Top 10 Best Glam Metal Songs

Glam metal came roaring out of the late 1970s and blew up in the 1980s with huge choruses, flashy guitar riffs, hairspray by the gallon, and enough attitude to fill the Sunset Strip twice over. It took the muscle of hard rock and heavy metal, dressed it in leather, lipstick, and leopard print, then sent it straight to radio, MTV, and packed arenas. Bands from Los Angeles helped turn the style into a full-on pop culture event, but the sound reached far beyond one city. Before long, glam metal songs were everywhere, from bedroom stereos and mall record stores to backseats, parties, and sports arenas. Loud, catchy, and built to get stuck in your head for days, this was music that wanted your full attention and had no interest in playing it cool.

The best glam metal songs are not just big because they are loud. They hit that sweet spot between swagger and sing-along fun. You get ripping solos, giant hooks, slick production, and lyrics that can be wild, messy, reckless, romantic, or gloriously dumb in the most entertaining way possible. That mix is a huge part of why people still argue over the top songs decades later.

The Top Ten

  1. Talk Dirty to Me - Poison

  2. Kickstart My Heart - Mötley Crüe

    The greatest glam metal song I've ever heard in my life.

  3. Round and Round - Ratt

  4. C** on Feel the Noize - Quiet Riot

  5. Cherry Pie - Warrant

  6. In My Dreams - Dokken

  7. Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone) - Cinderella

  8. Dr. Feelgood - Mötley Crüe

  9. Rock of Ages - Def Leppard

  10. Photograph - Def Leppard

    11. The Newcomers
  11. ?

    Girls, Girls, Girls - Mötley Crüe

  12. ?

    Livin' on a Prayer - Bon Jovi

    13. The Contenders

  13. The Final Countdown - Europe

  14. Heaven's on Fire - Kiss

  15. We're Not Gonna Take It - Twisted Sister

  16. Pour Some Sugar on Me - Def Leppard

  17. Gypsy Road - Cinderella

  18. I Remember You - Skid Row

    Horribly underrated. This is one gem of a song, and it has fantastic vocals.

  19. Nobody's Fool - Cinderella

  20. Once Bitten, Twice Shy - Great White

  21. Nothin' but a Good Time - Poison

  22. Heaven - Warrant

  23. Turn Up the Radio - Autograph

  24. 18 and Life - Skid Row

  25. Heavy Metal Rules - Pantera

  26. Unskinny Bop - Poison

  27. Tears Are Falling - Kiss

8Load More
PSearch List