A throwback article from one of our Metal Sludge Top Lists!
These were always fun, we hope you agree!
Enjoy this cool throwback from the great Gerry Gittelson!
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Metal Sludge — Welcome to Metal Sludge’s definitive version of Hair Metal’s Top 12 party rock songs.
We waved through all the confetti and sloshed through all the champagne to deliver this all-access tour laminate of a list.
These are the hair metal songs that breathe the most life.
After much debate, here is our official Top 12 Greatest Hair Metal Party Rock Songs Of All Time.
1, “Rock and Roll All Nite,” KISS — The live version in 1975 nearly cracked the Top 10 while pushing KISS into the stratosphere. More than 45 years later, this is still the band’s signature hit that almost always is the concert finale, as the last pyro bombs explode and the whole arena sings along.
In 2008, it was named the 16th greatest hard rock song of all time by VH1.
Lyrics like “you say you wanna go for a spin/the party’s just begun, we’ll let you in” glorified the band’s brazen attitude.
Fun Fact: In 2006, Hit Parader ranked Paul Stanley 18th on their list of the Top 100 Metal Vocalists of All Time.
2, “Nothin’ But a Good Time,” Poison — The song and popular video defined Poison, a party band who has always left the serious-statement stuff to groups like U2.
Led by Bret Michaels and guitarist C.C. DeVille, Poison was all about the colors of life on this one, and “Nothin'” reached No. 6 on the charts in 1988, as glam rock reigned supreme not just in Los Angeles but for a short while the whole world.
Wikipedia: Poison, initially named Paris, was formed in 1983, in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania and consisted of lead vocalist Bret Michaels, guitarist Matt Smith, bassist Bobby Dall and drummer Rikki Rockett.
Michaels began his performing career with a basement band called Laser and, then, in 1979, joined longtime childhood friend Rockett to form a band called the Spectres. In 1980, Michaels and Rockett teamed up with Smith and Dall to form the band Paris and the group started playing the club circuit, performing mostly rock cover songs in local bars. The group formed a strong local following but in order to further their career the band made the decision to move to Los Angeles on March 6, 1983 and also changed the name of the group from Paris to Poison, after the song of the same name by glam metal band Kix
3, “Cherry Pie,” Warrant — Jani Lane wrote this song a week after listening to Electric Boys’ “Lips & Hips” in 1989, and you can hear the influence in what turned out to be Warrant’s most distinctive hit.
Video vixen Bobbie Brown helped a LOT, of course, as “Cherry Pie” made its way to the top 10 and became a glam-rock anthem.
It was perfect for it’s era — bawdy, over-the-top and fun as all get-out.
More Pie: The video for “Cherry Pie” received heavy airplay on MTV and other music video stations. It featured the members of Warrant and a scantily clad woman (model Bobbie Brown) who is seen dancing throughout the video while the band members perform and make tongue-in-cheek references to the song’s lyrics (for example, when the above-quoted line referencing baseball is sung, Bobbie appears in a form-fitting baseball kit, complete with a bat), all against a white background.
Bobbie became involved with Jani Lane soon after the video was shot, and married him in 1991.
4, “Paradise City,” Guns N’ Roses — Written by Slash in the back of a van coming home from one of the group’s first gigs, “Paradise City” reached the top 5 and was Guns N’ Roses’ concert finale on the legendary “Appetite For Destruction” tour.
Released in early 1989, “Paradise City” featured great lyrics — “Take me down to the Paradise City where the grass is green and the girls are pretty” — a monster guitar riff and unique changes, as the seven-minute song goes into double time for the final two minutes.
About the Album: Appetite for Destruction is the debut studio album by American hard rock band Guns N’ Roses. It was released on July 21, 1987, by Geffen Records.
The album was released to little mainstream attention in 1987. It was not until the following year that it became a massive commercial success, after the band had toured and received airplay with the singles “Welcome to the Jungle“, “Paradise City” and “Sweet Child o’ Mine“. It topped the Billboard 200 and became the best-selling debut album of all time, as well as the eleventh best-selling album of all time in the United States. With over 30 million copies sold worldwide, it is also one of the best-selling records of all time.
Although critics were originally ambivalent toward the album, Appetite for Destruction has since received retrospective acclaim and been viewed as one of the greatest albums of all time. In 2018, it was re-released as a remastered box set to similar acclaim.
