TOP TEN ‘80s Power Ballads

What killed the hair metal and AOR scene of the 1980s? Was it really grunge, as many music historians have cited in the wake of Nirvana‘s overnight success, or was the demise of men in make-up, leather pants and elaborate guitar solos self-inflicted? One song often referred to as the final nail in the coffin was Every Rose Has Its Thorn, a country-style power ballad which saw Poison scoring the biggest hit of their career.

During the latter half of the decade the ballad became an obligatory staple of the metal album, with bands such as Bon Jovi, Faster Pussycat, Skid Row and even W.A.S.P. achieving success with their own love songs. Elsewhere, the likes of Heart and Starship (who were once the iconic ’60s band Jefferson Airplane) forged a career out of power ballads, often employing professional songwriters to help craft the perfect radio hit.

10. JOURNEY – Don’t Stop Believin’
It would take until their seventh studio album until Journey were able to break into the top ten, with the album producing three such hit singles. The second of these, and still the band’s best known song, was Don’t Stop Believin’, which reached number nine in the US when it was released in October 1981. Over the years the track has enjoyed numerous revivals, the most recent of which was in 2008 when it was performed on the popular show Glee. Among the bands to cover the song was Steel Panther, who released a download-only version in 2009.

9. DEF LEPPARD – Hysteria
Few would argue that Def Leppard owe much of their success to Robert John “Mutt” Lange. Much as Alice Cooper created his best work with Bob Ezrin and Aerosmith with Jack Douglas, Lange’s production skills were integral to the band’s sound and helped to create a larger-than-life feel to the group. Even after drummer Rick Allen lost an arm in a car crash in 1984, they still managed to overcome the tragedy with a specially designed drumkit and a new arsenal of songs that eclipsed their prior work. The result was Hysteria, which not only produced the rock anthems Pour Some Sugar on Me and Animal but also the title track, which perfected the power ballad template previously employed on their 1981 hit Bringin’ on the Heartbreak.

8. WHITESNAKE – Is This Love
As the 1980s progressed Whitesnake slowly shifted from their hard rock and blues roots towards the Hollywood hair metal scene, resulting in their 1987 self-titled album. With frontman David Coverdale remaining the only original member, the record saw the band re-recording their 1982 track Here I Go Again to capture the new metal scene, while also recording the ballad Is This Love. Both songs, along with Still of the Night, became major hits for the band, while their music videos would feature Coverdale’s girlfriend, model Tawny Kitaen, who would become the ultimate ’80s rock chick.

7. HEART – Alone
While far from their best song, 1987’s Alone was the single that would finally cement Heart‘s reputation as one of the ultimate power ballad acts, something they had not quite achieved with the hits What About Love and Never two years earlier. Written by Tom Kelly and regular collaborator Billy Steinberg, both previously responsible for the Madonna hit Like a Virgin, Alone was released from the band’s album Bad Animals and would land them their second US number one, following 1985′s These Dreams. This would also be their last number one to date, with their only other top ten singles being Who Will You Run To (number seven) and 1990′s comeback All I Wanna Do Is Make Love to You (number two).

6. FOREIGNER – I Want to Know What Love Is
Foreigner had landed their first top ten hit in the United States with their debut single, Feels Like the First Time, in 1977, and by the end of the decade they had succeeded in achieving a further three. I Want to Know What Love Is, from their fifth album Agent Provocateur, was released by Atlantic Records in November 1984 and became their first number one, climbing to the top of both the US and UK singles charts. The song has since become the obligatory song to be included on every power ballad compilation.

5. CINDERELLA – Don’t Know What You Got (Till It’s Gone)
Cinderella first emerged in 1986 with the album Night Songs and, under the watchful eye of rising star Jon Bon Jovi, were labelled glam metal alongside the likes of Poison. But by the release of their second album, 1988’s Long Cold Winter, the band had begun to move away from hair metal and further towards blues, as would be evident with the track Bad Seamstress Blues/Fallin’ Apart at the Seams. The group’s biggest hit would be the piano-driven track Don’t Know What You Got (Till It’s Gone), which reached number 12 in the US charts. Two years later the band would release a superior ballad, Heartbreak Station.

4. AEROSMITH – Angel
Aerosmith‘s climb out of the abyss during the mid-1980s was a slow process and their first release through Geffen Records, 1985′s Done With Mirrors, failed to achieve the success both parties had hoped for. But teaming up with professional writers Jim Vallance, Holly Knight and Desmond Child, the band made a spectacular comeback with Permanent Vacation two years later. Child would help co-write the second single from the album, the power ballad Angel, which would land the group with their third hit in a row, following Dude (Looks Like a Lady) and a re-recording of Walk This Way with hip hop outfit Run-D.M.C.

3. L.A. GUNS – Ballad of Jayne
Unfortunately it seemed that L.A. Guns were never able to fully escape the shadow of Guns N’ Roses, a band who had shared members and performed on the same local circuit as, only to be signed to a major label and release one of the biggest rock albums of the decade. Having recruited English singer Phil Lewis, L.A. Guns had enjoyed minor success with their eponymous debut album but it would be its follow-up, 1989’s Cocked & Loaded that would give them a small taste of the mainstream. The highlight would be The Ballad of Jayne, which best demonstrated the power of Lewis’ voice and the guitar skills of Tracii Lewis.

2. MÖTLEY CRÜE – Home Sweet Home
Mötley Crüe’s excessive lifestyle was bound to take its toll eventually, resulting in the death of Hanoi Rocks drummer Razzle after Mötley Crüe frontman Vince Neil opted to drive the two of them to a nearby liquor store while under the influence. The tragedy would bring an end to Hanoi Rocks and cast a dark cloud over the future of Mötley Crüe. Following various legal difficulties and time in rehab, the band returned with a disappointing album, appropriately titled Theatre of Pain. While their cover of Brownville Station‘s 1973 track Smokin’ in the Boys Room would mark a playful comeback, it would be the power ballad Home Sweet Home that would prove to be the album’s highlight.

1. POISON – Every Rose Has Its Thorn
Some considered it a more mature sound following numerous songs about sex and partying, while others dismissed it as sentimental nonsense and a betrayal to their earlier carefree style. Every Rose Has Its Thorn, inspired by a phone call frontman Bret Michaels had made during Poison’s 1987 tour, in which he discovered that his girlfriend was cheating on him, the song allegedly caused friction with guitarist C.C. DeVille, who felt that it was inappropriate for their second album, Open Up And Say… Ahh!. Regardless, it was the third single released from the record and gave the group their only number one, while also reaching the top 20 in the UK. The song’s appeal has resulted in Michaels regularly performing it as a solo artist.

See larger image Vh1: Big 80's Power Ballads (Audio CD) List Price: $13.96 USD New From: $8.49 In Stock Used from: $3.82 In Stock Release date October 5, 1999.