Top 40 Glam Metal Songs

When glam metal first took the world by storm, it was reviled by critics as shallow, sex-obsessed fluff. And while the genre was certainly driven by libido, that doesn’t diminish the smart songwriting and musical virtuosity on display among our list of the Top 40 Glam Metal Songs.

Since its inception, rock music has been about standing up to oppressors, giving young people an outlet for their aggression, creating an inclusive space for social outcasts — and, yes, indulging in sex, drugs and other vices. The poppy, hedonistic strain of metal that emerged from the sunset Strip in the early ’80s and dominated charts for the rest of the decade kept those core tenets intact while dialing the absurdity up to “11.” If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

We made the executive decision to exclude two of the biggest rock bands of the ’80s — Van Halen and Guns N’ Roses — from this list. While both bands ran parallel to the glam metal scene (and Van Halen, in particular, had a huge influence on the movement), neither quite fit the mold and owed a greater debt to the ’70s hard rock tradition.

With those exceptions in mind, read on to see our choices for Top 40 Glam Metal Songs.

40. BulletBoys, “Smooth Up in Ya”

From: Bulletboys (1988)

Bulletboys emerged near the tail end of the glam metal zeitgeist with their 1988 self-titled debut, which grazed the Top 40 and went gold. Its first and biggest single, “Smooth Up in Ya,” climbed to No. 71 on the Billboard Hot 100 off the strength of its muscular groove and Ted Templeman‘s beefy production. Imagine if Billy Squier had eaten a handful of gas station sex pills before writing “The Stroke” and you’ll be in the ballpark.

 

39. Ratt, “You’re in Love”

From: Invasion of Your Privacy (1985)

The Ratt formula was simple: screaming guitars plus untamed libido equal kickass song. “You’re in Love” delivers on both counts, with a crunchy riff and spitfire solo marking some of Warren DeMartini’s finest work. It’s ostensibly a cautionary tale: Stephen Pearcy described it as Ratt’s “‘danger zone’ love scenario.” Good luck deciphering his nonsense lyrics, but at least he sounds in tip-top shape.

 

38. L.A. Guns, “Never Enough”

From: Cocked & Loaded (1989)

L.A. Guns always sounded a little tougher and more street-smart than their glam metal peers, thanks to Tracii Guns‘ steely guitar riffs and Phil Lewis’ sassy, sleazy sneer. “Never Enough” tempers their gutter-punk attack with a soaring, harmony-laden chorus that Poison probably kicked themselves for not writing first.

 

37. Alice Cooper, “Poison”

From: Trash (1989)

Alice Cooper spent the better part of a decade on an alcohol-fueled downward spiral; a pair of sober comeback albums, 1986’s Constrictor and 1987’s Raise Your Fist and Yell, failed to restore the Godfather of Shock Rock to his former glory. His fortunes reversed on 1989’s Trash, which partnered Cooper with veteran songwriter and producer Desmond Child and featured assists from members of Bon Jovi and Aerosmith. Lead single “Poison” epitomized the album’s slick pop-metal turn, with moody guitar riffs and an anthemic chorus shooting the song to No. 7, giving Cooper one of his biggest hits and reviving his career.

 

36. Twisted Sister, “I Wanna Rock”

From: Stay Hungry (1984)

Twisted Sister rocketed to stardom with their third album Stay Hungry, which went triple platinum thanks to breakout singles “We’re Not Gonna Take It” and “I Wanna Rock.” The former has undeniable anthemic quality (and will appear on this list later), but the latter is arguably the better-constructed song. The riff is tough as nails, and Dee Snider‘s motor-mouthed vocals have an in-your-face urgency. The song instantly hooks listeners with a call-and-response chorus; participation is mandatory and resistance is futile.

