80s Rock and Roll

How this sound was built

25 essential tracks

Listed in release order. Tap a title to play it, or play all 25 in a row.

1. 1. Back in Black — AC/DC (1980)

   The title track of the album AC/DC made with new singer Brian Johnson after Bon Scott's death, and a tribute to him. Angus Young's stop-start riff is one of the most famous in rock. The album Back in Black has sold tens of millions of copies around the world.

2. 2. Hit Me with Your Best Shot — Pat Benatar (1980)

   Pat Benatar's first Top 10 hit, reaching No. 9 in 1980. Her tough, operatic voice over a straight-ahead rock band made her one of the biggest rock stars of the early 80s, and she won four Grammys in a row for Best Female Rock Vocal.

3. 3. Crazy Train — Ozzy Osbourne (1980)

   The song that launched Ozzy Osbourne's solo career after Black Sabbath fired him. Randy Rhoads' opening riff and solo made him a guitar hero, and the song has been a staple of rock radio and sports arenas ever since. Blizzard of Ozz, the album it came from, sold millions in America.

4. 4. Hold On Loosely — 38 Special (1981)

   Southern rock tightened up for the radio. 38 Special's advice about not squeezing a relationship too tight reached No. 27 in 1981 and became their signature song. Don Barnes sings lead over a clean, chiming guitar riff that is instantly recognizable from the first bar.

5. 5. I Love Rock 'n' Roll — Joan Jett & the Blackhearts (1982)

   A cover of a 1975 song by the British band Arrows, turned into a stomping anthem by Joan Jett. It spent seven weeks at No. 1 in 1982. Jett had been turned down by more than 20 labels before she started releasing her records herself.

6. 6. Heat of the Moment — Asia (1982)

   Asia were a supergroup of players from Yes, King Crimson and Emerson, Lake & Palmer, but this was a tight, catchy radio song. It reached No. 4, and their debut album spent nine weeks at No. 1, the top-selling album of 1982.

7. 7. Hurts So Good — John Mellencamp (1982)

   Released under the name John Cougar, it reached No. 2 and won him the Grammy for Best Male Rock Vocal. Its raw, rough-edged sound pointed to the heartland rock he would make for the rest of the decade. It spent 16 weeks in the Top 10 in 1982.

8. 8. Photograph — Def Leppard (1983)

   The first single from Pyromania, produced by Mutt Lange. The video was all over MTV, and the song reached No. 12. Its layered guitars and stacked harmonies became the Def Leppard sound, which they took even further on Hysteria. The song is about Marilyn Monroe.

9. 9. Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) — Journey (1983)

   Journey at their most dramatic, with Jonathan Cain's synth riff and Steve Perry at full power. The video, with the band playing air instruments on a New Orleans wharf, is famously awkward, but the song reached No. 8 and still sounds huge.

10. 10. Cum on Feel the Noize — Quiet Riot (1983)

    A cover of a 1973 Slade hit that the band did not even want to record. It reached No. 5, and it pushed Metal Health to No. 1 on the Billboard 200, the first heavy metal album ever to top that chart.

11. 11. Owner of a Lonely Heart — Yes (1983)

    Progressive rock veterans Yes teamed up with producer Trevor Horn and came back with a sharp, sample-heavy hit. It was their only US No. 1, and its orchestra hits and chopped-up sounds influenced pop producers for years. Guitarist Trevor Rabin wrote the song before he joined the band.

12. 12. Rebel Yell — Billy Idol (1983)

    Billy Idol took the title from a bottle of bourbon he saw at a party with the Rolling Stones. Steve Stevens' wild guitar and Idol's sneer made it an MTV favourite, and the album Rebel Yell went double platinum. It reached No. 46 on the Hot 100.

13. 13. Panama — Van Halen (1984)

    David Lee Roth wrote it about a car, not a country. From the album 1984, "Panama" reached No. 13 and showed off Eddie Van Halen's riffs at their most fun. The live-style video captures the band at the height of the Roth era.

