3 Classic Rock Songs From 1981 That Got Lost Between Arena Rock and MTV

The year 1981 was about two things when it came to rock: hardcore, visually-enticing MTV music videos, and killer stadium-level arena rock performance live in the flesh. If you were a rock band that didn’t quite tick both those boxes, your songs probably slipped through the cracks that year. That was the case for the following three classic rock songs from 1981, each of which is absolutely amazing, yet got lost between arena rock and MTV. Let’s take a look, shall we?

“Veteran Of The Psychic Wars” by Blue Öyster Cult from ‘Fire Of Unknown Origin’

Blue Öyster Cult is more or less a household name. But it still bums me out that most people only know them for their major hit, “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper”. The band has a ton of other gems in their discography, such as “Veteran Of The Psychic Wars”. This prog-rock, psychedelic-flavored tune is incredibly unique compared to other offerings at the time from similar bands. Surprisingly, the band never released a music video for it. And “Veteran Of The Psychic Wars” was never released as a single off Fire Of Unknown Origins. That’s a shame, because this song really deserved to do numbers.

“Worried About You” by The Rolling Stones from ‘Tattoo You’

This moody little number from The Stones is incredibly hypnotic and oddly vulnerable for the usually intense band. Other stadium hard rock go-tos can be found on Tattoo You. But “Worried About You” comes off as a sort of soft filler song designed to space out bangers like “Start Me Up” or “Waiting On A Friend”. Which is a shame, because “Worried About You” is a really good track that could have made it as a single. And its (albeit simple) music video more or less slipped through the cracks.

“Sherry Darling” by Bruce Springsteen from ‘The River’

It’s hard to imagine any Bruce Springsteen single from the 80s not charting particularly well. Sadly, that was the case for this entry on our list of classic rock songs from 1981 that got lost between arena rock and MTV. We didn’t get a proper music video for “Sherry Darling”, though we would later get a live concert video. So, the song didn’t get much traction on MTV. Just as well, the single itself didn’t make it to the Top 40 anywhere. Fortunately, though, this rock classic has become a fan favorite, and Springsteen whipped it out during his live performances pretty often. So, maybe it didn’t get so lost in the “arena rock” sense.

Photo by Larry Hulst/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images