4 of the Best Rock Songs Turning 40 This Year

You know a 1986 rock song when you hear it. The vocal deliveries and lyrical content are equally intense and dramatic. The guitars are loud, and the synthesizers are louder. Most importantly, every single snare seems to have been dropped into the bottom of a cavernous well. 

It was a beautiful time in rock ‘n’ roll history, and it produced some of the best contributions of all time to the rock canon. Indeed, 1986 is the birth year of some of our favorite rock songs, including these four.

“Addicted To Love” by Robert Palmer

English rock singer Robert Palmer released “Addicted To Love” in 1986, and both the song and accompanying music video have become quintessential symbols of the 1980s. The song is catchy in a sinister way, hiding dark, almost dystopian undertones that are reflected in the stone-faced models in Palmer’s music video. Few rock songs can say their music video is as ubiquitous as the track itself, but Palmer’s 1986 rock hit is among those that can.

“Shot In The Dark” by Ozzy Osbourne

Ozzy Osbourne was well into his post-Black Sabbath solo career in the mid-1980s, and he was producing some certified bangers. “Shot In The Dark” closed out his fourth solo album, The Ultimate Sin. The song is classic 1980s Ozzy: intense and dark, with just enough melodic qualities to keep it mainstream-sensible. “Shot In The Dark” marked a career milestone for Osbourne as his first single ever to chart on the Billboard Hot 100.

“Sledgehammer” by Peter Gabriel

It was hard to go anywhere in 1986 without hearing Peter Gabriel’s smash hit “Sledgehammer”. The song topped the charts in the United States and hit the Top 5 around the world, including Gabriel’s native United Kingdom and throughout Europe. “Sledgehammer” was another 1986 rock hit with a beloved music video, practically sweeping the 1987 MTV Video Music Awards for Video of the Year, Best Male Video, Best Concept Video, and Most Experimental Video, among others.

“Livin’ On A Prayer” by Bon Jovi

Finally, any conversation about 1980s rock ‘n’ roll is incomplete without mention of Bon Jovi. This New Jersey band came to define that dramatic, theatrical kind of glam rock that dominated the 80s scene. “Livin’ On A Prayer” came out in the fall of 1986, cementing its place in the rock ‘n’ roll canon when it became the band’s second consecutive No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, which was preceded by “You Give Love A Bad Name”.

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