 

35. Autograph, “Turn Up the Radio”

From: Sign In Please (1984)

The members of Autograph were in their late 20s and early 30s by the time they released their debut album, Sign In Please, and they’d opened for Van Halen on the 1984 tour before signing to RCA Records. Consequently, Sign In Please rocks with a polished professionalism that eluded some of their younger peers on the Sunset Strip scene. Just check out Steve Lynch’s sizzling guitar solo on “Turn Up the Radio,” which Guitar Player awarded “Guitar Solo of the Year” in 1985. The song’s Top 30 success also serves as a reminder that talent and instinct aren’t synonymous: The band thought little of the song and almost left it off Sign In Please.

 

34. The Cult, “Fire Woman”

From: Sonic Temple (1989)

The Cult were categorically not a glam metal band, but they dabbled in the sound and aesthetic on 1989’s Sonic Temple, which became their sole Top 10 album in the U.S. Lead single “Fire Woman” harnesses Billy Duffy’s scorching riffs and Ian Astbury’s Jim Morrison-esque howl to maximum effect, and Bob Rock’s bone-crunching production (which would help send Motley Crue’s Dr. Feelgood straight to No. 1 a few months after the release of Sonic Temple) gives the reformed goth rockers a larger-than-life sonic sheen. It’s the sound of the Cult fully embracing their arena-packing hard rock potential.

 

33. Warrant, “Down Boys”

From: Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich (1989)

Warrant were no more sophisticated or chaste than their Sunset Strip brethren, but their debut album — especially lead single “Down Boys” — rocks with a certain youthful exuberance that makes them sound like one of the rare glam metal bands you could take home to mom. (They would then try to sleep with your mom.) The riffs are snappy and percussive, and singer Jani Lane makes his sky-high vocal runs sound effortless. It’s horny, but it has heart.

 

32. Aerosmith, “Dude (Looks Like a Lady)”

From: Permanent Vacation (1987)

Some hardcore Aerosmith fans balked at the band’s poppy reinvention, but there’s no denying the commercial masterstroke of 1987’s Permanent Vacation, spearheaded by clever, wildly catchy singles like “Dude (Looks Like a Lady).” What originated as a lighthearted jab at Vince Neil became a frothy pop-metal smash about a man who gets more than he bargained for when he goes backstage with a stripper. If you take cowriter Desmond Child’s word for it, “Dude” is also a deceptively thoughtful bit of social commentary. “The second verse says, ‘Never judge a book by its cover or who you’re going to love by your lover,'” he told People, “and I think that’s a beautiful thought.”

 

31. Lita Ford, “Kiss Me Deadly”

From: Lita (1988)

Lita Ford had already proven her rock ‘n’ roll bonafides as a teenage member of the Runaways in the ’70s, but she finally scored a Top 20 solo hit with “Kiss Me Deadly.” Written by one-time Billy Idol bassist Mick Smiley, “Deadly” has a relentless, “Rebel Yell”-esque backbeat and overflows with guitar-and-keyboard hooks. Ford’s vocals toe the line between poppy croon and metallic snarl; she sounds like the girl who’d shotgun a beer at a party with you and kick your ass if you tried anything fresh.

 

30. Winger, “Seventeen”

From: Winger (1988)

Not the most famous rock song to feature a 17-year-old girl — that honor probably belongs to the Beatles‘ “I Saw Her Standing There” — but perhaps the most unabashedly creepy. Kip Winger’s lyrics are diabolical by any stretch of the imagination and would be wholly cancellable if not for the song’s prog-metal stomp and Reb Beach’s spectacular shredding.

 

29. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, “I Hate Myself for Loving You”

From: Up Your Alley (1988)

Another Runaways alum who’d found herself in a commercial dry spell, Joan Jett roared back into the Top 10 with “I Hate Myself for Loving You.” Cowriter and producer Desmond Child’s handiwork is once again apparent across the bulldozing guitar riffs, fist-pumping gang vocals and ear-candy hand claps. Jett’s signature growl powers the fiery anti-love anthem, and a bluesy solo from ex-Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor cements Jett’s ’70s rock roots.

