The 1990s, more or less, marked the end of what is generally considered “classic” rock. Though the genre underwent many evolutions from the ’50s to the ’80s, there was a familiarity—an unabashedness—that connected rock through the decades. The ’90s, however, saw the rise of alternative rock, classic rock’s angsty and apathetic younger sibling. Though there wasn’t a hard cutoff for classic rock on January 1, 1990, we can still see the tail end of the ’80s as a sort of last stand for the genre as it was. Below, find three rock songs released in 1989 that helped close out classic rock’s final chapter.
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“Free Fallin’” (Tom Petty)
Though Tom Petty‘s “Free Fallin’” was a novel experience for its time, the song does use the basic building blocks of rock, earning it the “classic” descriptor. This song is equal parts power chorus and intimate, well-written verses. It’s got too much gusto to be considered alternative, helping it stand in stark contrast to the genre in the following decade.
Petty is a rocker who still demanded an audience in the ’90s, despite the shifting trends. Many subsequent bands drew inspiration from Petty, which tied a knot between his heartland rock and the alt-rock movement. Petty was an artist who held the thread between the roots of rock and the path it would take post-1989.
“Janie’s Got a Gun” (Aerosmith)
It’s hard to keep an audience’s attention for decades. Aerosmith, however, is an exception to the rule. Despite some career setbacks, the band was still relevant by the time the ’90s rolled around. They proved that with their 1989 release, “Janie’s Got a Gun.”
This song tackles some pretty dark themes, which would become commonplace in the ’90s. That decade would leave any glimpse of sparkling, arena-filling rock behind for something far less produced. In that way, this Aerosmith song can be seen as a forbear of alt-rock—soaring belts from Steven Tyler excluded.
“Kickstart My Heart” (Motley Crüe)
Speaking of high-production, arena-filling rock, we can’t let this list of 1989 rock songs go by without mentioning something from Motley Crüe. If ’90s grunge bands were the antithesis of anything, it’s a band like the Crüe.
Motley Crüe’s infamous brand of hair metal was flashy and caustic. Though some grunge bands fancied themselves as provocative, it wasn’t in the same vein as what Motley Crüe dished out. Songs like “Kickstart My Heart” would be heard less and less as the ’90s rolled on, eventually falling out of use entirely.
(Photo By Rick Diamond/Getty Images)
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