3 Forgotten Hair Metal Songs From 1987

It was good to be a hair metal band in 1987 because most of them were getting signed by major record labels. However, the competition was stiff as bands competed against Def Leppard’s colossal Hysteria and Guns N’ Roses’ game-changing Appetite For Destruction. At the same time, Mötley Crüe brought the Sunset Strip to arenas with Girls, Girls, Girls.

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Though Def Leppard and Guns N’ Roses weren’t exactly hair metal, fans of hair metal were certainly buying those records. Most remember “Pour Some Sugar On Me”, “Sweet Child O’ Mine”, and “Wild Side”, but here are three you may have forgotten.  

“Bathroom Wall” by Faster Pussycat

Faster Pussycat represents a lower tier of Sunset Strip bands swept up by major labels in the late 80s, looking for the next Mötley Crüe. By 1987, Mötley Crüe had traded its glam punk roots for glossy hard rock. But Faster Pussycat (and L.A. Guns and Guns N’ Roses) sounded raw, like someone had scraped these dudes straight from the gutter and dumped them on MTV. They echoed New York Dolls and the raucous blues of The Rolling Stones’ Exile On Main Street. Faster Pussycat had a commercial hit with its power ballad, “House Of Pain”. Yet “Bathroom Wall” distills the Sunset Strip’s glam-sleaze vibe as good as any from the era.

“Wait” by White Lion

Typically, a hair metal band released one or two hard rock songs from an album before going for gold with the power ballad. But White Lion swung for the fences right out of the gate on its second album, Pride. “Wait” became a hit, and you couldn’t escape this song on MTV. Fans thought guitarist Vito Bratta was the second coming of Eddie Van Halen. And when you hear Bratta’s legato guitar solo on “Wait”, you’ll understand why. Danish singer Mike Tramp fronted White Lion, which also had a hit with “When The Children Cry”, the band’s attempt at a hair metal “Imagine”.

“Save Your Love” by Great White

Great White kept to the theme by calling their third album Once Bitten. The album’s lead single, “Rock Me”, gave MTV a dose of bar band blues. Then came the ballad. The earnest and bluesy “Save Your Love” was co-written by Jerry Lynn Williams, who wrote several tracks on Eric Clapton’s Journeyman. It was modestly successful. Meanwhile, Great White continues to perform and has amassed a staggering list of former band members. Unfortunately, Great White may be best remembered for the tragic fire that occurred at the band’s 2003 show at The Station in West Warwick, Rhode Island, which killed 100 people.

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