What Were We Thinking?

While I’m not particularly proud of the time and money I spent on heavy metal music in my youth, at least I had an excuse: I was young (maybe twelve or thirteen years old). But what excuse did the older people have for supporting a musical movement that (for the most part) was clearly total crap? I think the answer has something to do with the heavy metal bands and their fans all wanting to have- in the words of Poison- “nothin’ but a good time”. I guess I respect metal as an art form but most of the ‘80s metal I experienced as a kid was like something out of the movie This Is Spinal Tap.

Poison

‘80s metal didn’t have the politics of punk or the nerdiness of new wave- it was all attitude. With its tight pants, makeup, and hair spray- not to mention easy to follow lyrics, primal sexuality, and bad reputation- heavy metal filled a void in ‘80s rock music and its catchy anthems and power ballads set the malls and suburbs on fire for nearly a decade (until Guns N’ Roses came along and blew them all out of the water). Iron Maiden and Ozzy Osbourne (both accused of promoting devil worship) were about as heavy as I got back then and I always felt safer in the arms of pop metal which for me stayed much closer to the roots of rock & roll. Here are some of my favorite metal songs (from a time some of us would like to forget- well, sometimes). Enjoy!

Mötley Crüe

01. Ozzy Osbourne – “Crazy Train (Live)” (1981)
02. Mötley Crüe – "Kickstart My Heart” (1989)
03. Hanoi Rocks – “Don’t You Ever Leave Me” (1984)
04. Bon Jovi – “Livin’ on a Prayer” (1986)
05. Skid Row – “I Remember You” (1989)
06. Mötley Crüe – “Home Sweet Home” (1985)
07. Poison – “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” (1988)

08. Poison – “Cry Tough” (1986)

09. Poison – “Talk Dirty to Me” (1986)

Listen to the playlist on Spotify...

Recommended Links:

Bon Jovi – “Livin’ on a Prayer”

Mötley Crüe – “Home Sweet Home”