Remember when songs used to give us chills? You’ll be hard-pressed to find a modern-day song that elicits that same unique feeling nowadays. Let’s take a walk back in time and revisit just a handful of rock songs from the 1980s that will give you chills, no matter how many times you’ve heard them.
“The Living Years” by Mike + The Mechanics from ‘Living Years’ (1988)
Mike + The Mechanics dropped this massive hit ballad back in 1988. “The Living Years” peaked at No. 1 in the US and the Top 10 in countless other countries. I can see why. “The Living Years” is a chill-inducing song, written by BA Robertson and Muke Rutherford, that came about when both men realized their fathers had died near the same time. The result was a somewhat existential song about wanting to be like one’s parents but also not wanting to be like them at all.
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“There was a huge change and our generation wanted to be anything but their fathers,” said Rutherford. “It wasn’t our parents’ fault, there was just a big social change. Pop music had come along, The Beatles, denim trousers… for the first time, teens had their own culture. That’s how our generation couldn’t really talk to our parents in the same way. So we had the idea of writing a song about how you never really talk to your father, and you miss out on these things.”
“Brothers In Arms” by Dire Straits from ‘Brothers In Arms’ (1985)
“Brothers In Arms” by Dire Straits is a blues-rock gem from 1985 with chilling elements. Written during Great Britain’s involvement in the Falklands War, Mark Knopfler wrote this tune as an anti-war anthem, complete with a jaw-dropping guitar solo. “Brothers In Arms” was a hit as well, peaking at No. 16 in the UK and No. 10 in Ireland.
“Every Rose Has Its Thorn” by Poison from ‘Open Up And Say… Ahh!’ (1988)
Less about family or war and more about being in love, this Poison hit still gets under the skin of listeners today. This entry on our list of 1980s rock songs that will give you chills is one of the glam metal outfit’s most memorable songs, and plenty of listeners at the time loved it. It peaked at No. 1 on the Hot 100 and did similarly well globally.
Bret Michaels said this song was inspired by a call he made to an old girlfriend, during which he could hear another man’s voice in the background. He was devastated by the betrayal and wrote “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” soon after.
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