Source: Graphic by Jarrett Huff / Radio One
Hair metal as a rock sub-genre dominated the 1980s, as its pop-like sound paired perfectly with the rapid commercialization of the music industry during the decade. While many hair metal bands remain pillars of rock music as a whole to this day, several bands and great songs have seemingly been forgotten by the passage of time.
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This list will bring you 25 “forgotten” hair metal songs that are still awesome to this day, and deserve more attention. A few of these songs come from bands whose name is synonymous with “rock music,” but the tracks themselves are buried by amazing discographies. Other songs were popular during their time, but due to the bands’ lack of sustained success, have faded from memory like the ones who recorded it. Finally, some of these songs came around too late into hair metal’s time in the spotlight, as the sub-genre was on its way out by the early 1990s.
25 Forgotten Hair Metal Songs That are Awesome
1. You Got Me Runnin’ – Def Leppard (1981)
Everyone knows Def Leppard if they listen to rock music. They’re a pillar of hair metal and classic rock music that will remain for the genre just as the pyramids of Egypt have for humanity. However, You Got Me Runnin’ off of High ‘N’ Dry, their 1981 sophomore record, is a high-quality song that is essentially buried by their stellar discography.
2. Rumors in the Air – Night Ranger (1983)
Night Ranger was another prominent 80s band, however Rumours in the Air is overshadowed by other songs on Midnight Madness, like Sister Christian.
3. Say What You Will – Fastway (1983)
By far and away the biggest hit by Motörhead guitarist “Fast” Eddie Clarke‘s band Fastway, Say What You Will earns the group the “one-hit-wonder” label. Despite it being their biggest hit, its relevance has faded it and the band into near obscurity.
4. Who’s Behind the Door – Zebra (1983)
Zebra drew early Led Zeppelin comparisons, but had little long-term staying power after the release of their self-titled debut record in 1983. Who’s Behind the Door is a fantastic song that doesn’t receive much love these days, but if you’re in Houston on April 26, you can catch them at the House of Blues; it’s sure to be on the setlist.
5. Spellbound – Triumph (1984)
Spellbound was a childhood staple for me, as it came up often on my dad’s mixes and a few midwestern classic rock stations on road trips in the early 2000s. These days, this amazing song and Triumph themselves get little love.
6. Party All Night – Quiet Riot (1984)
Quiet Riot was much more than Cum On Feel the Noize, and Party All Night is proof of that.
7. Don’t Stop Runnin’ – Y&T (1984)
Y&T has some great music, but it’s hard to come by if you’re a Spotify or other streaming services user. Don’t Stop Runnin’ is one of their best songs, but it’s seldom heard in the era of digital.
8. Midnite Maniac – Krokus (1984)
Krokus had a few moderate hits in the mid 1980s, but 40 years later Midnite Maniac is nearly forgotten.
9. Top of the Rock – Hagar Schon Aaronson Shrieve (1984)
Sammy Hagar, Neal Schon, Kenny Aaronson and Michael Shrieve formed a super group and released one self-titled album, which is almost forgotten entirely these days, despite the star power behind the music. This album is plentiful in bargain bins at used record stores I’ve frequented, but Top of the Rock makes it worthy of bringing up to the counter.
10. Hunger – King Kobra (1985)
King Kobra as a band has been relegated to near obscurity 40 years after their brief heyday, which makes it a shame that Hunger doesn’t draw more attention.
11. Dance – Ratt (1986)
Ratt is among the more-prominent hair metal groups of the 1980s, but Dance doesn’t garner the attention Round and Round or Lay It Down continue to enjoy.
12. Madalaine – Winger (1988)
A few years ago I went through a phase where Madalaine popped up in my shuffle on a near-daily basis. It’s sadly overshadowed by Winger‘s biggest hit; Seventeen.
13. Get It On – Kingdom Come (1988)
One of Kingdom Come‘s biggest hits, Get It On is sadly dragged down by the lack of relevance the band has today.
14. Get It While It’s Hot – Kix (1988)
Today Kix‘s name survives almost exclusively on their power ballad Don’t Close Your Eyes. Get It While It’s Hot was on the same record, but pales in comparison to the former’s popularity.
15. Sweet Lady Luck – Whitesnake (1989)
Whitesnake is still extremely relevant in the classic rock space today, but Sweet Lady Luck off of Slip of the Tongue doesn’t experience much of the love it so rightly deserves.
16. Never Enough – L.A. Guns (1989)
This may be a controversial pick considering Never Enough by L.A. Guns is arguably their second-biggest hit, but it hasn’t lasted like it should. It’s among my top favorites on this list, so I’m campaigning for more people to go out and give it a listen.
17. Party’s Over – Tesla (1989)
Tesla itself is one of the most wildly under-appreciate rock bands ever, as from 1986’s Mechanical Resonance to the songs they’re releasing in 2025 is great music across the board. Love Song off of their sophomore effort, 1989’s The Great Radio Controversy, receives a lot of attention, but the rest of the record, ESPECIALLY Party’s Over, are nearly starved of it.
18. Inside Out – XYZ (1989)
This is the only song keeping XYZ from fading completely from memory, and for that reason it needs to be heard by more people. Inside Out ROCKS.
19. She’s So Fine – Thunder (1990)
I admittedly heard this song for the first time in 2024 – oh the wasted years. As penance for my ignorance, She’s So Fine appears on most of my rock-centric playlists in 2025. It’s among my favorite songs on this list.
20. Mystified – Damn Yankees (1990)
Supergroup Damn Yankees had a fantastic debut record with hits like High Enough and Come Again. Mystified is another amazing song on Damn Yankees that doesn’t garner near enough attention.
21. Mad About You – Slaughter (1990)
I’m mad that Mad About You isn’t more popular amongst other hair metals songs.
22. Rev It Up – Vixen (1990)
Vixen is arguably the most-notable all-female hair metal group, yet their music doesn’t receive a ton of attention. Rev It Up is one of their better songs, but I wouldn’t blame you if you don’t remember it.
23. You & Me – Shotgun Messiah (1991)
Discovered this song this year, and I gotta say I’m a fan. Hadn’t heard of Shotgun Messiah previously.
24. Get in Touch – Firehouse (1992)
This might be my favorite song off of Firehouse‘s Hold Your Fire. Get in Touch and the rest of this album was a constant part of my morning drives to high school, as at the time my 2003 Ford F-150 only had a disc drive and a busted radio. Amongst my favorite albums of all-time, Hold Your Fire would’ve faired far better commercially if it hadn’t come out at the tail end of the hair metal era, and I’m convinced Get in Touch would be better known today.
25. Times are Changin’ – Roxy Blue (1992)
Another song I discovered in 2025, Times are Changin’ also suffers from essentially missing the hair metal era. While Firehouse had the benefit of being a known entity prior to the emergence of grunge, Roxy Blue is about as obscure as it gets, as they didn’t appear really until 1992. Grunge’s popularity killed the band by 1994, and they didn’t reform until 2017. Times changed indeed.
Singer Todd Poole, however, would go on to be a founding member of nu metal band Saliva in 1996.
