3 Overplayed 80s Hair Metal Ballads You Wish You Could Forget but Can’t

In the early years of hair metal, the Sunset Strip bands were more akin to The New York Dolls’ glam punk than what emerged on MTV in the mid-80s. Some bands, like Faster Pussycat and L.A. Guns, remained a little closer to the rawness of The Dolls and Finnish glam icons Hanoi Rocks. But it all changed with the rise of music videos and, with it, the explosion of power ballads.

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Though rock ballads weren’t novel, the hair metal version became a unique kind of beast. The perfect vehicle to drain as much cringe from the Spinal Tap as is humanly possible. So, I’m here to remind you of three overplayed 80s hair metal ballads you wish you could forget. These songs are great, don’t get me wrong. But they were overplayed to death back in the day.

“Heaven” by Warrant

By the time Warrant arrived on the scene, the band already sounded like a copy of a copy of a copy. And with the power ballad being a prerequisite, Warrant gave us “Heaven” on its debut release, Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich. It leaned hard into the schmaltz with a gang-vocal key change, and Jani Lane’s earnest “whoa ohs” and “yeah yeahs” to make his point, “no matter what your friends say.” Think Poison without Bret Michaels’ populism and C.C. DeVille’s unhinged glam-punk shredding.

“Without You” by Mötley Crüe

After recording Shout At The Devil and Too Fast For Love, Mötley Crüe dramatically changed its sound on Theatre Of Pain. Nikki Sixx and Tommy Lee wrote a nostalgic piano ballad for Vince Neil to croon, and it helped ignite the power ballad trend among hair metal groups. “Home Sweet Home” became the model to emulate. But this is not that. “Without You” is the sound of an exhausted band. Resembling the final gasp from the overwrought scene Mötley Crüe popularized.

“Love Of A Lifetime” by Firehouse

Hoo boy, this one’s a doozy. Okay, in the fall of 1990, Alice In Chains had already released Facelift. Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Pearl Jam were about a year from their culture-shifting releases, not to mention Jane’s Addiction’s Ritual De Lo Habitual was in stores, too. So, a glam metal band from… Virginia called Firehouse drops “Love Of A Lifetime”. Forget grunge. When you’ve heard Axl Rose and Sebastian Bach howl power ballads like “Sweet Child O’ Mine” and “I Remember You”, I’m afraid poor Firehouse just didn’t stand a chance. Nonetheless, it was a hit.

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