3 Rock Songs From 1981 You Heard While Shopping at the Mall With Your Friends

Back in 1981, mall rat culture was in its early stirrings. And if you were young that very year, especially if you were a teenager, I bet you spent a lot of time at the mall with your friends. The following three rock songs might have even graced your ears from mall speakers back in 1981. Maybe these three hit tunes will bring back some happy memories, too.

“Who’s Crying Now” by Journey from ‘Escape’

Journey tends to make it to these types of lists often, and that’s just because their music is so mall-friendly. It’s no surprise that “Who’s Crying Now” makes it to our list of mall songs from 1981, considering it’s one of many 80s hits from the band. This soft rock jam was a hit with listeners at the time and peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100, among other US charts. It would be the band’s biggest song until the incomparable “Don’t Stop Believin’” dropped a few months later toward the end of 1981.

“The Best Of Times” by Styx from ‘Paradise Theatre’

Styx had a smash hit on their hands with “The Best Of Times” in 1981. This enduring, rhythm rock classic made it all the way to No. 3 on the Hot 100. And according to songwriter Dennis DeYoung, it was something of a therapeutic anthem for him.

“‘The Best Of Times’ came to me, lyrically, because I was trying to understand what it is that allows me to weather the changes in the world and in our country,” said DeYoung. “And I decided, ‘Well, love is a good thing.’ If you have somebody that you trust to have your back and you have theirs, this is fundamentally a good thing.”

“Urgent” by Foreigner from ‘4’

How about a slightly funkier tune on our list of 1981 rock songs that you definitely jammed out to at the mall back in the day? Foreigner decided to add a touch of pop-rock and funk to this hit single, which was written by Mick Jones. “Urgent” was a No. 4 hit on the Hot 100 and did similarly well in Canada.

Photo by © Roger Ressmeyer/CORBIS/VCG via Getty Images