3 Hair Metal Tracks From the Early 1990s That We Can’t Live Without

While hair metal was big in the 1980s, it also trickled into the early 1990s. There were many music fans at the beginning of the decade who wanted to head bang and let their long, flowing locks shake in the wind.

Here below, we wanted to explore three songs from back in the day from the subgenre that we still rock out to often. Indeed, these are three hair metal tracks from the early 1990s we can’t live without.

“Cherry Pie” by Warrant from ‘Cherry Pie’ (1990)

A hair metal song never tasted so good! Indeed, while we know the language on this track is all loose metaphor for lust and love, there is still something about this song that also just makes us hungry. It’s easy to imagine a slice of bright red cherry pie turning in a pastry case in a diner—and just how delicious that would be. Then when Warrant sings about it in their own brand of buzzing, brash rock, well, we are hooked on the imagery. We want more. Slice by slice, note by note.

“Monkey Business” by Skid Row from ‘Slave To The Grind’ (1991)

When hair metal is at its best, the music sounds like a storm approaching. And then when it hits, you don’t know which way is up, which way is down, which way is right or left. You’re all turned around, and you’re grinning the whole time. Your senses have been played with, and you’re left by the end of the track to breathe heavy. Well, that’s just what happens to everyone who happens to listen to “Monkey Business” by Skid Row from the group’s 1991 LP, Slave To The Grind. It’s disorienting in the best of ways.

“Fly To The Angels” by Slaughter from ‘Stick It To Ya’ (1990)

When it comes to hair metal, there is often something sentimental just below the surface. While the sub-genre aims to wash over you with big waves of sound, there is something heartfelt below the bold, muscular music. For evidence of this, look no further than “Fly To The Angels” by Slaughter from the band’s 1990 LP, Stick It To Ya. It’s loving and sensitive as much as it is anthemic and all-encompassing.

Photo by Krasner/Trebitz/Redferns