In the year 1989, a ton of great classic rock and glam metal tunes dropped. They all had an unmistakable sound: that high-production, MTV-candy catchiness that defined a lot of music that very year. And when it comes to the following songs, they really did sound like the very end of an era as the 80s gave way to the 90s. If you were around in 1989, I bet you jammed out to at least one of these songs on New Year’s Eve.
“Kickstart My Heart” by Mötley Crüe from ‘Dr. Feelgood’
This song was like a final blast out of the 1980s classic rock canon. “Kickstart My Heart” by Mötley Crüe dropped mere weeks before the 80s came to an end. It’s glamorous, loud, and fast, all of which are rock elements that didn’t totally disappear in the 90s but definitely leaned way more toward grunge over glam.
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“Kickstart My Heart” by Mötley Crüe peaked at No. 27 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and No. 18 on the Mainstream Rock chart in the US.
“Poison” by Alice Cooper from ‘Trash’
This theatrical tune from Alice Cooper was a go-to for late-night MTV. The broadcasting network’s move toward non-music content didn’t totally disappear in the 90s, but it changed drastically from the music video-first dogma it stuck to from its inception to the end of the 80s. “Poison”, both the song and the music, almost feels like a swan song for the decade.
“Poison” by Alice Cooper was a pretty big hit for the Godfather of Shock Rock back in 1989. It peaked at No. 7 on the Hot 100 and No. 2 on the UK Singles chart.
“18 And Life” by Skid Row from ‘Skid Row’
Few bands sound more like the 80s than glam metal outfit Skid Row. So, naturally, I had to go with the 1989 hit “18 And Life” for this list. This song was a massive hard rock anthem with a touch of darkness to it that hinted at the direction rock music would take in the 1990s.
This classic rock pop metal jam from 1989 peaked at No. 4 on the Hot 100 chart and No. 12 on the UK Singles chart.
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