></iframe>
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<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-lindsey-buckingham-later-turned-down-the-chance-to-do-a-huge-movie-theme”>Lindsey Buckingham later turned down the chance to do a huge movie theme</h2>
<p id=”par-4_86″>Buckingham was later asked to perform the theme for another comedy movie from the 1980s. The movie in question that was far more popular and lucrative than <em>National Lampoon’s Vacation</em>. “Then, when I got asked to do <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/ray-parker-jr-felt-impossible-ghostbusters-theme-song.html/”>the title song for <em>Ghostbusters</em></a>, I said, ‘Nah, you know, I did this really well once. It’s not something I want to get into as a repetitive part of my identity.’” While Ramis served as the director of <em>National Lampoon’s Vacation</em>, he was one of the stars of <em>Ghostbusters</em>.</p>
<p id=”par-5_38″>The theme of <em>Ghostbusters </em>was written and performed by Ray Parker Jr. That tune became far more popular than “Holiday Road” and became a prominent Halloween song. Who knows if Buckingham could have penned a better <em>Ghostbusters </em>theme? </p>
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<iframe title=”Lindsey Buckingham – Holiday Road (Official Music Video) [HD Remaster]” width=”925″ height=”694″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/KsYqIJqlPNc?feature=oembed” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” referrerpolicy=”strict-origin-when-cross-origin” allowfullscreen></iframe>
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<div class=”related-article related-article–simple”>
<span class=”related-article-flag”>Related</span>
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Fleetwood Mac’s Lindsey Buckingham Said The Beach Boys Released the Best A Side/B Side Combo Ever </a>
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<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-holiday-road-wasn-t-a-hit-at-1st”>‘Holiday Road’ wasn’t a hit at 1st</h2>
<p id=”par-6_75″>“Holiday Road” was only a minor hit in the United States. The tune reached No. 82 on the <a href=”https://www.billboard.com/artist/lindsey-buckingham/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Billboard Hot 100</a>, staying on the chart for five weeks. It’s only one of three Buckingham solo songs that charted. The others were the top 40 hits “Trouble” and “Go Insane.” “Holiday Road” appeared on the compilation record <em>Solo Anthology: The Best of Lindsey Buckingham</em>, which peaked at No. 53 on the Billboard 200 for a week.</p>
<p id=”par-7_90″>The chart performance of “Holiday Road” wasn’t too impressive — especially compared to <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/fleetwood-mac-the-chain-appeared-guardians-of-the-galaxy-vol-2.html/”>Fleetwood Mac’s success</a>. However, the tune has found new life in the 21st century. While the track has nothing to do with Christmas, some radio stations and advertisers use it as a Yuletide song. That doesn’t make a lot of sense. Some other popular holiday songs, such as “Frosty the Snowman” and “Winter Wonderland,” don’t mention Christmas either. At least they mention winter. Meanwhile, “Holiday Road” is from one of the most summery movies of all time.</p>
<p id=”par-8_24″>Buckingham wasn’t too comfortable writing movie themes. However, he gave us one of the most beloved movie themes of all time with “Holiday Road.”</p>