Top 10 Power Ballads of the 80's

The power ballad was a staple among 80’s hard rock and hair metal bands. Once Motley Crue released Home Sweet Home from their Theatre of Pain album, it was pretty much expected from then on that every hard rock and hair metal band had to include at least one song and video of their own power ballad. It’s a good thing those became popular because it was those songs that brought out most of the girls to the concerts. Personally speaking, it was nice to have some eye candy at every hard rock show I went to during those years.

I’m a big fan of Top 10 lists, so here is my own personal Top 10 of power ballads during the 80’s. This list is only for hard rock and hair metal bands. I don’t care how good Survivor was during the 80’s, they don’t make the list because they weren’t hard rock or hair metal. So here’s the list (always subject to change depending on my mood).

10. Dokken---Alone Again

9. White Lion---When the Children Cry
8. Tesla---Love Song
7. Kix---Don’t Close Your Eyes
6. KISS---Reason To Live
5. L.A. Guns---The Ballad of Jayne
4. Faster Pussycat---House of Pain
3. Aerosmith---Angel
2. Cinderella---Nobody’s Fool
1. Motley Crue---Home Sweet Home

Way too many honorable mentions for this list, but Lita Ford’s “Close My Eyes Forever” would be on there. So would Queen’s “Who Wants To Live Forever.” I think the only band that never did a power ballad was AC/DC. Could “Whole Lot of Rosie” be considered a love song? Hehe, don’t think so. “The Price” by Twisted Sister suddenly comes to mind. That was a great song. W.A.S.P.'s "Forever Free" was another great song that was very underrated.

Of course, no one could ever forget Poison’s “Every Rose Has It’s Thorn,” or the ballads by Guns N Roses, Warrant and Whitesnake. What a fun decade.

All of these bands and more are highlighted in my eBook, The Ultimate 80’s. You can find it for your Kindle, NOOK, and all other eReader devices. Hope you take some time to check it out. And tell your friends to check it out, too.

The Ultimate 80’s by John Schweingrouber