While songs from hair bands often dominated the airwaves in the late 1980s, those groups and their songs were frequently maligned in the 1990s when grunge and alternative music was all the rage. Hair bands were criticized as being lightweights, more style than substance. While there is certainly some truth to that assertion - I mean, come on, look at the poofy hair and the make-up - it also glosses over that those bands featured some terrific guitarists and vocalists who were responsible for a lot of great songs. To that end, I think it's only fair that we pay tribute to those groups and their music.
For the purposes of this list, there are some rock bands who are sometimes considered "hair bands" or "glam metal" that I am excluding for various reasons. Those bands include Van Halen (who was established as a big rock band in the late 1970s and largely preceded the hair band trend, though they undoubtedly influenced it), Quiet Riot (who had released two records in the late 1970s before hair bands were a thing), Def Leppard (who once again had released multiple records prior to the hair band era) and Guns 'n Roses (who were the spawn of a couple of hair bands but who had a rough and tumble, decidedly less "glam metal" image and sound than the rest of the bands on this list.)
With that caveat out of the way, raise your lighters and join me in paying tribute to the days of big hair and big hooks as we navigate my list of the Top 30 Hair Band Songs.
30. "Love of a Lifetime" by FireHouse - One of the hallmarks of hair bands was the power ballad, so it only makes sense to kick off our list of one of those. FireHouse was probably one of the most widely mocked of the hair bands, largely because they pretty much only had hits with sappy power ballads like this song. However, in spite of the schmaltz, it is one of the better power ballads from the hair band years. I actually saw FireHouse in concert in the early '90s and they put on a pretty good show.
29. "(Can't Live Without Your) Love and Affection" by Nelson - The offspring of '50s teen idol and musician Rick Nelson, the Nelson twins had some musical success of their own with this song, which hit #1 in 1990. This song isn't as well known as most of the songs that will appear on this list but it's undeniably catchy with a sing along chorus.
28. "Up All Night" by Slaughter - If there is any band name that ever failed to fit the music they produced, this is probably it. When you think "Slaughter," you're probably thinking of something in the death metal or thrash vein, similar to bands like Slayer or Anthrax, which were decidedly NOT hair bands. However, Slaughter is just another hair band and their name doesn't reflect their music. Of course, the band is named after their front man and lead singer Mark Slaughter. Putting aside all of that, one of the hallmarks of hair bands - beyond the big hair - were lyrics extolling the good times and the party lifestyle. And with a chorus that says "Up all night/sleep all day," this song certainly qualifies. While Slaughter is typically considered one of the more lightweight hair bands, this song and it's party vibe (along with Mark Slaughter's piercing tenor vocals) cause this song to make the cut.
27. "Unskinny Bop" by Poison - Of all of the bands that rose to fame during the 1980s, Poison probably embodies the "hair band" or "glam metal" mantle more than any of them. Their hair was bigger, make-up more prominent, and shredding guitar solos by C.C. DeVille faster. As a result, this is the first of several Poison songs to make this list. This song, while certainly catchy with "bop-bop-bop-bop" hook in the chorus, also makes the list for the fact that no one - including the band - has a clue what it's about. Sex? A dance? Nonsense? Who knows and who cares? "And nothin' more to say."
26. "Nobody's Fool" by Cinderella - While Cinderella wasn't nearly as big as some of the other bands on this list, they had a few hits and certainly used more than a few cans of AquaNet, as this picture shows. While this technically wasn't their biggest hit (1988's "Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone)" hit #12 while this song peaked at #13), I think this is their best song and one worthy of making this list, albeit toward the bottom. Incidentally, continuing the Disney theme, if I were to ever start a hair band, I'd call them Prince Charming. At least that's a smidge more masculine than Cinderella. 25. "Same Ol' Situation (S.O.S.)" by Motley Crue - The first of several entries on the list from the Crue, this song comes from their massively successful 1989 album "Dr. Feelgood." It was the fifth and final single released from the album and the least successful of those singles. However, I actually prefer this song to the title track of the album, as well as the obligatory ballad, "Without You," neither of which make this list. The song, with its sing-along chorus and accompanying music video, capture the Crue at their sober yet still a little raunchy best.
