What's your price for flight?
So it begins . . .
I have not been able to find a satisfactory definition of "power ballad." Wikipedia has a fairly extensive article, but for the purposes of my list, I am limiting the songs to "bands with big hair and songs from the 80s or early 90s that for which one might hold up a lighter at a concert." This is no official definition; it is my own.
I must also say that the bands on this list are, for the most part, bands that I do not like. I pretty much hate REO Speedwagon, for example, but the song here is one of those that when it comes on the jukebox at a bar, everyone, no matter one's feelings about the band, sings along to. How can you not like lyrics such as "It's time to bring this ship into the shore, and throw away the oars forever"? Shakespeare would be proud to have written such poetry.
But there are a couple of songs here that I genuinely like--"November Rain" is a particular guilty pleasure, and indeed GnR are the only group to merit more than one entry. And "Sister Christian" gained new status in my mind from its brilliant placement in a key scene in Boogie Nights (and because Night Ranger played at Cornfest). And I could not come up with ten songs.
Anyway . . .
The Top Power Ballads of the 80s and Early 90s
by Bands with Big Hair
8. "Bringin' on the Heartache" - Def Leppard
7. "Don't Stop Believin'" - Journey
6. "Can't Fight This Feeling" - REO Speedwagon
5. "Every Rose Has its Thorn" - Poison
4. "Home Sweet Home" - Motley Crue
3. "Sweet Child o' Mine" - Guns N Roses
2. "November Rain" by Guns N Roses
1. "Sister Christian" - Night Ranger
offered up to the world by CoachDub @ 6:30 PM
23 comments
23 Comments:
I don't know if it counts as a power ballad, but I've always loved this song:
"Take Me Home Tonight" - Eddie Money
They played the minor league baseball stadium in my hometown along with .38 Special and BOC. It was unbelievable, in multiple senses of the word.
Man! You leave this place for a week and people keep on doing things without you.
I requested Sister Christian at prom but they never played it.
With regards to the recent hubbub about Mr. Tarantino: I believe I met kali's friend nick once, at a fourth of july celebration. He was a laid back, soft-spoken young man, not particularily engaging but nice enough.
In conclusion: it's often best not to judge people by blog behavior.
i really love playing "sweet child o' mine" on guitar hero ii
Max, that may be true, but it is entirely appropriate to judge what someone says.
For a real treat, you must check out the video for another REO Speedwagon song. The weird and creepy voice and the bad acting of the singer at the beginning and end of the video really must be seen to be believed.
"Keep on Lovin' You."
"Take Me Home Tonight" - Eddie Money
oh shit this just shot to the top of my to download list.
i am extremely pleased with the placement of sister christian at the top of this list. the song is an enigma that i have puzzled over for many months. what the hell does it mean? is it literally his sister? is she a whore or what? is motorin' a good thing? is it some girl he wants to bang, and referring to her as "sister" is just a term of endearment?
also, this list could've used whitesnake "here i go again" and maybe that gnr song that was like "i used to love her, but i had to kill her nah nah nah" i am also pleased that "every rose has it's thorn" is not on here, what a fucking terrible song. anyway i plan on making this rockin' car rid e mix cd anchored by motorin' and possibly "the boys are back in town".
also the vocals on "sweet child on mine" on guitar hero are really butchered by the coverer.
Ummm . . . Josh?
5. "Every Rose Has its Thorn" - Poison
But I don't like it much either, but in terms of power ballads, it has everything going for it. I remember when it first came out, I laughed at the song because it seems like another key element to power ballads was that the lyrics had to be mock-deep. But sung without irony. It is essential to the genre that Bret Michaels actually thinks that "Every night has its dawn" is a deep and powerful line.
Foreigner at least deserved a song at #9 considering you couldn't think of anything else.
And no Bon Jovi?
my mind must have blanked it out. whoops!
if every rose->thorn is bad, does that mean that night->dawn is also a bad transition? maybe dawn is when his one night stands end. terrible song
i admit, my dislike of it stems from the fact that wayne compton sung it at a talent show one time.
haha. stems.
and sister Christian refers to his sister, Christian. that's all i remember knowing about that song.
Also, how much difference is there between a night ranger and a night stalker/prowler/rapist? SOmething i've wondered...
Pelkey, the Bon Jovi omission is not an oversight. They simply bug me.
On the other hand, I hate Foreigner with all the passion that burns within me.
Every Rose Has Its Thorn + Sing Star = Great Times
So you're a Journey man, I take it?
Journey and Foreigner are equally bad, and by equally bad I mean equally awesome.
And by awesome, you mean bad.
Jason, one does not have to be either a "Journey man" or a "Foreigner man."
"Oh, you don't want to ram razor-sharp bamboo skewers under your fingers and into your eyes? You must be a slide-down-a-banister-made-of-barbed-wired guy."
I don't really get the analogy. We're talking about awesome things, remember?
i'm definately a foreigner man
I'm just a foreigner.
Im a skid-row fellow... just heard "Remember Yesterday" on the radio. that sebastian bach is dreamy. (yeah, thats his name, and yeah, he's a douchebag.)
Post a Comment
<< Home