 

28. White Lion, “Wait”

From: Pride (1987)

White Lion could have easily become another band of wannabe Van Halen also-rans; blonde-maned frontman Mike Tramp certainly knew how to preen like David Lee Roth. But whizkid guitarist Vito Bratta elevated the band’s sophomore album Pride to multiplatinum heights with his hot-poker riffs and dizzying, elegiac solos. “Wait” balances its sugary power-ballad choruses with a gorgeous, almost symphonic solo featuring some of the best tapping this side of 1984. Even Zakk Wylde praised Bratta as “the only guitarist I’ve heard who sounds cool doing taps.”

 

27. Bon Jovi, “You Give Love a Bad Name”

From: Slippery When Wet (1986)

On their career-defining third album, Bon Jovi went from writing mere songs to writing generational anthems. Lead single “You Give Love a Bad Name” granted the band its first chart-topping hit, striking the perfect balance of catchiness, relatability and PG-rated anger. The Desmond Child collaboration puts the goods up front, opening with an a cappella chorus and singalong guitar riff that sealed these Jersey boys’ fates as world-dominating superstars.

 

26. Cinderella, “Gypsy Road”

From: Long Cold Winter (1988)

On their sophomore album Long Cold Winter, Cinderella wisely ditched the glam metal contrivances of their debut LP Night Songs and opted for a batch of bluesy hard rock songs more akin to Aerosmith and the Stones than Poison. “Gypsy Road” is one of the strongest of the bunch, a top-down, volume-up highway anthem built around an indelible riff and Tom Keifer’s sandpapery howl.

 

25. Bon Jovi, “Wanted Dead or Alive”

From: Slippery When Wet

One of the most crucial entries in the “rock stars as cowboys” subgenre, “Wanted Dead or Alive” achieved something for Bon Jovi that not even their bigger chart-toppers did: It established their myth as long-suffering rock ‘n’ roll outlaws, bringing their music to the people one show, one fan, one riff at a time. Richie Sambora delivers a hall-of-fame acoustic guitar performance, and he and frontman Jon Bon Jovi perfect the inimitable vocal blend that would come to define many of their greatest hits (and set the stage for MTV’s Unplugged series with their masterful acoustic performance at the 1989 Video Music Awards).

 

24. Motley Crue, “Girls, Girls, Girls”

From: Girls, Girls, Girls (1987)

After the sterile pop-metal turn of 1985’s Theatre of Pain, Motley Crue made small but welcome adjustments on Girls, Girls, Girls, pivoting toward Aerosmith-inspired blues-rock and trading the polka-dotted jumpsuits for leather jackets and Harleys. The title track remains one of the band’s signature songs thanks to its greasy riffs and singalong chorus, while its references to several adult-entertainment establishments makes it one of rock’s definitive strip club anthems, rivaled only by Def Leppard’s “Pour Some Sugar on Me” (more on that later).

 

23. The Cult, “Love Removal Machine”

From: Electric (1987)

The Cult’s transformation from goth-punk mystics to bare-chested rock gods began with 1987’s Electric, which found the British rockers embracing a stripped-down hard rock aesthetic reinforced by Rick Rubin‘s bone-dry production. It granted them one of their most enduring hits in “Love Removal Machine,” an AC/DC-style three-chord rocker with a video that features Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy peacocking in front of walls of Marshall stacks. Again, it’s not textbook glam metal, but it’s better than anything Kix ever wrote.

 

22. W.A.S.P., “I Wanna Be Somebody”

From: W.A.S.P. (1984)

W.A.S.P. emerged from the Sunset Strip early in the glam metal zeitgeist, though defining their gory shock-rock shtick as “glamorous” is certainly a stretch. Nevertheless, “I Wanna Be Somebody,” the lead single off their self-titled debut, is a thundering statement of purpose. Frontman Blackie Lawless sounds singularly hellbent on stardom, roaring with desire over a relentless gallop and steel-slab riffs. With this level of conviction, “I Wanna Be Somebody” was destined to become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

 

21. Poison, “Talk Dirty to Me”

From: Look What the Cat Dragged In (1986)

Poison was far from the first glam metal band, but they were perhaps the definitive one. With its androgynous cover art and wellspring of frothy, hyper-sexual pop-metal anthems, their debut album Look What the Cat Dragged In became synonymous with the genre itself. With its elementary riff and teenage lust lyrics, “Talk Dirty to Me” is pure bubblegum bliss, and it rightfully became the band’s first Top 10 hit. As the music video proves, their conviction is key: Poison was so committed to the bit that everybody wanted to join their party.