5, “Wild Side,” Motley Crue — As soon as you hear the revving of the motorcycle throttle, you know exactly what’s up — you’re taking a walk on the Wild Side.
Vince Neil, Nikki Sixx and their comrades are all about the party, and this 1987 classic gets a rise every time.
A tribute to the Sunset Strip, “WildSide” cracked the top 20 and proved an MTV sensation.
Page Six on Nikki Sixx: Before his days in the band, bassist and principal songwriter Nikki Sixx (born Frank Carlton Serafino Feranna Jr.) was a juvenile delinquent while living with his grandparents in Jerome, Idaho, where he was reportedly expelled from high school. They packed him up and sent him off to Seattle to live with his mother, where he was arrested for selling “chocolate mescaline” at a Rolling Stones concert in June 1972. He subsequently fled the city and landed in Los Angeles.
6, “Pour Some Sugar on Me,” Def Leppard — British import Def Leppard was the perfect fit for a 1980s party band, and “Pour Some Sugar on Me” was among a string of big hits.
The anthem saturated rock radio in 1988 and climbed to No. 2.
“Pour some sugar on me in the name of love.”
It makes perfect sense. At the time, there was no one bigger.
Hysteria Album: Hysteria is the fourth studio album by English rock band Def Leppard, released on 3 August 1987 through Mercury Records. It is Def Leppard’s best-selling album to date, selling over 20 million copies worldwide, including 12 million in the US, and spawning seven hit singles. The album charted at number one on both the Billboard 200 and the UK Albums Chart
7, “Living on a Prayer,” Bon Jovi — In 1986, Bon Jovi was the face of Rock, and “Living on a Prayer” was the catapult.
Just ask Tommy from the docks or Gina from the diner all day.
Songwriter Desmond Child helped Jon and Richie Sambora all the way to No. 1, as “Slippery When Wet” sold tens of millions.
The video has nearly a billion views.
About the Video: The music video was filmed on September 17, 1986, at the Grand Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles, California and was directed by Wayne Isham. It all starts with a silhouette of the band walking down the hall and it features shots of the band rehearsing, filmed in black and white, then playing in front of a crowd, in color.
In the beginning of the video, Jon has a harness attached by professional stunt coordinators and stunt spotters, and during the final chorus, he soars over the crowd via overhead wires attached to the harness.
8, “Panama,” Van Halen — No list of hair metal party songs would be complete without a Van Halen selection, and David Lee Roth is Rock’s grand master.
“Panama” reached No. 13, the third single from “1984,” when David and Eddie were on top of the world. Between Roth’s clever lyrics, Eddie’s blistering guitar and Alex Van Halen’s pounding drums, this party anthem never comes up for air.
“Yeah we’re running a little bit hot tonight.” You betcha.
1984 the Album: Musically, 1984 has been described as glam metal, hard rock, heavy metal, synth rock, and pop rock. The album’s first two singles, “Jump” and “I’ll Wait“, feature prominent synthesizers, as does the album’s intro track, “1984”, a one-minute instrumental. Eddie Van Halen played an Oberheim OB-Xa synthesizer on the album except for “I’ll Wait” which was recorded with the newer Oberheim OB-8. The reason for this is that Ed’s OB-Xa was having an issue staying in tune and while it was being repaired he was sent the newer model OB-8 (which was featured prominently on future Van Halen albums).
1984 saw the release of the album’s third single “Panama“, which features a heavy guitar riff reminiscent of Van Halen’s earlier work. The engine noise was from Eddie revving up his Lamborghini, with microphones used near the tailpipes. Later, a video of “Hot for Teacher” was released and played regularly on MTV, giving the band a fourth hit which sustained sales of the album.
9, “Youth Gone Wild,” Skid Row — Skid Row burst onto the scene in early 1989, and chorus-heavy “Youth Gone Wild” was the first single.
Sabastian Bach and Co. used the momentum to become one of America’s top bands back when rock ruled radio, retail and MTV.
“They call us problem child/
We spend our lives on trial/
We walk an endless mile/
We are the youth gone wild!”
