The List

3 Hair Metal Tracks From the 1980s We Still Can’t Live Without

While hair metal wasn’t around for very long, there are still songs from the style we love. There are still tunes we return to often because they give us a charge during an otherwise mundane day-to-day existence.

Here below, we wanted to explore some of those tracks. We wanted to highlight three songs from back in the day we know by heart. Indeed, these are three hair metal tracks from the 1980s we still can’t live without.

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“Livin’ On A Prayer” by Bon Jovi from ‘Slippery When Wet’ (1986)

The New Jersey-born band Bon Jovi has entertained millions of fans throughout the decades. But the group rose to popularity in the 1980s thanks to its brash rock style and lyrics that were both bold and sensitive. Indeed, the group’s lead singer Jon Bon Jovi knew how to access his heartstrings and also make himself look like a warrior up on stage. It was a thin line to walk, but Jon did it with aplomb. There’s a reason why Bon Jovi was one of the biggest hair metal bands of the decade. And when Jon sings about living on a prayer? We’re in hook, line, and sinker.

“We’re Not Gonna Take It” by Twisted Sister from ‘Stay Hungry’ (1984)

This is one of the greatest songs of rebellion the 1980s produced. Twisted Sister remains iconic for this track. The group looked around one day and decided that enough was enough. They were going to put their feelings into song, into action. They were going to stand up for themselves (long, curly hair and all) and they were going to tell the world that they were no longer available to be pushed around. The result? A protest track for the ages. It’s one we find ourselves putting on repeat whenever we need a boost.

“Dr. Feelgood” by Mötley Crüe from ‘Dr. Feelgood’ (1989)

In the 1980s, Mötley Crüe saw the entire decade as a reason to party. So, they brought that energy in just about every song they released. But nowhere was it more present than in the 1989 single, “Dr. Feelgood”, from the album of the same name. On it, the band talks about self-medication to the nth degree. All the group wanted, it seemed, was to cut loose and go a lot of crazy throughout the entire 1980s. Well, that’s the proverbial license that this track gave the world.

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