3 Rock Songs From the 1980s That Feel Like Cracking Open Someone’s Diary

These aren’t your typical all-night party rock songs. These 1980s rock tracks expand on the genre’s conventions by adding diaristic lyrics. These songs will make you think, first and foremost.

[RELATED: 3 Pop Songs From 1981 That Will Never Be Forgotten]

“Dancing In The Dark”  — Bruce Springsteen

“I get up in the evenin’ / And I ain’t got nothin’ to say / I come home in the mornin’ / I go to bed feelin’ the same way,” are lyrics that, on paper, read like someone at the end of their rope. Without the upbeat melody softening the blow, “Dancing In The Dark” feels like a diaristic low point in Bruce Springsteen’s career.

Despite feeling uncertain, Springsteen pushes forward. You can easily see the cognitive dissonance Springsteen was experiencing in this 1980s rock hit. The lyrics are both sad and uplifting. The melody drowns out the sorrow. It’s a complicated track that takes the listener inside Springsteen for one of his most candid moments ever.

“Pressure” — Billy Joel

“You used to call me paranoid, pressure / But even you cannot avoid, pressure / You turned the tap dance into your crusade / Now here you are with your faith / And your Peter Pan advice / You have no scars on your face / And you cannot handle pressure,” the lyrics to Billy Joel’s “Pressure” read.

This 1980s rock song is as diaristic as it gets. Joel pulls no punches in this track. He lays bare his poignant emotions about fame and the onslaught of time. If you remove the complexity of the production in this song, you’re left with meditative verses that paint a pretty vivid picture of anxiety.

“The Heart Of The Matter” — Don Henley

“I got the call today / And I didn’t wanna hear it, / But I knew that it would come / An old true friend of ours / Was talkin’ on the phone / She said you found someone,” the lyrics to Don Henley’s “The Heart Of The Matter” read. Henley gets real on this song, speaking some major truth about love and life. This track feels like a diary page that becomes a massive emotional breakthrough.

“The less I understand / All the things I thought I knew / I’m learning again,” the lyrics read later on in the song. Many people who keep a diary likely have an entry like this, where they dissect their beliefs. Henley was brave enough to let us all in on his musings.

(Photo by Steve Granitz/WireImage)