the art of hair metal balladry

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discuss?

pov?

"I Remember You"--Skid Row
"Wanted Dead or Alive"--Bon Jovi
"Love Bites"--Def Leppard
"Patience"--Guns & Roses
"Coming Home"--Cinderella

― pinko, Wednesday, 27 April 2005 16:32 (twenty years ago)

Ditch number 2 (cause I hate Bon Jovi) and there's much to talk about. (Or keep it, whatever.)

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 16:36 (twenty years ago)

i have perfected the art of completely ignoring it.

― b b, Wednesday, 27 April 2005 16:40 (twenty years ago)

What about, instead of "Wanted Dead or Alive," "When the Children Cry" by White Lion? Or "I Saw Red" by Warrant? Or "These Dreams" by Heart? I hated these bands the first time around, but, The Darkness notwithstanding, this type of music's been so ignored for the past 15 or so years, I sort of miss it. Maybe I'm nuts.

― pinko, Wednesday, 27 April 2005 16:49 (twenty years ago)

what of that one "Angel Eyes" song by Steelheart? Or "Phantom Rider" by Tora Tora?

― Gear! (can Jung shill it, Mu?) (Gear!), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 16:51 (twenty years ago)

Every Rose Has It's Thorn - Poison
Something to Believe In - Poison
In a Darkened Room - Skid Row
Miles Away - Winger
I Saw Red - Warrant
Joey - Bon Jovi
Carrie - Europe
I'll Be There For You - Bon Jovi
Ballad of Jayne - LA Guns

This is one of my favourite genre's of music.

― jel -- (jel), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 16:53 (twenty years ago)

I wish all my CD's weren't in a box. I really wanna listen to Carrie now :(

― jel -- (jel), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 16:54 (twenty years ago)

who's to blame for this subgenre - Aerosmith?

― Shakey Mo Collier, Wednesday, 27 April 2005 16:55 (twenty years ago)

JOURNEY!

― jel -- (jel), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 16:55 (twenty years ago)

"Close Me Eyes Forever" - Lita and Ozzy!

― Gear! (can Jung shill it, Mu?) (Gear!), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 16:55 (twenty years ago)

that would be the Cockney version, obviously...

― Gear! (can Jung shill it, Mu?) (Gear!), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 16:56 (twenty years ago)

NAZARETH

― Gear! (can Jung shill it, Mu?) (Gear!), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 16:56 (twenty years ago)

The greatest hair-metal ballad is Kix, "Don't Close Your Eyes."

I used to like "Love Is on the Way" by Saigon Kick as well, but I haven't heard it in 15 years.

― Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 16:57 (twenty years ago)

More Than Words - Extreme

― jel -- (jel), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 16:57 (twenty years ago)

Maybe a bit too true to be "hair metal" but "Master of the Wind" by Manowar!!

― dog latin (dog latin), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 16:58 (twenty years ago)

nah - I'm pretty sure Aerosmith predates Journey...? I guess we could try to blame Zeppelin, but their english-folky ballads seem of a different stripe....

x-post

― Shakey Mo Collier, Wednesday, 27 April 2005 16:58 (twenty years ago)

big x-post

Maybe not Aerosmith, but Zeppelin? Wouldn't the ur-hair metal ballad be "Goin' to California"? It's got the acoustic guitar thing going, the forlorn chords, the wistful, heartbroken lyrics, the sense of an over-sexed stud done wrong by his bimbo.

And now that I think about it, it could be the Stones. "Lady Jaye"? "Wild Horses"? "Angie"?

― pinko, Wednesday, 27 April 2005 16:58 (twenty years ago)

The greatest hair-metal ballad is Kix, "Don't Close Your Eyes."

I was going to mention that one but I figured I'd defer to Chuck's eventual post.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 16:58 (twenty years ago)

Love Song - Tesla

― jel -- (jel), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 16:59 (twenty years ago)

"Wasted Time" - Skid Row
"Silent Lucidity" - Queensryche
"Mama I'm Coming Home" - Ozzy

― Gear! (can Jung shill it, Mu?) (Gear!), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 16:59 (twenty years ago)

Yeah, where is Chuck? He can school us all in this shit, I bet.

