3 Tender Tracks From 1986 That Had Generation X Crying by the Radio

Ever heard a song that hit so close to home that it had you in tears? If you’re part of Generation X, I bet at least one of the following 1986 tracks had you crying by the radio back in the day.

“True Colors” by Cyndi Lauper from ‘True Colors’

“In a world full of people / You can lose sight of it all / And the darkness inside you / Can make you feel so small.”

Cyndi Lauper is known for her upbeat bops, but she dished out a ballad or two back in the day. “True Colors” is a pretty emotional and relatable synth-rock song, one that listeners definitely resonated with back in the day. The song peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1986.

“There’ll Be Sad Songs (To Make You Cry)” by Billy Ocean from ‘Love Zone’

“There’ll be sad songs / Maybe they make you cry / Maybe they give you reason why you should date a guy / Or maybe a reason why you should break it off / Or maybe the moment when you should take it off.”

Well… It’s in the title, isn’t it? “There’ll Be Sad Songs (To Make You Cry)” by Billy Ocean is a soulful and emotional tune. And it was inspired by another one of Ocean’s songs. Apparently, a friend of a friend had broken up with her boyfriend. She listened to the tune “Suddenly” at a party. Hearing the song made her break down in tears. That inspired “There’ll Be Sad Songs (To Make You Cry)”, which ended up being a hit for Ocean. The song reached No. 1 on the Hot 100 and numerous other US boards.

“Glory Of Love” by Peter Cetera from ‘Solitude/Solitaire’

“Sometimes, I just forget / Say things I might regret / It breaks my heart to see you crying / I don’t wanna lose you / I could never make it alone.”

Peter Cetera, famously of Chicago, makes it to our list of tracks from 1986 that had Generation X listeners crying by the radio with “Glory Of Love”. Anyone who was alive and conscious that year remembers this soft rock song, considering it was Cetera’s first big hit after leaving Chicago. “Glory Of Love” was a No. 1 hit in the US and Canada. And its inclusion in The Karate Kid Part II likely made even more listeners emotional.

Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images