31 days hath Rocktober, and what better way to celebrate than by providing a most-excellent example of rock 'n' roll for each and every one of them. To add a level of temporal confusion and complexity, I'm picking one song from each of the last 31 years.
And we're not going to play the whole "What's rock 'n' roll?" game. It's gotta have lots of guitars and drums, the more and louder the better. While not mandatory, long hair and leather apparel definitely are worth bonus points.
I believe I'll be able to track down video for each song, though the helpful folks at the record labels have decreed that virtually every official music video can't be embeddable, so most songs will be live performances.
Now, if you can answer "yes" to the musical question "ARE YOU READY TO ROCK?!!!" we'll begin.
1979: "My Sharona" - The Knack
Well, we're certainly off to a great start, with one of rock's most recognizable riffs. If lead singer and guitarist Doug Fieger and Wikipedia are to be believed, a Ms. Sharona Alperin was the little pretty one, pretty one, who made his motor run, motor run.
Runners Up: "I Want You To Want Me" - Cheap Trick; "Renegade" - Styx; "I Was Made For Lovin' You" - Kiss
Here are Doug and the boys live from Carnegie Hall with what ended up as the #1 song on Billboard's Pop Singles Chart for '79.
1980: "Heartbreaker" - Pat Benatar
As you can see from the runners up below, there were a lot of very strong contenders this year. But I'm going to go a little more "pop" and recognize the five feet and 95 pounds of rock 'n' roll fury formerly known as Patricia Andrzejewski.
Runners Up: "Refugee" - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers; "Ace of Spades" - Motorhead; "You Shook Me All Night Long" - AC/DC; "Crazy Train" - Ozzy Osbourne; "And The Cradle Will Rock" - Van Halen
Watch and see why you don't mess around with Ms. Benatar, no-no-no!
1981: "Back In Black" - AC/DC
Was there really any question for this year? (Okay, it did pain me not to go with "Tom Sawyer".) But you can't argue with another of rock's most recognizable riffs kicking off a tune that VH1 ranked as the fifth greatest hard rock song of all time and that Rolling Stone ranked number 29 on "The 100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time."
Runners Up: "Tom Sawyer" - Rush; "Another One Bites The Dust" - Queen; "The Stroke" - Billy Squier; "Start Me Up" - Rolling Stones
Now, without further ado, show us what you got Angus.
1982: "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" - Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
Hard to pass on a title like that. And America found it hard to pass on the song (segue!), as it finished the year as the #2 hit on Billboard's Top 100. And here's a little piece of trivia that at least I didn't know: a pre-Blackheart-backed Ms. Jett first recorded this song two years earlier with two members of the Sex Pistols, Steve Jones and Paul Cook.
Runners Up: "Don't Stop Believin'" - Journey; "You've Got Another Thing Comin'" - Judas Priest; "Juke Box Hero" - Foreigner; "Run to the Hills" - Iron Maiden; "White Wedding" - Billy Idol
Now let's put another dime in the jukebox, baby ...
1983: "Twilight Zone" - Golden Earring
Also (erroneously) known as "When The Bullet Hits The Bone," this song did reach #10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Billboard Top Tracks chart. But, along with the band's other big hit, "Radar Love," it's also proven to be an enduring radio track that has aged much better than, say, "Cum On Feel the Noize."
Runners Up: "Gimme All Your Lovin'" - ZZ Top; "Cum On Feel the Noize" - Quiet Riot; "Photograph" - Def Leppard; "Bark at the Moon" - Ozzy Osbourne
So, what time is it? It's two a.m. (it's two a.m.) ...
1984: "Rock You Like A Hurricane" - Scorpions
Speaking of songs that don't age particularly well ... Actually, I think "Rock You Like A Hurricane" perfectly encapsulates the somewhat cheesy hard rocking sounds of the mid-80s (Ratt, Poison, Quiet Riot, Twisted Sister, etc.). And I say "danke" to the boys from Hanover for showing us that not all hard rockin' music from Germany is that really scary death metal.
Runners Up: "Jump" - Van Halen; "Owner of a Lonely Heart" - Yes; "Legs" - ZZ Top; "Rebel Yell" - Billy Idol; "We're Not Gonna Take It" - Twisted Sister; "I Can't Drive 55" - Sammy Hagar
C'mon, c'mon' c'mon, let's watch a live performance.
1985: "She Sells Sanctuary" - The Cult
While not nearly as big a hit as any of the runners up, "She Sells Sanctuary" has always been a personal favorite of mine, and so I'll invoke blogger's privilege. It's one of those songs I forget how much I enjoy until it comes up in my iTunes playlist, I (rarely) hear it on the radio, or it shows up somewhere unexpected, like the movie Layer Cake.
Runners Up: "Money For Nothing" - Dire Straits; "Some Like It Hot" - Power Station; "Smokin' in the Boys Room" - Motley Crue
Let's enjoy it together, shall we?
1986: "You Give Love A Bad Name" - Bon Jovi
Bit of a sparse year for hard-rockin' hits, as you can tell by this selection and the runners up (John Cougar Mellenkamp?). Though I suppose the list would be a little longer if I didn't refuse to acknowledge Van Halen as a band after Diamond Dave left. Anyway, this isn't a bad song by the boys from Jersey.
Runners Up: "R.O.C.K. in the USA" - John Cougar Mellenkamp; "Addicted to Love" - Robert Palmer; "Tuff Enuff" - Fabulous Thunderbirds
You're shot through the heart and this song's to blame ...
1987: "Welcome to the Jungle" - Guns N' Roses
Love 'em or hate 'em, there was no question GNR was a rock and roll band when they exploded onto the scene, with all the drama, destruction, and volume that entailed. You couldn't ignore Axl Rose's voice, or Slash's guitar. "Welcome to the Jungle" was actually the first song that Axl and Slash wrote together. And as a title and a song, it certainly was a fitting announcement of their debut.
Runners Up: "Pour Some Sugar On Me" - Def Leppard; "Girls, Girls, Girls" - Motley Crue; "Love Removal Machine" - The Cult; "Keep Your Hands to Yourself" - Georgia Satellites
Watch this and it will bring you to your n-n-n-n-n-n-n-knees ...
1988: "Cult of Personality" - Living Color
Since I already gave GNR 1987, there really wasn't another contender for this year other than Living Color's biggest hit. Given that it won the Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance the next year, I guess I'm not alone in that opinion.
Runners Up: "Sweet Child O' Mine" - Guns N' Roses; "I Hate Myself for Loving You" - Joan Jett & The Blackhearts; "Beds Are Burning" - Midnight Oil
Here are Corey, Vernon and the rest of the guys from another classic bit of late-80s culture: the Arsenio Hall Show.
Tune in next week as we spin the stax o' wax of Rocktober hits from 1989-1998.
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