― pinko, Wednesday, 27 April 2005 17:00 (twenty years ago)

I always think Aerosmith were only hair metal the second time around.

Hanoi Rocks - Don't You Ever Leave Me

― jel -- (jel), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 17:02 (twenty years ago)

Recommend me some Faster Pussycat.

― jel -- (jel), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 17:03 (twenty years ago)

don't you ever leave me - hanoi rocks

― dan (dan), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 17:03 (twenty years ago)

"Home Sweet Home" by Motley Cure!

― Gear! (can Jung shill it, Mu?) (Gear!), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 17:04 (twenty years ago)

ugh, typo. But wouldn't that be a hell of supergroup?

― Gear! (can Jung shill it, Mu?) (Gear!), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 17:05 (twenty years ago)

Ned and Dan would be in the front row at their concerts!

― jel -- (jel), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 17:06 (twenty years ago)

"High Enough" - Damn Yankees
"Is This Love?" - Whitesnake
"To Be With You" - Mr. Big
"Don't Know What You Got Til It's Gone" - Cinderella
"When I Look into Your Eyes" - Firehouse
"November Rain" - Guns N Roses
"Wind of Change" - Scorpions
"Headed For a Heartbreak" - Winger

― Gear! (can Jung shill it, Mu?) (Gear!), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 17:07 (twenty years ago)

oh yeah, Whitesnake, good call.

― jel -- (jel), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 17:07 (twenty years ago)

the thing about Goin to California tho is that it doesn't have the obligatory hair-metal ballad crescendo w/soaring guitar solo and booming drums.

x-post

― Shakey Mo Collier, Wednesday, 27 April 2005 17:08 (twenty years ago)

How You Gonna See Me Now - Alice Cooper
The Quiet Room - Alice Cooper

(AC + Bernie Taupin = origin of hair metal balladry)

― jel -- (jel), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 17:10 (twenty years ago)

I always said David Foster and Diane Warren could learn a few tricks from David Coverdale and Kip Winger

― Gear! (can Jung shill it, Mu?) (Gear!), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 17:12 (twenty years ago)

> (AC + Bernie Taupin = origin of hair metal balladry)

The first time I ever heard "I Never Cry" -- which was only a few years ago -- I assumed Alice had listened to Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy on repeat for a month.

― Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 17:15 (twenty years ago)

Gear's got it: "Love Hurts" is the original in this field.

It's coming back, though. Half of Staind's ouevre, for example, is power ballads with an angst-ridden sneer.

And I think the Backstreet Boys' new single is a total power ballad. Though I only half-heard the radio ID, so I could be wrong.

― Rick Massimo (Rick Massimo), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 17:16 (twenty years ago)

Didn't Bowie perfect this before hair metal existed?

― donut debonair (donut), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 17:21 (twenty years ago)

Def Leppard - "Bringing on the Heartache"
Extreme - "More Than Words"
Mr. Big - "To Be With You"
Whitesnake - "Is This Love?"
Ozzy & Lita - "Close My Eyes Forever"

― The Good Dr. Bill (The Good Dr. Bill), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 17:22 (twenty years ago)

I mean, much of Bowie's Ziggy Stardust pretty much was "hair metal ballads", except the concept of hair was quite different then.

― donut debonair (donut), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 17:23 (twenty years ago)

"Save the Weak" by Britny Fox

― Steve Gertz (sgertz), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 19:57 (twenty years ago)

> Gear's got it: "Love Hurts" is the original in this field.

"Love Hurts" = original power ballad, with "Dream On" hot on its heels

"Keep On Lovin' You" = original #1 power ballad

"Home Sweet Home" = original hair-metal ballad

― Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Wednesday, 27 April 2005 20:26 (twenty years ago)

Y & T -- Midnight In Tokyo, Rescue Me, Forever
Bon Jovi -- I'll Be There For You, Never Say Goodbye
Cinderella -- Nobody's Fool
AC/DC -- Ride On
KISS -- Beth

― VegemiteGrrl (VegemiteGrrl), Thursday, 28 April 2005 02:54 (twenty years ago)

I can't stand "Wanted Dead Or Alive", hence my citation of Bon Jovi cheese.