 

20. Warrant, “Cherry Pie”

From: Cherry Pie (1990)

“I could shoot myself in the fucking head for writing that song,” Jani Lane seethed about the title track to Warrant’s sophomore album. The late singer scribbled the song on a pizza box in 15 minutes after Columbia Records demanded a catchier single a la “Love in an Elevator,” and unwittingly changed the course of his life. Sure, “Cherry Pie” is dumb, but it’s dumb in a brilliant way that eludes many of rock’s most gifted songwriters. Lane’s qualms about his legacy make sense, but this Top 10 anthem served as a gateway to Warrant’s much smarter material for anybody who actually cared to listen.

 

19. Scorpions, “Rock You Like a Hurricane”

From: Love at First Sting (1984)

It only took 12 years and nine albums for Scorpions to become overnight successes with “Rock You Like a Hurricane.” The German rockers had been tweaking and streamlining their sound over the course of several albums, and all of their efforts came to fruition on the triple-platinum Love at First Sting. Signature hit “Rock You Like a Hurricane” features a gut-punching riff and stadium-sized hooks, but it also showcases Scorpions’ technical finesse — the work of a veteran band that had been laboring for years in pursuit of their well-earned big break.

 

18. Ratt, “Lay It Down”

From: Invasion of Your Privacy

Ratt’s music might have been lusty and boneheaded by design, but here’s the thing: They still wrote great songs. Compositionally, “Lay It Down” is fairly sophisticated by glam metal standards. The main riff is nimble, the solo is divine, and the soft-loud dynamics between verse and chorus aren’t as different from grunge as the latter genre’s pundits would have you believe. It’s just that, rather than a vehicle for teenage angst and alienation, “Lay It Down” was a vehicle for guys like Stephen Pearcy to initiate sex with basically any woman who had a pulse.

 

17. Skid Row, “18 and Life”

From: Skid Row (1989)

Skid Row rocked harder than most of their glam metal counterparts, thanks to Dave “The Snake” Sabo and Scotti Hill’s steely riffs and Sebastian Bach‘s soaring, multi-octave wail. Those elements transform “18 and Life” from a potentially routine power ballad into an epic, cautionary tale of crime and punishment. Thanks to Bach’s melismatic vocal runs, the song’s protagonist Ricky becomes more than just a sketch. He’s a tragic figure damned by his own choices — a dark-timeline version of Tommy and Gina, who star in several songs from New Jersey natives Bon Jovi (and will appear on this list later).

 

16. Europe, “The Final Countdown”

From: The Final Countdown (1986)

Swedish rockers Europe consummated their evolution from heavy prog to pop-metal on their third album The Final Countdown, whose title track became not just their biggest hit, but one of the defining songs of the glam metal era. It’s no wonder why, with that instantly recognizable keyboard riff that should be painfully cheesy (and maybe is) but still kicks ass against all odds. The galloping tempo and moody verses all build toward the inevitable climax of the chorus, which forever cemented Europe’s place in the annals of glam metal and sports stadiums around the world.

 

15. Skid Row, “Youth Gone Wild”

From: Skid Row

Lest anybody accuse Skid Row of being softies with “18 and Life” and the lovesick “I Remember You,” the rockers first introduced themselves to audiences with their clobbering debut single “Youth Gone Wild.” It’s a quintessential bad-boy anthem full of tough-as-nails riffs, a stadium-ready chorus and Bach’s megawatt vocals — plus some of the least believable dialogue ever featured in a rock song. (“Get a three-piece Wall Street smile and son, you’ll look just like me.”)

