Write Back Weekend "Long, Beautiful Hair"
Once upon a time, also known as "the eighties", there lived a segment of the population that wore acid wash, Aqua Net and wanted nothing but a good time. We called these people hair band groupies and their obsession was everything hair band mania. From approximately 1982 until 1992, hair bands swept the nation with their luscious locks, music that rocks and a make-up collection that probably rivaled your sixteen year old sister's.
But just as quickly as their hair rose them to fame, all the glam of the tight jeans seemed to fall into oblivion. Anyone who was around back then remembers the good ol' days and how while it was funny to laugh at the whole image, there actually was some pretty good power ballads, rockers and key vocalists that rocked this particular brand of music. This is why I asked you to not be shy and share your favorites this past Tuesday. Now it's my turn.
So I want you to dust off your wet t-shirts, lace up your Converse sneakers and join me while I take you on a trip down memory lane with my favorite hair band memories, complete with musical clips.
1. Bang Bang- Danger Danger To me, the lead singer of this band never really had a true "hair band" voice. If you close your eyes, he sounded more like he should be singing commercials about deodorant and its endurance. I mean this as an observation by the way, not a diss. "Bang, Bang" meanwhile was quite a fun song. Both a song and a band so nice that they named them twice.
2. Born To Be My Baby- Bon Jovi In the eighties, I thought that Bon Jovi could do no wrong. Maybe that's because I was surrounded by people who felt the same. I am from Jersey after all and Jon Bon Jovi is from two towns over. But besides his winning smile and great head of hair, they had so many great songs, it really was hard to pick just one to represent them here. In the last ten years or so I've tired of the later Jovi music. I know that's sacreligious to say where I come from, but it's true.
3. Time For Letting Go- Enuff Z Nuff- I searched briefly if there was a video for this song, but I wasn't surprised to see that there wasn't. I don't know why Enuff Z' Nuff never made it as big as some of the other hair bands of the time. I bought a few of their albums from the bargain bin and loved a lot of what I heard. They were hard rockers with a pop-filled center. "Time For Letting Go" wasn't very hard, but it was very cool.
4. Fallen Angel- Poison Growing up, I absolutely LOVED this video. This was back in a time where the video actually matched the song and the song told a story. Sure it was a story about an innocent girl who wants to move to California and corrupt herself, but it was a story all the same.
5. High Enough- Damn Yankees In the early nineties, Damn Yankees had a huge hit with "High Enough". It started off as a stirring ballad and kicked into high gear when it got to the chorus. They also had Ted Nugent too. Melodic with a touch of the crazies. I dig that.
6. Rest In Peace- Extreme I never understood why Extreme didn't get more credit for being a band that was more than, "More Than Words". Sure that might have been their biggest hit, but that was only one side of the multi-talented band. Interestingly enough, this song came from an album called III Sides To Every Story. "Rest In Peace" is not only kick ass, it also has a good message to it. Poor Gary Cherone got labeled as the bastard child of Van Halen after this. He should have been a star in his own right instead.
7. Run Runaway- Slade Believe it or not, I just discovered this song for the first time this year. I heard it on XM Radio's eighties channel and wondered how I never heard it before. Then I found myself searching for it for an hour on the internet, and lo and behold, I found it. I love how it starts off as a hard rock song, but it's also part comical hoe down. It's highly addictive, whatever it is. I was taken in by the chant-like quality which reminded me of another great song, "Come On Feel The Noise". Imagine my surprise when I discovered that song was actually a cover. The original? Done by these guys.
8. I Saw Red-Warrant In the early nineties there were two main choices for blonde, long-haired dreamy lead singers. You could have favored Bret Michaels of Poison, or Jani Lane of Warrant. Incidentally, they both ended up as washed up has beens on VH1 shows years later. Either way you were getting a cocktail of power ballads, rocker anthems and eye liner. It was hard for me to pick one song by Warrant two as I have two other favorites ("Heaven" and "Bitter Pill") but I settled on "I Saw Red" because I loved the story it told. He saw red when he opened up the door and he doesn't think he's gonna love you anymore.
