The Playlist: Arena Rock
The Playlist by Graham Cawthon
It's been suggested to me since this column began that I should do a piece on the music of the 1980s. The rise of Michael Jackson and Madonna to superstars. The creation of new music genres, such as new wave and glam metal. But, with the 80s being such a large topic to tackle, I'll spend this week focusing on one of the most popular aspects of 80s music - arena rock.
You know who they are. The rock groups popular in the early to mid 80s that lacked the edginess of AC/DC or Ozzy. Big hair, big guitars. And, when the opportunity arose, big ballads.
Journey - Don't Stop Believin' (album: Escape, 1981)
Everyone knows this song. Want proof? "Just a small town girl ..."
You finished the line, didn't you? Journey is the king of arena rock and this was their crowning achievement. It's a song that has lived on through movies (The Wedding Singer), sit-coms (Scrubs, above), cartoons (Family Guy) and even one of those award-winning HBO series (the much-talked about Sopranos finale). Because of the TV exposure in recent years, the song has frequently been listed among iTunes' most downloaded songs.
Europe - The Final Countdown (album: The Final Countdown, 1986)
VH1 rated it one of their "40 Most Awesomely Bad Metal Songs." I respectfully disagree. In my opinion it's the epitome of over-the-top 80s rock. And when you throw in the catchy synthesizer ... well, that's just perfect. The signature song from the Swedish band peaked at #8 in the US but reached #1 in 26 countries. Not bad for an "awesomely bad" tune, huh?
Def Leppard - Pour Some Sugar On Me (album: Hysteria, 1987)
Twenty years later and the song still draws a crowd at college parties around the country. As of 2005, the song had been downloaded over 500,000 times, earning the song RIAA Gold certification for digital downloads. It is one of the few songs recorded before 2004 to accomplish that goal. The single reached #2 on the US charts and later ranked #2 on VH1's "100 Best Songs of the '80s" and #1 on MTV's "Top 100 Videos of All Time." Keep in mind that MTV poll was from 1991.
Poison - Every Rose Has Its Thorn (album: Open Up And Say ... Ahh!, 1988)
Bret Michaels (currently the star of VH1's Rock of Love) has said the song was written in a laundromat after a stripper broke his heart. So sweet. The power ballad reached #1 in the US on Christmas Eve 1988 and stayed on top three weeks. It was the band's first and only chart-topping single.
Bon Jovi - Livin' on a Prayer (album: Slippery When Wet, 1987)
Remember when Bon Jovi still did rock songs? The story of Tommy and Gina, "down on their luck," lasted four weeks at #1 on the Billboard charts in 1987. This is about as close a marriage between downtrodden Springsteen-esque lyrics and 80s glam rock music as I can imagine.
Those are my picks. What are yours? Shoot me an e-mail at grahamcawthon@shelbystar.com and I might use them in a future column.
It's been suggested to me since this column began that I should do a piece on the music of the 1980s. The rise of Michael Jackson and Madonna to superstars. The creation of new music genres, such as new wave and glam metal. But, with the 80s being such a large topic to tackle, I'll spend this week focusing on one of the most popular aspects of 80s music - arena rock.
You know who they are. The rock groups popular in the early to mid 80s that lacked the edginess of AC/DC or Ozzy. Big hair, big guitars. And, when the opportunity arose, big ballads.
Journey - Don't Stop Believin' (album: Escape, 1981)
Everyone knows this song. Want proof? "Just a small town girl ..."
You finished the line, didn't you? Journey is the king of arena rock and this was their crowning achievement. It's a song that has lived on through movies (The Wedding Singer), sit-coms (Scrubs, above), cartoons (Family Guy) and even one of those award-winning HBO series (the much-talked about Sopranos finale). Because of the TV exposure in recent years, the song has frequently been listed among iTunes' most downloaded songs.
Europe - The Final Countdown (album: The Final Countdown, 1986)
VH1 rated it one of their "40 Most Awesomely Bad Metal Songs." I respectfully disagree. In my opinion it's the epitome of over-the-top 80s rock. And when you throw in the catchy synthesizer ... well, that's just perfect. The signature song from the Swedish band peaked at #8 in the US but reached #1 in 26 countries. Not bad for an "awesomely bad" tune, huh?
Def Leppard - Pour Some Sugar On Me (album: Hysteria, 1987)
Twenty years later and the song still draws a crowd at college parties around the country. As of 2005, the song had been downloaded over 500,000 times, earning the song RIAA Gold certification for digital downloads. It is one of the few songs recorded before 2004 to accomplish that goal. The single reached #2 on the US charts and later ranked #2 on VH1's "100 Best Songs of the '80s" and #1 on MTV's "Top 100 Videos of All Time." Keep in mind that MTV poll was from 1991.
Poison - Every Rose Has Its Thorn (album: Open Up And Say ... Ahh!, 1988)
Bret Michaels (currently the star of VH1's Rock of Love) has said the song was written in a laundromat after a stripper broke his heart. So sweet. The power ballad reached #1 in the US on Christmas Eve 1988 and stayed on top three weeks. It was the band's first and only chart-topping single.
Bon Jovi - Livin' on a Prayer (album: Slippery When Wet, 1987)
Remember when Bon Jovi still did rock songs? The story of Tommy and Gina, "down on their luck," lasted four weeks at #1 on the Billboard charts in 1987. This is about as close a marriage between downtrodden Springsteen-esque lyrics and 80s glam rock music as I can imagine.
Those are my picks. What are yours? Shoot me an e-mail at grahamcawthon@shelbystar.com and I might use them in a future column.
posted by Graham at
7:42 PM
1 Comments:
I was with you on this until Poison. How about Quiet Riot, Whitesnake, Queensryche? They all stink (in a good way), but not as much as Poison.
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