Css and php

I have a ahover mouse over effect in my css. Through out the side this mouse over effect works. However, in this php script I am using it doesnt even notice where the links are and doesnt even assign them a color or effect. Is it because all the links in this php script are varabiles such as <a href="{$recent_row[‘band_mp3’]}">

If so how do I get around this?