9. 18 and Life- Skid Row Whether you know it or not, Skid Row were local boys too, discovered by Bon Jovi. Lead singer Sebastian Bach had an amazing voice that transcended hair band vocals. While Skid Row's success was short-lived, Bach went on to do some Broadway and even a stint on Gilmore Girls, completely rocking the world of hair band alum expectations. "18 and Life" was back when it all began.
10. Sister Christian- Night Ranger Sister Christian is another example of a hair band with pure pop tendencies. For years I thought the actual name of this song was "Motorin'". I also loved their other great song, "Sentimental Street" which was like "Motorin: Part Two". A lot of people rediscovered (or discovered) this song after it was showcased in the movie, Boogie Nights. It was always awesome though, to me.
11. If You Needed Somebody- Bad Company A lot of people who were fans of Bad Company in the seventies would say a song like this isn't true Bad Company. But this is the era of Bad Company I grew up on, and I completely loved this song. It was a great song about pining. Not to take anything away from the likes of "Feel Like Making Love". I'm just saying.
12. Girl Don't Go Away Mad- Motley Crue I was never a huge Motley Crue fan overall, but this song was just so great for its title alone. Seriously.
13. Love Bites- Def Leppard Let' just put it out there. Def Leppard had a lot of great hits. However I have no idea what they are talking about in the majority of their songs. "Pour Some Sugar On Me", "Armageddon It" "Rocket..Yeah"...it's all garbeldy gook to me. "Love Bites" meanwhile actually made some sense, though the whole "When you make love, do you look in the mirror?" lyric freaked me out when I was ten years old.
14. Be With You- Mr. Big Here lies yet another band not unlike Extreme, whose music had depth and color to it, but no one ever knew because their only big hit was the power ballad, "Be With You". "Just Take My Heart" was another excellent tune by them as well. Labeled wrongfully as a one hit wonder, "Be With You" was a great song. I remember seeing Bryan Adams as my first concert. Walking through the casino, I saw the lead singer of Mr. Big, the opening act, walking around. Our eyes locked in and it freaked me out. He was at the stage where he so badly wanted people to know him and shriek. I did know him, but I was not the shrieking type of girl. In the end, neither one of us got what we wanted.
15. Sweet Child O' Mine- Guns N' Roses When Guns N' Roses were so popular I like, totally hated them. I hated their music, I thought Axl Rose was ugly and I didn't see what all the fuss was about. But as years went on, I learned to embrace the music of Guns N' Roses, mainly because the different side that came out on their monster hit, "Patience". Now it is hard for me to pick just one song to best represent them but I settled upon "Sweet Child O' Mine" for its kickass intro. So I apologize Axl Rose, some twenty years too late. I also apologize to the girl whose Appetite for Destruction tape I ruined on the playground back in 1989. You never should have let me do that, but that doesn't mean it was right.
16. Honestly- Stryper For years, I loved the beginning of this song. I would begin to tape it off the radio over and over, forgetting each time what song it was. Then the lead singer would open his mouth and I would instantly hit stop. Needless to say, I really hated the vocals on this song back then. One day though I sat and listened to the whole thing and realized it really was a good song. Some people see it as a religious tune (since they are a religious band), others have made it their wedding song. Whatever floats your boat. That's what I say.
17. Legs- ZZ Top Despite whatever your preconceived notions are about ZZ Top, when you hear the name, I challenge you not to picture the long beards, big guitars and THIS video in your mind. Not only is it a classic video, it's also a classic song. She's got legs, and she knows how to use 'em.
18. Love Song- Tesla Some people loved this song for its long, beautiful intro alone. I loved all of it because it had a little bit of everything all rolled into one "love song". Their cover of "Signs" wasn't half bad either.
19. Here I Go Again- Whitesnake Now known as the infamous, "Tawny Kitaen dancing on the hood of a car video", "Here I Go Again" is actually a song that builds slowly, but totally draws you in. It's great to get you worked up before taking a second shot at something. If only Whitesnake could have pumped themselves up to revive their career.
