The Best Hair Metal Song + Runner-up of Every Year From 1981-1991

What’s the best hair metal song of every year from 1981 to 1991? See Loudwire’s picks below, along with the runner-up song for each year.

The following list plots the development of the glam metal subgenre (later referred to derisively as “hair metal”) over the course of a decade, from its seedy Sunset Strip origins to the top of the world — and, ultimately, its inevitable downfall.

While it might initially seem more logical to limit this list to one clean decade (1980-1989), that’s not really doable with glam metal. For starters, the genre didn’t begin in earnest until Motley Crue released their scrappy debut album, Too Fast for Love, in 1981.

READ MORE: The Heaviest Song by 11 Big Hair Metal Bands

And although the genre was approaching peak saturation by 1989, glam metal bands still enjoyed a few more years of glory before the whole scene went belly-up in 1991 with the advent of grunge and the release of Nirvana’s Nevermind.

Along the way, you’ll see how the glam metal sound underwent minor adjustments as its popularity grew. The albums and songs released near the beginning of the decade had a raw, sleazy, gritty sound that was firmly indebted to the glam rock, punk and proto-metal bands of the ’70s. But as glam metal proved its commercial viability, bands secured bigger recording budgets, labels recruited top-dog producers and outside songwriters, and the music took on a more radio-friendly sheen.

Of course, bands and producers eventually went way overboard with that sheen and the whole glam metal subgenre devolved into unintentional self-parody. A shift was necessary — but even on their way out, these bands made some great tunes.

Keep reading to see the best hair metal song and runner-up of every year from 1981 to 1991.

Want more hair metal? Keep reading to see the best hair metal band for each letter of the alphabet:

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