 

14. David Lee Roth, “Yankee Rose”

From: Eat ‘Em and Smile (1986)

Van Halen might be exempt from this list, but their original singer’s solo material is fair game. Hellbent on one-upping his former bandmates, David Lee Roth followed up his debut solo EP Crazy From the Heat with the blistering Eat ‘Em and Smile, a tour de force of pop-metal hooks, virtuosic shredding and world-class charisma. Snappy album opener “Yankee Rose” finds Roth borrowing some tricks from his old cohort, engaging in a cheeky call-and-response with guitarist Steve Vai before expressing his desire to [checks notes] have sex with the Statue of Liberty. If you can’t beat ’em, eat ’em.

 

13. Whitesnake, “Here I Go Again”

From: Whitesnake (1987)

Sorry to mix animal metaphors, but David Coverdale had exhausted most of his nine lives by the time Whitesnake released their blockbuster self-titled album. The band’s seventh LP marked a radical pop-metal reinvention, anchored by a chart-topping remake (actually, two remakes) of their 1982 song “Here I Go Again.” The updated versions blessedly changed the word “hobo” to “drifter” in the choruses, while the video featured actress and Coverdale’s future wife Tawny Kitaen somersaulting across the hood of two cars. What’s not to love?

 

12. Whitesnake, “Still of the Night”

From: Whitesnake

You’ve got to hand it to David Coverdale. After facing Led Zeppelin comparisons for years, how did the Whitesnake frontman respond? By releasing a single that was structurally identical to “Whole Lotta Love” — and getting away with it, because “Still of the Night” rocks so abundantly. John Sykes’ guitar riff hits like a sledgehammer, and the moody interlude creates palpable tension before Coverdale crashes back in with his bluesy roar. It was the perfect counterpoint to Whitesnake‘s weepy power ballads.

 

11. Kiss, “Lick It Up”

From: Lick It Up (1983)

Kiss was in dire straits by 1983, following a string of ill-advised genre exercises that led to dwindling album and ticket sales. They completed a previously unthinkable Hail Mary that year by removing their signature face paint, followed shortly by their first makeup-free album, Lick It Up. The title track is ridiculously simple and irresistibly catchy, getting maximum mileage out of a chugging one-note riff. Paul Stanley gives one of his most spirited vocal performances, foreshadowing his role as Kiss’ driving creative force and de facto leader for the rest of the decade.

 

10. Motley Crue, “Live Wire”

From: Too Fast for Love (1981)

Motley Crue’s raw, unrepentantly sleazy debut is ground zero for glam metal — and proof of just how much the genre transformed over the course of the decade. Album opener “Live Wire” blends the unkempt aggression of punk rock, the muscle of heavy metal and the preening hooks of bubblegum pop in a potent cocktail that would inspire countless bands in Motley’s wake. The pre-chorus became a rally cry for countless musicians and fans determined to make the good times last forever: “I’m hot, young, running free / a little bit better than I used to be.”

 

9. Twisted Sister, “We’re Not Gonna Take It”

From: Stay Hungry

The most successful art is that which creates community, and on “We’re Not Gonna Take It,” Twisted Sister welcomed outcasts, misfits and antisocial headbangers into their crew with open arms. The result was one of the most enduring “us vs. them” anthems in rock history and a readymade glam metal smash. It also made Dee Snider the perfect candidate to defend heavy metal on a national scale when he testified against the Parents Music Resource Center in a 1985 Senate hearing.

 

8. Quiet Riot, “Cum On Feel the Noize”

From: Metal Health (1983)

Quiet Riot notoriously tried to sabotage their cover of Slade‘s “Cum On Feel the Noize” when they recorded it on producer Spencer Proffer’s dime. But they just couldn’t — one, because the band was tight, and two, because the song was a rock ‘n’ roll classic just begging for a glam-metal facelift. “This was anthem participatory rock,” Proffer explained, and he hit the nail on the head. As a result, “Cum On Feel the Noize” became one of Quiet Riot’s signature songs, while the accompanying Metal Health album became the first metal album to top the Billboard 200.