― VegemiteGrrl (VegemiteGrrl), Thursday, 28 April 2005 04:59 (twenty years ago)

I wrote an article in 1990 (Details) that traced the proto-power ballad trajectory, from Stairway To Heaven to Dream On to Only Women Bleed to Beth to Babe. Does this seem right to all you afficionados?

― m coleman (lovebug starski), Thursday, 28 April 2005 09:24 (twenty years ago)

"Beth" wasn't a power ballad, it was just a ballad. No emphatic drum kicks or wailing guitar solo.

― Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Thursday, 28 April 2005 10:29 (twenty years ago)

Does Queensryche's mighty "Silent Lucidity" count?

― CharlieNo4 (Charlie), Thursday, 28 April 2005 11:42 (twenty years ago)

"Just Between You and Me"--April Wine

― rat, Thursday, 28 April 2005 20:49 (twenty years ago)

four years pass...

― once he puts that purple he will become an enemy (omar little), Thursday, 7 May 2009 01:46 (sixteen years ago)

― once he puts that purple he will become an enemy (omar little), Thursday, 7 May 2009 01:48 (sixteen years ago)

― once he puts that purple he will become an enemy (omar little), Thursday, 7 May 2009 01:49 (sixteen years ago)

I have such a soft spot for this kind of thing. Fuck it, I love "High Enough".

― dulce est desipere in loco (Euler), Thursday, 7 May 2009 01:49 (sixteen years ago)

― once he puts that purple he will become an enemy (omar little), Thursday, 7 May 2009 01:51 (sixteen years ago)

― butt-rock miyagi (rogermexico.), Thursday, 7 May 2009 02:20 (sixteen years ago)

ps great call omar... now she's breakin' hearts in heaven \m/

― butt-rock miyagi (rogermexico.), Thursday, 7 May 2009 02:23 (sixteen years ago)

Night Ranger - Sister Christian

― earlnash, Thursday, 7 May 2009 02:52 (sixteen years ago)

LA Guns is awesome. Ballad of Jayne is one of their poorer songs.

I saw Tesla last weekend. they did this, obv

it's kinda pointless now to point out that before the '70s or so, 'ballad' meant a story song, but i still think everyone sounds funny when they use it this way

― Here Comes the Hardzinger (gabbneb), Thursday, 7 May 2009 03:39 (sixteen years ago)

hey, this one really is a ballad

― Here Comes the Hardzinger (gabbneb), Thursday, 7 May 2009 03:46 (sixteen years ago)

― once he puts that purple he will become an enemy (omar little), Thursday, 7 May 2009 06:04 (sixteen years ago)

― once he puts that purple he will become an enemy (omar little), Thursday, 7 May 2009 06:08 (sixteen years ago)

'borderline' - thin lizzy

― cb, Thursday, 7 May 2009 13:15 (sixteen years ago)

this one comes with hot new age piano action

― Here Comes the Hardzinger (gabbneb), Thursday, 7 May 2009 13:26 (sixteen years ago)

Warrant's "Heaven" was alaways a favorite; would be a chart-topping country tune in the right hands (as would most of these, as hair metal's influence went to country pop).

― EZ Snappin, Thursday, 7 May 2009 13:54 (sixteen years ago)

What was the last of these hair ballads to hit the charts? Bed Of Roses probably?

― Siegbran, Thursday, 7 May 2009 21:01 (sixteen years ago)

"to be with you" by mr.big was pretty huge and that was 91/92.

― scott seward, Thursday, 7 May 2009 23:26 (sixteen years ago)

― butt-rock miyagi (rogermexico.), Tuesday, 12 May 2009 02:29 (sixteen years ago)

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