24. "Calling On You" by Stryper - First of all, I'm a sucker for Stryper. They were my favorite band during my early teens and my first real concert - I even got backstage passes and was able to
23. "18 & Life" by Skid Row - We go from a song about God to a song about a teenager getting a life sentence in prison for killing another teenager. It's a little weightier stuff than most of the songs on the list, proof that hair bands could actually write songs that had some substance to them. Skid Row was fronted by Sebastian Bach who combined matinee idol looks with some serious vocal chops. The band had only a short run at the top of the charts but managed to have two Top 10 hits (including this one) in 1989.
22. "Wait" by White Lion - This is likely one of the lesser known songs from one of the lesser known bands on this list. It also wasn't their biggest hit, with this song peaking at #8 in 1988, while "When the Children Cry" hit #3 the following year. This song is a upbeat, hooky number with a chorus in which the singer pleads with his girl not to leave him. I preferred it to the aforementioned power ballad (of which there are already plenty on this list), so this one makes the list at #22.
21. "Looks That Kill" by Motley Crue - Some people may not consider Motley Crue to be a "hair band" given that their music was generally a little heavier than many of their fellow '80s rockers. Those people are wrong, as I think the picture from the cover of their breakthrough album Shout at the Devil makes clear. Beyond that, this song - my favorite from that album - is built around a repetitive guitar riff played by Mick Mars. It was the band's first Top 20 hit on the mainstream rock charts and the song that really put them on the map as a hard rock/heavy metal band to be reckoned with. 20. "Seventeen" by Winger - Few hair bands were the subject of more scorn than Winger. This is exemplified no better than the fact Stewart, that the dorky kid who was a classmate of Beavis and Butthead's in the MTV cartoon, was outfitted in a Winger band t-shirt (whereas the titular stars sported Metallica and AC/DC shirts). Nevertheless, this song has a great bassline and is more progressive musically than it gets credit for being. As for the lyrics.....well, they are suggestive and salacious, which is a pretty good representation of the sex, drugs and rock 'n roll ethos of the '80s. For all the jokes made at Winger's expense over the years, this was undeniably a big hit during the peak hair band years. Did you know? Kip Winger cites the first line of The Beatles' hit song "I Saw Her Standing There" as the inspiration for the song and the age of the temptress it's about.
19. "Fallen Angel" by Poison - The second Poison entry on our list is a bit more serious than the first entry. It tells the common tale of a small town girl who heads to Los Angeles in pursuit of fame and fortune, only to find things much more difficult than she anticipated. In one sense, it's kind of a cliché. In another sense, however, the music and back and forth vocals on the chorus are an example of hair bands at their best. This song isn't as well known as some of the other Poison songs on this list, but that doesn't make it any less of a really good song.
18. "I'll Be There For You" by Bon Jovi - Of all of the hair bands of the 1980s, none were bigger than Bon Jovi. In fact, in the latter half of the decade, you can make the argument that the two biggest rock bands in the world were U2 and Bon Jovi. Their 1988 record New Jersey was a massive success, selling more than 7 million copies in the U.S. and more than 18 million copies worldwide. This song is one of the reasons why. While it is, in some ways, a paint-by-the-numbers power ballad, it features an all out vocal performance by Jon Bon Jovi and some interesting guitar work by Richie Sambora, including a sitar-like intro and outro. While it was undeniably a blatant attempt to have a hit love song for the 1989 prom and wedding season, it's done so darn well that you can forgive the band for it.
17. "The Final Countdown" by Europe - Unique among hair bands, who are overwhelmingly American, Europe hails from Sweden. This song is best known for the prominent keyboard riff, which helped distinguish it from most songs of the era which were built around guitar riffs. In recent years, the song has been featured in a GEICO commercial and is often played at sporting events, even sometimes by marching bands. The song hit #1 in more than 20 countries around the globe and with success and a legacy like that, it shouldn't be a surprise that it makes our list.
16. "I Remember You" by Skid Row - Our second entry by Skid Row is a power ballad that encapsulates the pipes displayed by frontman Sebastian Bach. Lyrically, it's run of the mill power ballad love song stuff. But it's Bach's soaring vocals that elevate the song and likely made it such a big hit. Since briefly ruling the airwaves in the late' 80s, Bach has gone on to perform on Broadway, further testament to his vocal abilities.