14. 14. Round and Round — Ratt (1984)

    Ratt's breakthrough reached No. 12, helped by a video with comedian Milton Berle, who was the uncle of their manager. The twin guitars of Warren DeMartini and Robbin Crosby set the Los Angeles metal sound for the mid-80s. The album Out of the Cellar went triple platinum.

15. 15. We're Not Gonna Take It — Twisted Sister (1984)

    A shout-along anthem with a cartoonish video about a kid standing up to his father. It reached No. 21. In 1985 Dee Snider defended the band's lyrics in person at the Senate hearing on music labelling. The video starred actor Mark Metcalf as the furious dad.

16. 16. Rock You Like a Hurricane — Scorpions (1984)

    The German band's biggest American hit, reaching No. 25 in 1984. Rudolf Schenker's riff and Klaus Meine's high voice made it one of the defining hard rock songs of the decade, and it is still played in sports arenas. It came from the album Love at First Sting.

17. 17. Dancing in the Dark — Bruce Springsteen (1984)

    Springsteen wrote it after his manager asked for one more hit single for Born in the U.S.A. It spent four weeks at No. 2, won his first Grammy, and its video, where he pulls a young Courteney Cox up on stage, played constantly on MTV.

18. 18. For Whom the Bell Tolls — Metallica (1984)

    Named after the Ernest Hemingway novel, this track from Ride the Lightning opens with Cliff Burton's distorted bass. Metallica had no radio hits in the 80s, but songs like this built one of the biggest fan bases in rock. It is still one of the most-played songs in their live shows.

19. 19. The Power of Love — Huey Lewis and the News (1985)

    Written for Back to the Future, the song reached No. 1 in 1985 and was nominated for an Academy Award. Huey Lewis even makes a cameo in the film as the teacher who turns Marty McFly's band down. It was their first No. 1 single.

20. 20. Invisible Touch — Genesis (1986)

    Genesis started as a progressive rock band, and by the mid-80s they were one of the biggest pop-rock acts in the world. "Invisible Touch" was their only US No. 1, and the album produced five Top 5 singles. Phil Collins was singing lead for the band while also having solo hits.

21. 21. Wanted Dead or Alive — Bon Jovi (1987)

    Bon Jovi traded the arena singalong for a cowboy song about life on the road, built on Richie Sambora's 12-string guitar. It reached No. 7 and showed the band could do more than party anthems. The album Slippery When Wet was the best-selling album of 1987 in America.

22. 22. Talk Dirty to Me — Poison (1987)

    Poison's first hit, a fast, simple party song that reached No. 9. With their makeup and big hair, Poison became the face of glam metal, and their debut album Look What the Cat Dragged In went triple platinum. C.C. DeVille plays the famously scrappy guitar solo.

23. 23. Welcome to the Jungle — Guns N' Roses (1987)

    The opening song of Appetite for Destruction. MTV first played the video late at night, but viewers kept asking for it. It reached No. 7 in 1988, and the album went on to become the best-selling debut album in US history.

24. 24. Kickstart My Heart — Mötley Crüe (1989)

    Nikki Sixx wrote it about surviving a heroin overdose in 1987, when his heart stopped. From Dr. Feelgood, their only No. 1 album, it is one of the fastest, most joyful songs the band ever made. It reached No. 27 on the Hot 100.

25. 25. Runnin' Down a Dream — Tom Petty (1989)

    Tom Petty's solo album Full Moon Fever, made with Jeff Lynne and Mike Campbell, was full of hits. This driving song reached No. 1 on the Mainstream Rock chart and closes with one of Campbell's best guitar solos. The album also produced "I Won't Back Down" and "Free Fallin'".

Where to go next

• 80s hair bands
• The best hair metal bands
• 80s power ballads
• 80s rock bands
• The essential 80s bands
• The 80s hits mix
• Build your own 80s rock playlist

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