“I’m hot, sticky sweet
From my head to my feet, yeah
Take a bottle, shake it up
Break the bubble, break it up” …
Mmmmmm, mmmm, mmm – whether it was the hearing impaired jungle cat, (Def Leppard), or the venomous glam rockers from Pennsylvania, (Poison) –
“Every rose has its thorn
Just like every night has its dawn
Just like every cowboy sings his sad, sad song
Every rose has its thorn” …
… these were the times where ROCK was performed for the ages.
The 80s music scene was characterized by a diverse range of styles. From Michael Jackson’s infectious pop tunes, to the anthemic rock tracks of bands like Guns N’ Roses, the decade really embraced an eclectic mix of sounds.
The use of synthesizers and electronic instruments gained popularity during this time, birthing the era of a new wave of musical exploration, with bands like Depeche Mode and Duran Duran at the forefront. Artists were able to experiment with different textures and sounds that had never been attempted before, creating catchy, futuristic beats that became pivotal in shaping the decade’s sonic identity.
Meanwhile, the rise of the music video and reality TV broadcasting channel, MTV, helped underline the importance of the visual appeal of music, (on screens and stages).
This revolutionized the consumption of music, and artists were quick to embrace the trend. A prioritization of visually striking music videos, as well as elevated stage performances, and choreographed tunes, emerged.
This resulted in an emphasis on the relationship between music and image in building an artist’s brand and is probably why the fashion of the 80s favored such bold and bright choices.
The sounds of the 80s music continue to serve as a source of inspiration for contemporary musicians.
If there is one music genre that most encapsulates the essence of the ’80s, that would have to be glam metal. Also known as hair metal, this flamboyant style of music, that placed one foot in hard rock and the other in heavy metal, dominated MTV and the radio airwaves throughout the 1980s, with bands such as Mötley Crüe, Bon Jovi, and W.A.S.P. gaining notoriety for their loud appeal and excessive lifestyles.
And then, it all vanished.
The transition of glam metal from a music-industry phenomenon to a pop-cultural punchline has been one of the most drastic events in recent music history. For many years, the orthodox consensus among critics and fans was that the onset of Grunge, at the beginning of the ’90s, with bands such as Pearl Jam, Nirvana, and Soundgarden pioneering a more authentic and rebellious form of rock music, brought an end to the excesses of ’80s hair metal. However, the actual killer of glam metal was not the popularity of Grunge music; rather, it was yet another victim of the homogenizing corporate music industry.
Glam metal saw its first wave of popularity in the early 1980’s. Arguably, its big breakthrough came in 1983 with the success of albums such as Def Leppard’s Pyromania, Mötley Crüe’s Shout at the Devil, and Quiet Riot’s Metal Health. These groups became notorious for their dazzling looks, heavy songs with naughty lyrics, and taking the entire sex, drugs, and rock & roll lifestyle to an entirely new level. The relative commercial success of these bands, and proximity to hard rock rather than metal, helped propel the heavy metal genre further into the mainstream.
While glam metal is no longer the juggernaut it was in the 80s, nor is it the cultural laughingstock it was in the 90s, it is nonetheless viewed today as a product of its time, for better or for worse. Its collapse at the beginning of the ’90s was not the fault of another music style’s success. It was one of the many genres of popular music which the corporate industry notoriously squeezed dry of all its commercial potential. The fall of glam is perhaps one of the most notable, albeit overlooked, examples of succumbing to the greed of an opportunistic record industry.
However, this past Saturday, inside Union County Performing Arts Center, the 80s returned, with all its gooey goodness.
Broadway’s Rock of Ages Band, (featuring original cast members and musicians from the hit Broadway musical), performed live in Rahway, New Jersey.
The Rock of Ages musical has active regional productions and concert tours running through 2026 and 2027.
It was an electrifying evening, filled with soaring hair, kitschy lyrics, grandiose choruses, and the perfect dose of dopamine – carefully served through a lens of nostalgia.
Glam rock is here to stay, and we should all be thankful for this spandex-sequined sanctuary.
Did You Know? Guns N’ Roses exploded out of Hollywood with Appetite for Destruction, (in 1987), which remains the best-selling debut album of all time in the United States, and logging more than 30 million copies sold worldwide.