Forty-something years later, we still have chills. Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for those 1980s hits that featured some truly inspired vocal harmonies.
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00:00 *Music*
00:06 Welcome to MissMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for those 1980s hits that featured some truly inspired vocal harmonies.
00:15 *Music*
00:20 *Music*
00:21 Number 10. Heaven, Warrant
00:24 *Music*
00:30 The world of 1980s glam metal was chock full of artists who sought to combine visual style with musical substance.
00:37 Ballad of Jane by L.A. Guns is a tender song from a band that was otherwise rough, ready, and sleazy.
00:43 *Music*
00:49 Elsewhere, Heaven was a huge hit for songwriter Janie Lane and his group Warrant.
00:54 Lane's reputation as an underrated composer is thankfully starting to gain traction these days,
01:00 and a closer listen to Heaven reveals that yes, there's plenty of opportunities for vocal melodies here on this emotive ballad.
01:08 *Music*
01:15 Lane hit some memorable ones during the verses and pre-choruses.
01:19 While the final refrain includes a choir of backing harmonies that makes Heaven sound angelic AF.
01:25 *Music*
01:32 Number 9. Still Loving You, Scorpions
01:35 The musical map of Germany's Scorpions has sojourned from progressive rock in the 1970s to their headlining arena rock status during the 80s.
01:44 *Music*
01:50 Still Loving You sits smack dab in the middle of the group's most commercially successful period,
01:55 an era of heavy metal anthems and tender ballads.
01:59 Klaus Meine's vocals are a slow burn, subtly harmonizing during the first chorus,
02:04 before taking the opportunity to explore some melodic space.
02:08 *Music*
02:15 Specifically, the song's finale hammers home Meine's ability to connect with Scorpions' audience on an emotional level.
02:23 It's fantastic stuff, and a reminder of this group's impressive versatility.
02:27 *Music*
02:32 Number 8. Love Song, Tesla
02:35 This group from Sacramento, California has always been a musical cut above many of their contemporaries from the 1980s.
02:42 *Music*
02:48 Tesla's influences melded heavy metal, classic rock, and more into a potent sonic stew.
02:54 Need proof? Check out Love Song, one of Tesla's best tunes,
02:58 and one that exemplified the band's guitar pyrotechnics and Jeff Keith's powerful vocals.
03:03 Guitarists Frank Hannon and Tommy Skiok have their time to shine,
03:07 but it's the "Love Will Find A Way" section that appears after their solos, which really tugs at the heartstrings.
03:13 *Music*
03:18 Love Song didn't need to be both heavy and dramatically melodic,
03:21 but at the end of the day, we're so thankful that it is.
03:25 *Music*
03:30 Number 7. Wanted, Dead or Alive
03:33 Bon Jovi! There are a number of ways vocal harmonies can be executed in the recording studio.
03:39 Sometimes, a lead singer can record a separate track in order to achieve this aim.
03:44 *Music*
03:50 Other times, there's that magical moment when two members of a group work together in, well, harmony.
03:57 Jon Bon Jovi and guitarist Richie Sambora take turns on lead vocals,
04:02 but the joint singing that begins on the second chorus of Wanted, Dead or Alive are something to behold.
04:07 *Music*
04:16 Meanwhile, the final verse and refrain go for broke, with both JBJ and Richie rockin' 'em all,
04:22 with harmony work that helped cement the group as certified 80s icons.
04:27 *Music*
04:32 Number 6. Tears Are Falling, Kiss
04:35 The 1970s may have been a halcyon period for Rock God's Kiss, but don't sleep on the group's 80s output.
04:42 *Music*
04:46 This era saw guitarist and songwriter Paul Stanley taking lead vocals more often,
04:52 and his more melodic approach allowed songs like Tears Are Falling to shine.
04:56 Don't let the extravagant video clip fool you.
04:58 The harmonized chorus to Tears Are Falling is a certified banger.
05:03 *Music*
05:11 It's dramatic, even slightly melancholic, and drenched in pristine 80s production.
05:16 Kiss even busted out Tears Are Falling during some shows on their Farewell Tour,
05:21 proving that a great song is a great song, regardless of the era.
05:25 *Music*
05:33 Number 5. Love Bites, Def Leppard
05:36 The production style of Mutt Lang was one that went hard in the paint.
05:40 Def Leppard's Hysteria album is full of layered vocal tracks that allowed singer Joe Elliott tons of room to harmonize himself.
