If you don't feel something while listening to these songs, you may just be a robot. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for those goosebump-inducing songs that balance beauty and melody with a hard rock soul.
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00:00 [Music]
00:06 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for those goosebump-inducing songs that balance beauty and melody with a hard rock soul.
00:14 [Music]
00:20 Number 10 - Nobody's Fool, "Cinderella"
00:25 [Music]
00:31 The story of "Cinderella" is one of both commercial success and critical acclaim,
00:35 since their debut LP, "Night Songs," is an album of both inspired heaviness and absolute classic power balladry.
00:42 "Nobody's Fool" was one of the hit singles off this record, and it exemplifies the medium for the 1980s glam metal scene.
00:49 [Music]
00:55 "Cinderella" was always a band that combined a bluesy soul with aggressive hard rock chops,
00:59 but it's guitarist and frontman Tom Kiefer who leads the charge with his emotive voice.
01:04 [Music]
01:11 "Nobody's Fool" moves along at a moody mid-pace, and features chords that evoke melancholy,
01:17 while Kiefer's soaring voice brings it all home for that final chorus. It's soul-stirring stuff.
01:22 [Music]
01:29 Number 9 - Still Loving You, "Scorpions"
01:32 [Music]
01:39 In the 1970s, Germany's "Scorpions" exemplified their homeland's burgeoning prog and krautrock scenes.
01:46 Fast forward to the 1980s, however, and "Scorpions" had fully embraced a muscular metal sound,
01:52 with a soft side. "Still Loving You" was indicative of the band's penchant for writing
01:56 just as many tender ballads as they did hard rockers.
01:59 [Music]
02:03 It's the arrangements of "Still Loving You" that lifted above many of its contemporaries, however,
02:08 as "Scorpions" are clearly still playing with a musically inventive deck.
02:12 [Music]
02:15 Klaus Meine's lead vocals and the band's twin guitar attack know just when to attack,
02:20 and when to utilize restraint. And it's this compositional knowledge that
02:24 helps make "Still Loving You" a power ballad cut above the rest.
02:27 [Music]
02:32 Number 8 - November Rain, "Guns N' Roses"
02:35 [Music]
02:42 This legendary rock band was on top of the world after the global success of its debut album,
02:47 "Appetite for Destruction," and as a result, could do pretty much anything they wanted for a follow-up.
02:52 [Music]
02:59 "November Rain" belongs to the trilogy of music videos that accompanied GNR's landmark
03:03 "Use Your Illusion" double album release from 1992. "Don't Cry" and "Estranged" were two other
03:08 outstanding examples of the power ballad format, but there's just something transformative within
03:13 "November Rain" that continues to capture the imaginations of fans across the world.
03:17 [Music]
03:23 This is epic-length songwriting that runs through varied musical movements,
03:27 emotional highs and lows, into a fiery electric guitar climax.
03:31 It's gloriously excessive, and we absolutely love it.
03:34 [Music]
03:41 Number 7 - "18 in Life," "Skid Row"
03:44 [Music]
03:50 It was virtually impossible to escape heavy metal's commercial reign throughout the 1980s,
03:54 but why would you want to with songs as good as "18 in Life" by Skid Row?
03:58 [Music]
04:03 This Jersey act was another popular metal act that eschewed lighter-weight glam convention
04:07 in favor of a more dynamic and aggressive attack, with a touch of sleaze for good measure.
04:12 [Music]
04:18 "18 in Life" rides this balancing act well, offering a cautionary lyrical tale while
04:22 retaining a structure that never lets the listener forget the band's hard-rocking heart.
04:27 This is a power ballad that emphasizes a capital P in that phrase,
04:31 a moving and evocative track that takes its audience back to a nostalgic Halcyon era.
04:36 [Music]
04:41 Number 6 - "Bed of Roses," "Bon Jovi"
04:44 [Music]
04:49 Bon Jovi didn't really have much to prove to their fans by the time their fifth album,
04:53 "Keep the Faith," rolled out in 1993.
04:56 However, that didn't stop the band from reminding those same fans just how good
05:00 they were at tugging all of those heartstrings.
05:02 [Music]
05:09 "Bed of Roses" is a showcase for Jon Bon Jovi's lead vocals, as he vacillates between the more
05:14 confessional style of his idol Bruce Springsteen and the soaring approach he uses for the chorus.
05:19 [Music]
05:26 Meanwhile, Richie Sambora's harmony vocals and emotive lead guitar playing underline just how
05:31 good the group could be at this sort of stuff.
05:33 Bon Jovi would strike similar power ballad gold only a year later with the equally awesome tune,
05:38 "Always."
05:39 [Music]
05:44 Number 5 - "Home Sweet Home," "Motley Crue"
05:48 [Music]
05:54 Stereotypes and cliches often become that way for a reason.
