The Blues Brothers ignited a passion in my soul that’s never ebbed away

Universal Pictures

There are probably many reasons just as valid as the next as to why I’m in my thirties, still single and looking for love (sometimes in all the wrong places). Perhaps I already gave my heart to two special characters more than 20 years ago and other men just can’t compare. This blog is dedicated to “Joliet” Jake and Elwood Blues – The Blues Brothers – for igniting a passion within my soul that refuses to ebb away no matter how much time has elapsed since the first or last time I’ve watched The Blues Brothers.

In a society where films celebrating elaborately destructive car chases are usually revered by men, I’m proud to be part of an elite few women who staunchly defend director John Landis’ The Blues Brothers as being one of my all-time favorite films. It was the first “rated R” film that my parents let me watch – that’s probably why I thought it was the epitome of cool. Actors Dan Aykroyd (Elwood) and John Belushi (Jake) remain two of my biggest celebrity crushes to this day – I’m a loyalist, if nothing else. Two of the single greatest moments in my life were (a) the time I met director John Landis at a horror convention and he made me giggle the entire time with his anecdotes and (b) the time I met Dan Aykroyd at one of his Crystal Head Vodka meet-and-greets in my hometown and I was too awestruck to mumble much more than, “You’re a genius, and I’m a huge fan of your work.”

In honor of the 35th anniversary of The Blues Brothers‘ release in June of 1980, here are but a few of the myriad reasons why I’ll forever love Jake and Elwood … perhaps you’ll find yourself nodding in agreement with some of them whether you’re a man or a woman:

They understood the importance of music and preached it to the masses. The Blues Brothers is really at its core a celebration of blues/soul/rock ’n’ roll/R&B music and the bond forever forged between Jake and Elwood as a result of Cab Calloway’s character’s influence when they were two small boys growing up in a Catholic orphanage. It’s a rare cinematic opus in that it brings together people of all ages, genders and races to “shake a tail feather” with brilliant cameos from some of the biggest musical influences of all time, including Ray Charles, James Brown, Aretha Franklin, John Lee Hooker and Cab Calloway. Not to mention the dozens of other special cameos, including Frank Oz, Carrie Fisher, Twiggy, Paul Reubens, John Candy, Chaka Khan, Joe Walsh, Steven Spielberg, Mr. T … hell, even John Belushi’s wife Judith can be found as a cocktail waitress in the scene involving Murph & the Magic Tones. And let’s not forget that Jake and Elwood have some really sweet dance moves – they’re born performers.

They may have looked like “two honkies dressed like Mercedes diamond merchants,” but their iconic style is the definition of cool in my book. You know the look – the classic black fitted suits with white dress shirts, skinny black ties, black fedoras and black Ray-Ban Wayfarers. It’s often imitated, but never quite duplicated. There’s something sexy about a man all in black – just ask Johnny Cash! Did you know that Belushi was nicknamed “The Black Hole” while on set because he lost hundreds of pairs of those infamous sunglasses in-between takes? I wish I owned a pair he wore!

They were on a mission from God, i.e. they had a noble quest or a purpose in life. After Jake is released from prison, his brother Elwood picks him up in an old police car (irony) and takes him to visit the Penguin – the nun in charge of the Catholic home they grew up in. They discover the home is going to be shut down unless they quickly raise the $5,000 they owe in back property taxes. After “seeing the light,” Jake decides they must reassemble their band (the once-great The Blues Brothers’ Rhythm and Blues Revue) to play gigs to raise the money for the home. How many men in my generation seem to lack purpose? They may have made some mistakes, but it seems to me that they’re trying to own up to those mistakes and make things right. Those are admirable qualities in a man.

They stood up for the afflicted and the oppressed. We may all hate Illinois Nazis, but who else among us would’ve had the actual guts to run ‘em off that bridge? They’re also willing to “take it to the streets,” caring about the plight of all of those adorable orphans. Take note: real men stand up for orphans!

They taught me the invaluable lesson that everybody needs somebody to love. You, me, them, everybody … everybody. I don’t care who you are or how adamantly you deny needing a special someone in your life, humans are programmed to need somebody to love. I’m still seeking my sweetheart to miss and sugar to kiss. I want that one person whom I can squeeze, please, hold, kiss and miss. I need you, you, you. Do you need me?

They made police car chases, destructive mayhem and utter pandemonium look giddily enthralling. I read that over 100 cars were wrecked during the making of this film, which was a world record at the time. And let’s not forget about the epic mall chase scene in which they seemingly destroy the Dixie Square Mall in Harvey, Illinois. (In reality, it was an abandoned mall that was rented out for this express purpose.) A healthy appetite and appreciation for destruction is not exclusive to manhood. What self-respecting woman doesn’t secretly yearn to drive through a shopping mall and destroy everything in sight while observing, “The new Oldsmobiles are in early this year!”?

Sometimes it IS hard to be a woman, giving all your love to just one man – and I’m so glad they recognized and appreciated that. Jake and Elwood were man enough to get in touch with their softer sides for their spirited rendition of this song (matching hand gestures and all!) at Bob’s Country Bunker. I’ve also come to the realization that I’m probably a little closer to being the lonely trucker who cries into his beer instead of the blissful couple in the cowboy hats who stare longingly into one another’s eyes from across the table than I’d ever care to admit.

It’s impossible to stay mad at a man with sweet puppy dog brown eyes. Jake may have jilted Carrie Fisher at the altar, but she clearly wasn’t the one for him. I looked into those eyes – and his soul – and I forgave him in the tunnel. Who can stay mad at Joliet Jake or Elwood? I love The Blues Brothers so much that I can also forgive them for the sub-par sequel (Blues Brothers 2000) and even their SNES game that was impossible to beat. There was probably an earthquake, a terrible flood or locusts accounting for those blunders. It wasn’t their fault – I swear to God!

I don’t think my knight in shining armor will ride in upon a white horse in my fairy tale. I’m betting he picks me up in an old, battered black-and-white police car so we can cruise around with a full tank of gas and half a pack of cigarettes. It’ll be dark, and he’ll be wearing sunglasses. And I’ll be completely smitten.