05:48 *Music*
05:55 He did so in wonderful fashion on Love Bites,
05:59 a massively successful single that contained some palpably resonant emotion.
06:04 Elliott already gives us goosebumps on the song's pre-chorus,
06:07 but make sure to save some solid gold for that main refrain.
06:11 *Music*
06:19 This trend continues on the second verse,
06:21 bulking up with more harmonies before the song's finale melds Elliott's voice with that killer emotive guitar melody,
06:29 to create pure metal magic.
06:31 *Music*
06:38 Number 4. Glory of Love, Peter Cetera
06:42 The soaring tenor voice of Peter Cetera served the bass player well within the ranks of his former group, Chicago.
06:49 *Music*
06:55 Cetera's departure in 1985 allowed him to explore other projects, however,
07:00 including this soundtrack cut from the smash 1986 film, The Karate Kid Part 2.
07:06 This second installment in the franchise benefited from Glory of Love,
07:10 a polished adult contemporary tune that works as a clinic for Cetera's one-of-a-kind voice.
07:16 *Music*
07:22 The singer knows when to harmonize and when to hang back,
07:26 punctuating the bridge and each chorus with melodic lines that bring us right back to the movie theater each and every time.
07:33 *Music*
07:41 Number 3. Alone, Heart
07:44 The story of Alone is a long one.
07:47 Its history dates all the way back to the 1983 debut from a group called I-10,
07:53 before also being adapted for the TV show, Dreams.
07:56 *Music*
08:01 That version was co-performed by John Stamos, believe it or not.
08:05 *Music*
08:09 It's Heart's take on Alone, however, that employs the vocal power of Ann Wilson.
08:14 Her harmonies with guitarist and sister Nancy are just what Alone needs to push it from good to great.
08:20 We can tell right from that first harmony.
08:23 *Music*
08:27 This is amazing stuff.
08:29 Alone was certainly a far cry from Heart's arena rock hits from the 1970s,
08:34 but we'd argue that this was the group's best era full stop.
08:38 *Music*
08:48 Number 2. I Just Died in Your Arms, Cutting Crew
08:52 The English group Cutting Crew probably knew that they had a killer vocal harmony waiting in the wings,
08:58 but they made us wait for the chorus to deliver the goods.
09:01 *Music*
09:07 I Just Died in Your Arms opens with the chorus,
09:10 but waits until the second go-round to hit us with the good stuff.
09:14 Lead vocalist Nick Van Eid isn't done just yet though,
09:18 and adds phenomenal harmony for the song's bridge that really solidifies the deal.
09:23 *Music*
09:31 I Just Died in Your Arms is one of the best pop tunes of the 1980s,
09:36 with much of the credit owned to the arrangement of Eid's enchanting vocals.
09:40 *Music*
09:47 Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
09:51 Nothing's gonna stop us now.
09:53 1986 Starship, from the golden era of 80s film soundtracks.
09:58 *Music*
10:04 Home Sweet Home
10:05 Motley Crue, prototypical power ballad excellence.
10:09 *Music*
10:16 Sister Christian
10:17 Night Ranger
10:19 Try listening to this song without thinking of Boogie Nights.
10:22 *Music*
10:28 I Wanna Know What Love Is
10:30 Foreigner
10:31 Arena rockers get sensitive.
10:33 *Music*
10:38 Eternal Flame
10:39 The Bangles
10:40 Sparse arrangements and a brilliant chorus.
10:44 *Music*
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11:03 Number 1. Angel - Aerosmith
11:08 Let's face it, we could have easily populated this list with dozens of great Aerosmith songs.
11:14 Angel from 1986 just hits us in the feels from note one.
11:18 As Aerosmith returns with a comeback effort that's slick and to the point.
11:23 *Music*
11:28 This power ballad features a career highlight performance from frontman Steven Tyler,
11:33 who kicks out fantastic harmonies on the song's chorus and second verse.
11:38 It's the bridge where Angel truly shines however,
11:42 as Tyler sings his heart out for a section that makes us weep while we pump our collective fists.
11:48 *Music*
11:56 We get chills every time man.
11:59 *Music*
12:04 Are you an 80s kid? Do you wish you were? Let us know in the comments.
12:08 *Music*
12:13 Do you agree with our picks? Check out this other recent clip from Ms. Mojo.
12:17 And be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos.
12:21 *Music*