05:58 This isn't a good or bad thing, mind you, because "Home Sweet Home" is basically an
06:02 instruction manual for how to construct a note-perfect ballad, and accompanying video, of course.
06:08 [Music]
06:14 The song hinges on that great iconic piano melody from Tommy Lee,
06:17 while frontman Vince Neil hammers home that sing-alongable chorus.
06:21 [Music]
06:26 Meanwhile, Mick Mars rips it up with an aggressive solo section,
06:29 and it's all perfectly arranged by bassist and songwriter Nikki Sixx.
06:33 "Home Sweet Home" may be the shiny candy coating to 80s hair metal's indulgent excesses,
06:39 but we'll be damned if we don't take a big bite each and every time.
06:43 [Music]
06:49 Number 4 - "Dream On," "Aerosmith"
06:52 [Music]
06:57 Here's a question - is "Dream On" from Aerosmith the prototype for every power ballad hit that
07:02 would emerge in its wake? It's tempting to say so, particularly knowing how much bands like
07:07 Aerosmith and Van Halen would influence a new generation of hard-rocking groups in the 80s.
07:12 [Music]
07:14 "Dream On" is sort of a perfect storm - a 70s rock classic that opens with a
07:19 pensive melody before the energy gradually builds to a fever pitch.
07:22 [Music]
07:29 The toxic twins of Joe Perry and Steven Tyler steal the show here, of course,
07:33 but the bass of Tom Hamilton also sneaks in there as a secret weapon.
07:37 To paraphrase a line from another classic Smith power ballad,
07:40 we don't want to miss a thing when it comes to "Dream On."
07:42 [Music]
07:47 Number 3 - "Faithfully," "Journey"
07:49 [Music]
07:56 It was a difficult task attempting to narrow down all of the brilliant power ballads released by
08:01 "Journey" over the years. "Open Arms" was a clear front-runner, but it was "Faithfully"
08:05 that ultimately proved impossible to beat.
08:07 [Music]
08:11 There's just a palpable feeling of honesty that's sometimes missing from other,
08:15 perhaps more disingenuous examples of the medium.
08:18 This approachability makes "Faithfully" a song that's able to connect with more people as a result.
08:23 [Music]
08:28 Of course, having the generational voice that is Steve Perry helps just a wee bit,
08:33 but Neil Sean's emotive guitar playing melds with Perry's soaring delivery and
08:37 Jonathan Cain's keyboards to create all-time melodic rock mastery.
08:41 [Music]
08:45 Number 2 - "I Wanna Know What Love Is," "Foreigner"
08:48 [Music]
08:51 The acronym AOR is often used to describe a radio format and musical style known as
08:56 album-oriented rock. "Foreigner" is one of the most successful bands to work within these AOR
09:01 parameters. An adult-oriented group that's had success with some heart-affair, but generally
09:06 stresses some brilliant melodic choices.
09:08 [Music]
09:12 "I Wanna Know What Love Is" is perhaps the most famous of these aforementioned successes.
09:16 A song smothered in a polished 80's sheen and drenched in smooth rock soul.
09:20 [Music]
09:24 Lou Gramm pours on the sauce with his performance, and it's this selfless
09:28 lack of irony that makes "I Wanna Know What Love Is" such an earnest power ballad smash.
09:33 [Music]
09:36 Before we unveil our top pick, here are some honorable mentions.
09:40 "Every Rose Has Its Thorn," "Poison," because every bad boy has a soft side.
09:45 [Music]
09:51 "I'd Do Anything For Love, But I Won't Do That,"
09:54 "Meatloaf" featuring Lorraine Crosby, epic and bombastic.
09:58 [Music]
10:05 "The Flame," cheap trick. 70's cheap trick? Awesome. 80's cheap trick? Also awesome.
10:11 [Music]
10:16 "Love Bites," Def Leppard, gets us every time.
10:20 [Music]
10:25 "Total Eclipse of the Heart," Bonnie Tyler, a mini rock opera.
10:29 [Music]
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10:49 [Music]
10:51 Number 1. Alone, "Heart."
10:53 [Music]
11:01 You know that a song has legs when it gets covered multiple times and it always sounds great.
11:06 "Alone" was originally released on a 1983 debut from the group i-10, before being adapted for
11:12 the TV show "Dreams," co-performed by John "Freakin'" Stamos of all people. However, it's the
11:17 "Heart" version of "Alone" that's arguably the best version out there thanks to the vocal powerhouse
11:22 that is Anne Wilson.
11:23 [Music]
11:27 "Alone" just needed a performer the caliber of Wilson to push its recorded history from
11:32 good to great, while Anne's sister Nancy rocks it in the guitar department.
11:36 [Music]
11:41 It's pure, polished 80s power balladry that's stylish as hell and poignantly perfect.
11:46 [Music]
11:51 Which power ballad gives you the feels? Let us know in the comments.
11:54 [Music]
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12:06 [Music]