Danke Schön

AMC has been showing a Back to School Marathon all day. I haven't been home all day, but when I got home, Ferris Bueller was on. I didn't intend to write another how-great-was-John Hughes post, but seriously: How great was John Hughes?

Take the song "Danke Schön." How many of us would know that song without Ferris Bueller? I wouldn't've. I remember my friend Jason telling me the person who sang it was a dude. I didn't believe him.

But that's not my point. Without Ferris Bueller (and John Hughes) I wouldn't have had one of my favorite college memories: singing "Danke Schön" at a Mexican restaurant in St Joseph, Missouri.

I don't remember the name of the restaurant, and I don't remember who was with me other than my friend Gwynne. There were two of this particular restaurant: one in an old house and one in a strip mall. The old house one wasn't open on Sunday, but the strip mall one was--and they rarely carded when buying alcohol. Not that I ever tried before the age of 21, of course. *cough*

So, we were paying our bill and someone in our group noticed Wayne Newton would be playing in town. In a split second, without any prompting, at the same exact time, the group of us broke into song:

Danke Schön
Darling, Danke Schön
Thank you for funny cards from Spain
I recall, Central Park in fall, how you tore your dress, what a mess, I confess, that's not all

It was one verse, and only Gwynne could really sing, but the entire kitchen staff came up front to see what was going on. It's one of those moments that happened because of a collision of several things: The majority of people in my generation know that song from Ferris Bueller. Most of us only know that one verse. And when most of use hear or see Wayne Newton, we think of "Danke Schön." Which brings us all back to Ferris Bueller. So combine all these things together and add to it a group of people who spent way too much time together, and you get one of those unforgettable moments in time.

So, once again, danke schön John Hughes for influencing an entire generation.