Early Years: Skid Row was formed in 1986 in Toms River, New Jersey, by bassist Rachel Bolan and guitarist Dave Sabo. The pair recruited guitarist Scotti Hill and drummer Rob Affuso through newspaper ads. Lead vocalistSebastian Bach replaced original singer Matt Fallon after the band spotted Bach singing at rock photographer Mark Weiss‘s wedding at the age of 18, and the members asked him to join in early 1987. Bolan claimed in a 2020 interview on the Chuck Shute Podcast that, before settling with Bach on vocals, then-future Mötley Crüe singer John Corabi auditioned for Skid Row.
Sabo and John Bongiovi were teenage friends and Sabo was briefly a member of Bon Jovi before being replaced by guitarist Richie Sambora. Sabo and Bongiovi agreed that if one of them made it in the music business, he would help the other out. Bon Jovi’s manager Doc McGhee sought out Skid Row, and secured the band a record deal with Atlantic Records in 1988. Skid Row recorded its debut at the Royal Recorders in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin with producer Michael Wagener. Before releasing the album, the management paid a reported $35,000 to guitarist Gary Moore for the rights to the name of his namesake band.
10, Night Ranger “(You Can Still) Rock in America” — With its twin guitar leads, dynamic vocals and inspiring lyrics, this dynamic 1983 song made Night Ranger a household name.
Don’t just take our word for it. You can ask little sister by the record machine.
It was written by Jack Blades and guitarist Brad Gillis, but did you know mighty Glenn Hughes provided background vocals?
Wikipedia: Night Ranger is an American hard rock band from San Francisco formed in 1979 that gained popularity during the 1980s with a series of albums and singles. The band’s first five albums sold more than 10 million copies worldwide and have sold 17 million albums total. The quintet is perhaps best known for the power ballad “Sister Christian,” which peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100 in June 1984, along with several other top 40 hit singles in the 1980s, including “Don’t Tell Me You Love Me,” “When You Close Your Eyes,” “Sentimental Street,” “Four in the Morning (I Can’t Take Any More),” and “Goodbye.”
11, “Rock You Like a Hurricaine,” Scorpions — With its huge guitar hook and unforgettable chorus, this 1984 smash cracked the top 25 and arrived just as MTV was becoming the world’s biggest radio station.
Fans go crazy for this song. Young, old, male, female, pop, glam, metal. It is of universal appeal
The lyrics show great imagery: “He’s licking his lips, he’s ready to win/On the hunt tonight for love at first sting”
History Says: Scorpions are a German rock band formed in 1965 in Hanover by Rudolf Schenker. Since the band’s inception, its musical style has ranged from hard rock, heavy metal, and glam metal. The lineup from 1978 to 1992 was the most successful incarnation of the group, and included Klaus Meine (vocals), Rudolf Schenker (rhythm guitar), Matthias Jabs (lead guitar), Francis Buchholz (bass), and Herman Rarebell (drums). The band’s only continuous member has been Schenker, although Meine has appeared on all of Scorpions’ studio albums, while Jabs has been a consistent member since 1978, and bassist Paweł Mąciwoda and drummer Mikkey Dee have been in the band since 2003 and 2016 respectively.
12, “Cum on Feel The Noize,” Quiet Riot — The whole concept of glam-metal party anthems started with Quiet Riot, and this 1983 instant classic propelled the band all the way to No. 1.
Technically a Slade cover, if ever a band made a song its own, it was here with Quiet Riot.
That was nearly 40 years ago, and the band is still going strong today.
Wikipedia: Quiet Riot is an American heavy metal band founded in Los Angeles in 1973 by guitarist Randy Rhoads and bassist Kelly Garni. The band is ranked at No. 100 on VH1‘s 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock.
The original line-up featured Rhoads and Garni with lead vocalist Kevin DuBrow and drummer Drew Forsyth, though that version of the band was mired by turmoil that would eventually see Garni fired for threatening to kill DuBrow. Their most commercially successful lineup consisted of DuBrow alongside guitarist Carlos Cavazo, bassist Rudy Sarzo and drummer Frankie Banali, and in 1983 released their breakthrough album Metal Health, which is known for being the first heavy metal album to top the Billboard album chart. The band had several hit singles which charted on the Billboard Hot 100, including “Cum On Feel the Noize,” “Mama Weer All Crazee Now,” (both cover songs of the British glam rock band Slade), and “Bang Your Head (Metal Health).”
Gerry Gittelson can be reaced at gerryg123@hotmail.com.