(Started November 11th, 2022) Part 2 of the Rise and Fall of Hair Metal

Hello,

The more I work on this blog the more I realize that hair metal peaked around 1989, what came after that and how did rock music change? Thanks to playback.fm, Wikipedia.com, YouTube and my own iTunes, for providing the foundation for this blog. I believe Quiet Riot were the first band with popular hair metal songs. They hit big, and peaked, all in 1983. That was the year of "Cum On Feel The Noize" and "Bang Your Head (Metal Health)". In 1984 they had "Mama Weer All Crazee Now", but it's clear now that they were already on the way out. Also Twisted Sister had a great 1984 with "We're Not Gonna Take It" and "I Wanna Rock". But those were their two best and most memorable songs. 1985's "Leader Of The Pack" was essentially their attempt to further their success, but didn't really work.

It is interesting to note that Disco peaked and basically flamed out all in the same year, 1979. Ten years later another fad music genre was nearing its last days as a pop culture powerhouse. Hair metal didn't flame out in 1989, it still had a couple years more of relevance. Indeed the great Firehouse didn't break out until 1990.

This blog isn't only about hair metal, it's also about other rock music going on those same 5 years. Bands such as Cinderella, The Scorpions, Dio, Guns N' Roses I never considered to be hair metal. Although their more traditional rock sound and hair metal both fed off of each other. A lot of people lumped Cinderella in with hair metal, but their sound has no hair metal element in it at all. Early Bon Jovi was very much hair metal but they eventually developed into a more mature sound.

I can never quite decide whether I should include a song when the album was released or the actual song was released. I'm constantly changing my mind. I did my best.

I'm going to start off each year with the best hair metal of that year so I can follow the trends of hair metal. Yes, I consider so-called power ballads to be hair metal. There were a couple of decent hair metal songs in 1986, but it really didn't break out much more than 1985.

1986:

Poison "Cry Tough":

Poison "Look At What The Cat Dragged In":

"What You Give Is What You Get":

Honeymoon Suite "Feel It Again":

Honeymoon Suite "What Does It Take":

Cinderella "Nobody's Fool":

Cinderella "Night Songs":

Cinderella "Nothin' For Nothin'":

Cinderella "Once Around The Ride"":

Their sound has matured and their songs were better, "Slippery When Wet" is definitely not a hair metal CD. "You Give Love A Bad Name":

"Wanted Dead or Alive":

"Livin On A Prayer":

"Never Say Goodbye":

"I'd Die For You":

"Wild In The Streets":

Bob Seger "American Storm":

"Like A Rock":

"Who Made Who":

"Why Can't This Be Love":

"Dreams":

"Love Walks In":

"Best of Both Worlds":

"Be Good To Yourself":

"Suzanne":

"Girl Can't Help It":

"Raised On Radio":

"I'll Be Alright Without You":

Ozzy "The Ultimate Sin":

"Secret Loser":

"Thank God For The Bomb":

"Lightning Strikes":

"Killer of Giants":

"Shot In The Dark":

"Tuff Enuff":

R.E.M. "Fall On Me":

Boston "Amanda":

Boston "We're Ready":

Boston "Cool The Engines":

Berlin "Sex Me, Talk Me":

Billy Idol "To Be A Lover"::

The Call "I Still Believe (Great Design)":

David Lee Roth "Yankee Rose":

The Edge featuring Sinead O'Connor "Heroine":

ELO "Calling America":

ELO "So Serious":

Elton John "Heartache All Over The World":

"The Eurythmics "Missionary Man":

Genesis "Land of Confusion":

Genesis "Tonight Tonight":

The Georgia Satellite "Keep Your Hands To Yourself";

Judas Priest "Turbo Lover":

Huey Lewis and the News "Jacob's Ladder":