4 Songs From the 1980s That Made You Wish You Were in a Rock Band, Too

The 1970s seemed to be full of songs about being in rock bands, but that trend died off in the subsequent decades. Maybe the indulgence of the 70s finally caught up to the global zeitgeist; maybe rock stars found other things to sing about; maybe both—either way, rock songs in the 1980s tended to lean toward grittier, darker themes.

Still, the argument for why you should be in a rock band was strong with some of these 1980s songs, even if that argument was a little rough around the edges.

“(We Are) The Roadcrew” by Motörhead

Motörhead’s “(We Are) The Roadcrew” is a heavy metal pros-and-cons list of life as a touring musician. This ode to the road closed the A-side of the rock band’s fourth album, Ace Of Spades. There are the obvious cons: travel headaches, strained relationships, too much junk food. But despite all that, the band wouldn’t trade their lifestyle for anything.

“But I just love the life I lead / another beer is what I need / another gig, my ears bleed / We are the road crew.”

“Welcome To The Jungle” by Guns N’ Roses

Guns N’ Roses’ 1989 hit “Welcome To The Jungle” is somehow sinister and appealing all at once. The song was technically an ode to Los Angeles, but the jungle concept makes it easy to equate this song with the entertainment industry as a whole. It’s the kind of song that made you want to be in a rock band just to prove that you could do it.

“You learn to live like an animal in the jungle where we play / if you got a hunger for what you see, you’ll take it eventually.”

“Rockin’ In The Free World” by Neil Young

Neil Young once again proved his impressive talent for writing scathing protest songs hidden inside infectious rock ‘n’ roll grooves with his 1989 track, “Rockin’ In The Free World”. The song openly criticizes the George H. W. Bush administration and offers bleak socioeconomic commentary. The “rock on” vibe of the chorus is meant to be sarcastic.

Still, how does one not want to be in a rock band when they’re singing along to “Keep on rocking in the free world”?

“Into The Great Wide Open” by Tom Petty

Closing out our list of 1980s songs that made you wish you were in a rock band is technically a song from Tom Petty’s 1991 album, Into The Great Wide Open. But this title track is too perfect for the prompt to omit on a technicality, and since Petty was a star in the 80s, we say it counts. “Into The Great Wide Open” is the ultimate American-dream story of starting a band, where the “sky was the limit.”

“Into the great wide open, under them skies of blue / Out in the great wide open, a rebel without a clue.”

Photo by Fin Costello/Redferns