20. When It's Love- Van Halen Another great band with too many great tunes to pick just one. I chose "When It's Love" because it was always a favorite of mine, and fell in line with the rest of the group so well. I know that I might get burned at the stake for picking a song from the Sammy Hagar years but it's ok, you'll get over it.
But just as quickly as their hair rose them to fame, all the glam of the tight jeans seemed to fall into oblivion. Anyone who was around back then remembers the good ol' days and how while it was funny to laugh at the whole image, there actually was some pretty good power ballads, rockers and key vocalists that rocked this particular brand of music. This is why I asked you to not be shy and share your favorites this past Tuesday. Now it's my turn.
So I want you to dust off your wet t-shirts, lace up your Converse sneakers and join me while I take you on a trip down memory lane with my favorite hair band memories, complete with musical clips.
1. Bang Bang- Danger Danger To me, the lead singer of this band never really had a true "hair band" voice. If you close your eyes, he sounded more like he should be singing commercials about deodorant and its endurance. I mean this as an observation by the way, not a diss. "Bang, Bang" meanwhile was quite a fun song. Both a song and a band so nice that they named them twice.
2. Born To Be My Baby- Bon Jovi In the eighties, I thought that Bon Jovi could do no wrong. Maybe that's because I was surrounded by people who felt the same. I am from Jersey after all and Jon Bon Jovi is from two towns over. But besides his winning smile and great head of hair, they had so many great songs, it really was hard to pick just one to represent them here. In the last ten years or so I've tired of the later Jovi music. I know that's sacreligious to say where I come from, but it's true.
3. Time For Letting Go- Enuff Z Nuff- I searched briefly if there was a video for this song, but I wasn't surprised to see that there wasn't. I don't know why Enuff Z' Nuff never made it as big as some of the other hair bands of the time. I bought a few of their albums from the bargain bin and loved a lot of what I heard. They were hard rockers with a pop-filled center. "Time For Letting Go" wasn't very hard, but it was very cool.
4. Fallen Angel- Poison Growing up, I absolutely LOVED this video. This was back in a time where the video actually matched the song and the song told a story. Sure it was a story about an innocent girl who wants to move to California and corrupt herself, but it was a story all the same.
5. High Enough- Damn Yankees In the early nineties, Damn Yankees had a huge hit with "High Enough". It started off as a stirring ballad and kicked into high gear when it got to the chorus. They also had Ted Nugent too. Melodic with a touch of the crazies. I dig that.
6. Rest In Peace- Extreme I never understood why Extreme didn't get more credit for being a band that was more than, "More Than Words". Sure that might have been their biggest hit, but that was only one side of the multi-talented band. Interestingly enough, this song came from an album called III Sides To Every Story. "Rest In Peace" is not only kick ass, it also has a good message to it. Poor Gary Cherone got labeled as the bastard child of Van Halen after this. He should have been a star in his own right instead.
7. Run Runaway- Slade Believe it or not, I just discovered this song for the first time this year. I heard it on XM Radio's eighties channel and wondered how I never heard it before. Then I found myself searching for it for an hour on the internet, and lo and behold, I found it. I love how it starts off as a hard rock song, but it's also part comical hoe down. It's highly addictive, whatever it is. I was taken in by the chant-like quality which reminded me of another great song, "Come On Feel The Noise". Imagine my surprise when I discovered that song was actually a cover. The original? Done by these guys.
8. I Saw Red-Warrant In the early nineties there were two main choices for blonde, long-haired dreamy lead singers. You could have favored Bret Michaels of Poison, or Jani Lane of Warrant. Incidentally, they both ended up as washed up has beens on VH1 shows years later. Either way you were getting a cocktail of power ballads, rocker anthems and eye liner. It was hard for me to pick one song by Warrant two as I have two other favorites ("Heaven" and "Bitter Pill") but I settled on "I Saw Red" because I loved the story it told. He saw red when he opened up the door and he doesn't think he's gonna love you anymore.
9. 18 and Life- Skid Row Whether you know it or not, Skid Row were local boys too, discovered by Bon Jovi. Lead singer Sebastian Bach had an amazing voice that transcended hair band vocals. While Skid Row's success was short-lived, Bach went on to do some Broadway and even a stint on Gilmore Girls, completely rocking the world of hair band alum expectations. "18 and Life" was back when it all began.