15. "Nothing But a Good Time" by Poison - We hit the midpoint of our list with another Poison song that is the perfect embodiment of the decade of excess. It talks of struggling to pay the bills on one hand and spending money "on women and wine" on the other. The chorus of "Don't need nothing but a good time" sums of the decade in general and the hair band scene in particular. Throw in a sing along chorus and typically great guitar work by C.C. DeVille and you have a huge hit song.
14. "When I See You Smile" by Bad English - This band was one of the rock "supergroups" that formed in the 1980s. It featured three members of Journey (including acclaimed guitarist Neal Schon) and vocalist John Waite, who had a #1 hit as a solo act in 1984 with "Missing You." The song is written by prolific song writer Diane Warren, who has pretty much cornered the market on hit ballads and love songs over the past 35 years. Like most of her work, it's a shamelessly optimistic love song, but darn it if it doesn't work thanks to Waite's vocals and Schon's guitar work. Like most supergroups, Bad English was short-lived, only existing from 1987-1991. However, during their brief existence they produced two top 5 hits. This song hit #1 in early 1989.
13. "We're Not Gonna Take It" by Twisted Sister - No '80s hair band list could be complete without at least one song from Twisted Sister. The band took the whole hair band concept and turned it on its ear, from their very name to lead singer Dee Snider's over-the-top hair and makeup. In addition to having a punk rock attitude and outlook, the song boasted a hilarious music video which featured Animal House alum Mark Metcalf reclaiming his iconic Douglas C. Neidermayer character. The video both poked fun at the band and at Metcalf's most well known film role, which undoubtedly helped increase the song's popularity. "Is that a Twisted Sister pin? On your uniform?"
12. "You Give Love a Bad Name" by Bon Jovi - In America in 1986, there was no bigger album than Bon Jovi's Slippery When Wet. The album sold 12 million copies in the U.S. and more than 28 million worldwide. This was the first single from the album and it was their first #1 hit. It was written by Bon Jovi's primary songwriters Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora, along with veteran songwriter Desmond Child. It's about a femme fatale and features great lines like "blood red nails on your fingertips" and "your very first kiss was your first kiss goodbye." This is Bon Jovi's second appearance on this list - but it won't be their last.
11. "Home Sweet Home" by Motley Crue - Unlike their first two entries on this list, this song is a power ballad. But rather than it being an ode to a lover, it's about life on the road and heading back home after being gone for a long time. It's a very simple song without a whole lot of lyrics - basically, about half the song is "I'm on my way/Home sweet home" - but it does what it does very well. It starts out slowly and builds to a crescendo of the band repeating the chorus over a bluesy guitar solo by Mick Mars. Interestingly, the piano intros and outros are played by drummer Tommy Lee, a rarity in rock. The song has been covered numerous by everyone from Limp Bizkit to Carrie Underwood (who had a Top 25 hit with her remake in 2009) which is a further testament to the impact and staying power of the song.
10. "Turn Up the Radio" by Autograph - We kick off the Top 10 with a one hit wonder whose sole hit is a mainstay on SiriusXM's Hair Nation channel. It's a song that most people would recognize while at the same time being at a loss to identify the artist who recorded it. It has a great hook and embraces the typical teenage rock fan viewpoint that "if it's too loud, you're too old." The song was only a last minute inclusion on the band's debut record and almost didn't make the cut because the label didn't think it had any commercial value. Obviously, they were wrong about that assessment.
9. "Here I Go Again" by Whitesnake - Ahh, Whitesnake. Few bands have ever used MTV and music videos to advance their careers as deftly as David Coverdale and company. The band had existed for almost a decade without a big hit in the U.S. until this song and the famous (or is it infamous?) music video that supported it. The video prominently featured a scantily clad actress
8. "Round and Round" by Ratt - This is another song where the music video was undoubtedly a large component of the song's success. In this case, the video had the band rocking out in the attic of a mansion, while a fancy, high society dinner party is taking place in the house below. The guests at the dinner party get more and more annoyed by the loud noises from above, until their party gets interrupted when the guitarist falls through the ceiling and plays his guitar solo on their dinner table. Kudos to the band for casting Hollywood legend Milton Berle in not one but TWO roles in the video, one of which involves him cross dressing as a snooty, upper crust matron.
