40 Songs That Defined Rock Radio in 1986

What was rocking rock radio in 1986? In this feature, we’re taking a closer look at the songs that dominated the airwaves in 1986. And much to our surprise, we found that a wealth of acts who first found fame in the ’70s were seeing a career uptick during this particular year of the 1980s.

Boston finally settled their contractual issues with their label to release their first new music since 1978. Acts such as Heart, Eddie Money and Robert Palmer all returned to prominence after some down years in their career. Meanwhile, rock staples Journey and Bob Seger just kept chugging along.

It was a huge year if you had been a member of Genesis. Peter Gabriel had arguably the biggest commercial year of his career, while Genesis had become a pop-rock powerhouse.

READ MORE: See Photos of Rock + Metal Stars of 1986 Along With Photos of Them Now

It also marked the big breakout for Bon Jovi, who would lead the hair metal takeover for the latter portion of the ’80s. And it was also the year that Van Halen flipped from David Lee Roth to Sammy Hagar with a more synth-led sound to boot.

But there was also room for some newcomers to make their mark. Crowded House, Georgia Satellites, The Outfield and Bruce Hornsby & The Range had some of the splashiest debuts.

It should also be noted that we were still a year out from alternative airplay being tracked by Billboard, with only the Mainstream Rock and Hot 100 charts being the primary sources for seeing how rock bands did commercially. So this would be essentially the last “classic” era of ’80s rock before an alternative influx invaded the pool of successful rock bands.

So let’s hop back in time to 1986 and check out some of the music that was commanding the rock radio airwaves.

Below, check out whatever happened to rock and metal’s class of 1986.