This topic is music to my ears. I could go on and on about the rock music that is of the hair band variety. I could list numerous bands that meant something to me or had at least one song that has stuck to my soul.  I’ll go “Round and Round” with Ratt, ask a woman to “Surrender” with Trixter, Live on the “Edge of a Broken Heart” with Vixen, and enjoy all the “Girls, Girls, Girls” with Motley Crue.  Enough with the honorable mentions, here are my favorites:

5. Warrant

I was down (boys) with Warrant from day one. They came into popularity when the market was becoming over saturated, but they had a unique sound that made them stand out. With some of the best rock ballads, “Heaven,” and “I Saw Red,” they left their mark in the genre. You shouldn’t blame them for the fall of hair metal as a large majority do.  Blame Kurt Cobain and the fact that people were ready to start hating themselves.

4. Skid Row

Wild front man, Sebastian Bach, brought this energetic new feel to hair metal. When I heard that first guitar riff hit, “Youth Gone Wild,” it just clinched onto my face and dragged me through a mental thrill ride. With other hits such as “18 and Life” and one of my go-to ballads “I Remember You,” Skid Row will always stick with a “Piece of Me.”

3. Guns N' Roses

They brought a harder edge to hair metal and rock in general. Because of their look, I don’t always associate them with hair metal, but the video for “Welcome to the Jungle” will squash and debate that matter. I instantly loved their sound when I heard their first album, Appetite for Destruction. Not to mention they created my favorite song of all time "November Rain." Overall, the list of their music is short, with them only putting out four albums with the original band. However, short as the list is, it was powerful enough to get them the number three spot.

2. Cinderella

Tom Keifer has one of the coolest voices in all music, let alone hair metal.  At least, it is the one I tried to imitate the most when I was younger. Whether they were making you rock out with “Shake Me,” or making you feel as if you may have lost something wonderful in “Don’t Know What You Got,” their music is comfort food for my soul. Other songs of theirs, "Last Train" and "Coming Home" are among my favorites.

1. Poison

You cannot say hair metal without thinking of these guys.  Bret, C.C., Rikki and Bobby were the poster kids for 1980's rock music.  I can easily think of ten of their songs I love and know by heart. They can get you going with "Talk Dirty To Me" and "Ride The Wind."  They make you think with "Cry Tough" or "Something To Believe In," or have you feel love with "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" or "I Won't Forget You." They really have a song for any person in any mood.  If you haven't heard any of these songs, stop reading this right now and go listen to them all, in succession. When you are listening to Poison, you are in for “Nothin but a Good Time.” They are by far my favorite band for that reason.

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