7. "Talk Dirty to Me" by Poison - Yes, another Poison song, but as I stated before, no band better exemplifies the hair band look and sound. This song was their first big hit when it reached the Top 10 in 1987 and it is an undisputable classic of the genre. It displays what is probably guitarist C.C. Deville's best guitar work that serves as the driving force to a frantic, upbeat song with a great chorus and a great hook. It's a little raunchy (without being too much so) and is just a lot of fun to listen to and sing along with. "At the drive-in, in the old man's Ford, behind the bushes..."
6. "Wanted Dead or Alive" by Bon Jovi - Another huge hit from their ginormous Slippery When Wet album, this song mixes a little bit of country (with slide guitar and western imagery) with a little bit of hard rock (a blistering guitar solo by Richie Sambora) amid lyrics about life on the road and vocal interplay between Bon Jovi and Sambora. This is my second favorite Bon Jovi song and (foreshadowing) it's the second to last Bon Jovi song on this list. Can you guess the remaining one before reading on?
5. "Kickstart My Heart" by Motley Crue - This is probably the heaviest song on this list and one of the heaviest songs Motley Crue has recorded. It begins with Mick Mars simulating a motorcycle shifting gears on his guitar and continues at a breakneck pace for almost all of the remaining 4.5+ minutes. The lyrics of the newly sober band talk about the band now getting their thrills from things besides drugs - fast cars, skydiving, women and rock 'n roll. The song, written by bassist and primary songwriter Nikki Sixx, is said to be inspired by a near death experience in which he had to be revived by a shot of adrenaline to the heart following a drug overdose. 30 years after its release, it remains one of the band's most popular songs, having been featured in numerous films, video games and even as a soundtrack for a rock 'n roll themed roller coaster.
4. "Heaven" by Warrant - We follow up the heaviest song on this list with what may be the softest song on the list. The lone entry on this list by Warrant, it is a power ballad that became the band's biggest hit, peaking at #2. However, this song is a little more melancholy than many power ballads, with the narrator looking back at faded photographs and walking alone down a boulevard late at night, making it seem as if he has lost his love but is still hanging on and hoping that she will come back ("I don't know what to do but I'm never giving up on you.") Musically, this is a perfect example of the hair band power ballad: acoustic guitar and softer verses with electric guitars and a harder rocking chorus. The simple nature of the chorus and the ease with which one can sing along with it ("Heaven isn't too far away/Closer to it every day/No matter what your friends might say") likely helped make the song the big hit that it was.
3. "Sister Christian" by Night Ranger - Yet another power ballad, this song is one of the most enduring songs of the 1980s. It has a great sing along chorus and has the distinction of being written and sung by the band's drummer, Kelly Keagy, who wrote it for his sister, Christy. It was the band's biggest hit, peaking in 1984 at #5 in the U.S. and #1 in Canada. Whereas most power ballad's are about love or heartbreak, this song is written from the perspective of an older brother worrying about his kid sister growing up and hoping she makes good choices along the way. It's a sweet sentiment and something that is unique amongst the many hair band hits. Come on, sing along with me: "Motorin'. What's your price for flight?..."
2. "Livin' On a Prayer" by Bon Jovi - It was the biggest hit from one of the biggest bands in the world at the time. It hit #1 in countries all around the globe. The lyrics are Springsteen-esque and tell a story of a working class couple (Tommy and Gina) struggling to make ends meet but knowing that they can make it because of the strength of their love for each other. In just a few verses, it paints a picture that makes the two protagonists familiar and relatable. The chorus is instantly recognizable to the point that even kids nowadays (like my kids) can sing along with it. It is played at sporting events and has been featured in numerous video games and movies since its release in late 1986.
1. "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" by Poison - I struggled mightily with which of these top two songs and which to put in the top spot. Because power ballads were such an integral part of hair band music (as this list clearly demonstrates), I decided to put the best of all of those power ballads in the top spot. Like the #6 song on this list, it has a hint of country to it (what with acoustic guitar and a lyric about cowboys and sad songs), though C.C. DeVille's superb guitar solo certainly rocks. It is a song about heartbreak and singer Bret Michaels's understated, mournful vocals help convey that. The bridge also features one of my favorite lyrics: "Though it's been a while now/I can still feel so much pain/Like a knife that cuts and the wound heals/But the scar, that scar remains." It was, in my opinion, the best song by the ultimate hair band and that's why it tops the list.
There you have it - my list of the Top 30 Hair Band Songs. Do you agree with my picks? Are there any songs that you think I left out? I'd love to hear your feedback.
As always, thanks for reading!
