Western Rock That Still Holds Up — A Personal 50-Track Tour

2022年5月3日2026年6月3日

The selection criterion: “songs that still sound great today.”

We’re in the streaming era, so I’m picking individual tracks rather than full albums. If something here grabs you, dig deeper into the artist.

① 10 80s-Style Pop-Rock Songs That Still Sound Great　← this page
② 10 Hard-Rock Songs That Still Sound Great
③ 10 Rock Ballads That Still Sound Great
④ 10 Classic Heavy Metal Tracks — “Don’t Worry About Whether They Still Sound Great”
⑤ 10 Bon Jovi Classics That Still Sound Great
⑥ 2010s+ Western Rock/Pop That Should Land for Old-School Rock Fans

TOC

① 10 80s-Style Pop-Rock Songs That Still Sound Great

The 80s were a golden age for rock-as-mainstream-entertainment, and this section covers that and the pop-rock that flowed out of it. There are some 90s tracks in here too. Some people would call this “corporate rock,” but I’m not a fan of that label, so I’m going with “pop-rock.”

1. “99” / TOTO

TOTO are the standard-bearers of grown-up “AOR” (album-oriented rock), with classics like “Africa” in their catalog. “99” is a piano-led ballad, and the reason I’m pushing it here is the outro — the closing duel between piano, guitar, and bass is perfect for a quiet night.

2. “Thought I’d Died And Gone To Heaven” / BRYAN ADAMS

From the 1991 album Waking Up The Neighbours. The producer is Robert “Mutt” Lange — famous for his work with Def Leppard among others — so it has a bit of a Def Leppard flavor.

3. “Eye In The Sky” / THE ALAN PARSONS PROJECT

The signature track of “the studio wizard” Alan Parsons Project, who famously didn’t tour. They might be classified as a pop act (sorry, I’m not sure exactly where they fit on the genre map), but the meticulous song construction should appeal to people who like prog rock too.

4. “Livin’ For You” / BOSTON

From Boston’s 4th album. Boston is one of my personal-favorite bands. The first four albums by mastermind Tom Scholz are highly recommendable to just about anyone.
If you stopped after album four, the most recent record Life, Love & Hope (2013) has gems too — try “Last Day Of School” and “The Way You Look Tonight.”

5. “I’d Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That)” / MEAT LOAF

Way back in 1993, this was on the compilation CD “NOW1” and that’s where I fell for it. The songwriter Jim Steinman passed away in 2021. This track, from Bat Out Of Hell II, made Billboard’s “10 Best Jim Steinman Songs” tribute list.

6. “Crash! Boom! Bang!” / ROXETTE

The Swedish pop duo. Their up-tempo songs like “Fading Like A Flower” and “Sleeping In My Car” are great, but for variety I went with a ballad here.

7. “Who’s Crying Now” / JOURNEY

One of the iconic 80s pop-rock bands, Journey. The vocal performance is stunning, and the bass line is unforgettable.

8. “Heat of the Moment” / ASIA

A supergroup formed by veterans of rock legends like King Crimson and Yes, who then committed fully to catchy pop-rock. The first two albums in particular still feel special.