10. Sister Christian- Night Ranger Sister Christian is another example of a hair band with pure pop tendencies. For years I thought the actual name of this song was "Motorin'". I also loved their other great song, "Sentimental Street" which was like "Motorin: Part Two". A lot of people rediscovered (or discovered) this song after it was showcased in the movie, Boogie Nights. It was always awesome though, to me.
11. If You Needed Somebody- Bad Company A lot of people who were fans of Bad Company in the seventies would say a song like this isn't true Bad Company. But this is the era of Bad Company I grew up on, and I completely loved this song. It was a great song about pining. Not to take anything away from the likes of "Feel Like Making Love". I'm just saying.
12. Girl Don't Go Away Mad- Motley Crue I was never a huge Motley Crue fan overall, but this song was just so great for its title alone. Seriously.
13. Love Bites- Def Leppard Let' just put it out there. Def Leppard had a lot of great hits. However I have no idea what they are talking about in the majority of their songs. "Pour Some Sugar On Me", "Armageddon It" "Rocket..Yeah"...it's all garbeldy gook to me. "Love Bites" meanwhile actually made some sense, though the whole "When you make love, do you look in the mirror?" lyric freaked me out when I was ten years old.
14. Be With You- Mr. Big Here lies yet another band not unlike Extreme, whose music had depth and color to it, but no one ever knew because their only big hit was the power ballad, "Be With You". "Just Take My Heart" was another excellent tune by them as well. Labeled wrongfully as a one hit wonder, "Be With You" was a great song. I remember seeing Bryan Adams as my first concert. Walking through the casino, I saw the lead singer of Mr. Big, the opening act, walking around. Our eyes locked in and it freaked me out. He was at the stage where he so badly wanted people to know him and shriek. I did know him, but I was not the shrieking type of girl. In the end, neither one of us got what we wanted.
15. Sweet Child O' Mine- Guns N' Roses When Guns N' Roses were so popular I like, totally hated them. I hated their music, I thought Axl Rose was ugly and I didn't see what all the fuss was about. But as years went on, I learned to embrace the music of Guns N' Roses, mainly because the different side that came out on their monster hit, "Patience". Now it is hard for me to pick just one song to best represent them but I settled upon "Sweet Child O' Mine" for its kickass intro. So I apologize Axl Rose, some twenty years too late. I also apologize to the girl whose Appetite for Destruction tape I ruined on the playground back in 1989. You never should have let me do that, but that doesn't mean it was right.
16. Honestly- Stryper For years, I loved the beginning of this song. I would begin to tape it off the radio over and over, forgetting each time what song it was. Then the lead singer would open his mouth and I would instantly hit stop. Needless to say, I really hated the vocals on this song back then. One day though I sat and listened to the whole thing and realized it really was a good song. Some people see it as a religious tune (since they are a religious band), others have made it their wedding song. Whatever floats your boat. That's what I say.
17. Legs- ZZ Top Despite whatever your preconceived notions are about ZZ Top, when you hear the name, I challenge you not to picture the long beards, big guitars and THIS video in your mind. Not only is it a classic video, it's also a classic song. She's got legs, and she knows how to use 'em.
18. Love Song- Tesla Some people loved this song for its long, beautiful intro alone. I loved all of it because it had a little bit of everything all rolled into one "love song". Their cover of "Signs" wasn't half bad either.
19. Here I Go Again- Whitesnake Now known as the infamous, "Tawny Kitaen dancing on the hood of a car video", "Here I Go Again" is actually a song that builds slowly, but totally draws you in. It's great to get you worked up before taking a second shot at something. If only Whitesnake could have pumped themselves up to revive their career.
20. When It's Love- Van Halen Another great band with too many great tunes to pick just one. I chose "When It's Love" because it was always a favorite of mine, and fell in line with the rest of the group so well. I know that I might get burned at the stake for picking a song from the Sammy Hagar years but it's ok, you'll get over it.
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