 

7. Def Leppard, “Pour Some Sugar on Me”

From: Hysteria (1987)

Def Leppard’s diamond-selling fourth album was a musical and technological revelation — a hard-rock response to Michael Jackson’s Thriller that spun off seven singles and set a new standard for sophisticated production. At its core, “Pour Some Sugar on Me” is a fairly straightforward hard rock song with a foot-stomping beat scientifically engineered to blow the roof off any Hooters within a 50-mile radius. But the titanic drum sound, meticulously layered guitars and lush, four-part vocal harmonies turn it into something else altogether. It’s almost robotic in its perfection — but no cyborg could ever write a song so eminently catchy and universally relatable.

 

6. Aerosmith, “Love in an Elevator”

From: Pump (1989)

Permanent Vacation revived Aerosmith’s career, but Pump proved it wasn’t a fluke and they still had their mojo. “Love in an Elevator” combines the sleazy, monolithic riffing and double entendres of the band’s raucous ’70s heyday with skyscraping pop hooks and Bruce Fairbairn’s big-budget production. It’s fun, ribald and rocks hard as hell — in other words, it’s quintessentially Aerosmith.

 

5. Poison, “Nothin’ but a Good Time”

From: Open Up and Say … Ahh! (1988)

Poison were well on their way to rock stardom by 1988, but they were still in touch enough with their hardscrabble roots to relate to their working-class fans. “Nothin’ but a Good Time” is the ultimate escapist pop-metal fantasy — a song about clocking out of work, grabbing a six-pack and hitting the town with your girl (or guy). “I raise a toast to all of us who are breaking our backs every day,” Bret Michaels sings, and you can’t help but believe that you’re on the same team.

 

4. Bon Jovi, “Livin’ on a Prayer”

From: Slippery When Wet

Jon Bon Jovi was taking cues from Bruce Springsteen long before his band made it big, and with “Livin’ on a Prayer,” they finally made their own mini-masterpiece, a character study about two down-on-their-luck lovers trying to beat the odds in a cruel world. You don’t have to be a dockworker or diner waitress to hear yourself in the saga of Tommy and Gina, or to find refuge in the song’s larger-than-life hooks. Most glam bands sang about burying their problems in booze and drugs; Bon Jovi sang about taking solace in your partner’s embrace. It’s a crucial difference, and the reason countless fans are still livin’ on a prayer today.

 

3. Ratt, “Round and Round”

From: Out of the Cellar (1984)

The title of Ratt’s debut album, Out of the Cellar, could have very well described their own position in the hard-rock rat race (pun intended). After Quiet Riot and Motley Crue set the stage for the glam metal explosion, Ratt was next in line to seize the gauntlet. They rose to the challenge with “Round and Round,” a Top 10 hit that spawned one of the genre’s epochal riffs and a blazing twin-guitar solo courtesy of Warren DeMartini and Robbin Crosby. The image of DeMartini crashing through the attic and shredding atop the dinner table in the music video epitomized the glam metal ethos and officially announced Ratt’s takeover.

 

2. Motley Crue, “Kickstart My Heart”

From: Dr. Feelgood (1989)

Eight years, five albums and several near-death experiences after forming, Motley Crue had become kings of the hard-rock heap — and nearly pissed it all away when Nikki Sixx overdosed on heroin and needed to be revived with a shot of adrenaline by paramedics. Thankfully, his brush with death inspired Motley Crue to get sober, and the band roared back with the chart-topping Dr. Feelgood. The Bob Rock-produced album rocks with earth-shaking clarity, and “Kickstart My Heart” features some of the band’s most muscular riffs and indomitable hooks, serving as a bookend to their most successful era.

 

1. Def Leppard, “Photograph”

From: Pyromania (1983)

Def Leppard was primed for the big leagues following 1981’s High ‘n’ Dry, and the diamond-selling Pyromania marked their shift from New Wave of British Heavy Metal-adjacent upstarts to Top 40 superstars. They owe much of that success to “Photograph,” whose indelible riffs and sugary melodies launched the track into the Top 20 and command stadium-sized singalongs to this day. The soaring guitar solo remains one of Phil Collen’s finest moments, and it serves as a microcosm for the Def Leppard’s use of muscle in service of melody, which put them at the top of the glam metal heap.