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Top 100 Rock Ballads of the '80s and '90s

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Where does supergroup U2 rank on my list? Find out below!

Where does supergroup U2 rank on my list? Find out below!

'80s and '90s Rock Ballads

There's nothing like a rock ballad from the '80s and '90s. Back then, they sure knew how to write and sing slow love songs and power ballads.

As Sammy Hagar (of Van Halen) said, "There were moments, like in some of the ballads, I put my heart and soul into those records. Those lyrics when I sang 'em, I gave myself goosebumps."

Welcome to my video list of the top 100 rock ballads of the '80s and '90s. Although it was hard to decide which songs to include and in what order to list them, I have compiled my favorite songs here, limiting myself to the 100 songs I love the most.

I hope you like this list and feel free to leave me a comment or a suggestion about a song I missed. Who knows, it may end up on the list!

Rock Ballads of the '80s and '90s!

Rock Ballads of the '80s and '90s!

My Top 10 Rock Ballads

  1. "With or Without You" U2
  2. "The Unforgiven" Metallica
  3. "Father of Mine" Everclear
  4. "Keep on Loving You" REO Speedwagon
  5. "Love Song" The Cure
  6. "The Deeper the Love" Whitesnake
  7. "Wonderwall" Oasis
  8. "Promises in the Dark" Pat Benatar
  9. "Price of Love" Bad English
  10. "The Rose" Bette Midler

1. U2: With or Without You

2. Metallica: The Unforgiven

3. Everclear: Father of Mine

4. REO Speedwagon: Keep on Loving You

5. The Cure: Love Song

What Makes a Rock Song a Power Ballad?

A ballad is a song that tells a story about an emotional situation. More than other songs, a ballad's emotion is super pumped-up, maybe a little exaggerated, but the result is that you feel satisfied, like the song was therapeutic.

Rock ballads and power ballads are the same thing. A typical rock song, with its electric guitars, bass, drums, and intense vocals, becomes a power ballad when it gets all sentimental and gooey about love, or sadness, or any other big emotion. Music journalist Charles Aaron has said that the first rock ballad may be "Stairway to Heaven," which was released in 1971. Other early rock ballads include Aerosmith's "Dream On" and "Freebird" by Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Simon Frith, the British sociomusicologist and former rock critic, has written that the power ballads of the '80s were also inspired by soul. Think "Sexual Healing" and "Midnight Train to Georgia." Singers like Ray Charles sang in a soulful way that influenced rockers like Joe Cocker to write slow songs with loud, emotional lyrics backed by electric bands.

In the '80s, big-haired (but macho) rockers started cranking out the slow-tempo, sentimental songs that—and here's the "power" part of power ballad—built up to the crazy, thrilling crescendo of electric guitar, bass, drums, and vocals that we all love.

Recommended

6. Whitesnake: The Deeper the Love

7. Oasis: Wonderwall

8. Pat Benatar: Promises in the Dark

9. Bad English: Price of Love

10. Bette Midler: The Rose

That's Right. No Aerosmith or Queen.

It was hard to come up with just 100 of my favorite rock ballads. I know there are lots of you out there who will take me to the mat for leaving off Aerosmith's "What it Takes," and "Dream On," not to mention Queen's "Somebody to Love" and the ever-popular "Bohemian Rhapsody."

What can I say except that while I love these songs . . . they're not in my top 100?!? The hard part, but also the fun part, of making this list is that I know it'll stir up some debate.

11. John Mellencamp: Jack & Diane

12. INXS: Never Tear Us Apart

13. Roxette: It Must Have Been Love

14. Stevie Nicks: Edge of Seventeen

15. Lisa Loeb: Stay

"Judas," the First Ballad

Historians believe that one of the very ballads was written in the 13th century and was called "Judas." In that song Christ gives Judas 30 pieces of silver to buy food for the Apostles, but on his way to the market, Judas runs into his sister, who lulls him to sleep and steals the money. Unwilling to confess his loss, Judas sells Christ to the Romans for the same amount of money.

16. Heart: Alone

17. Loverboy: Heaven in Your Eyes

18. Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart, and Sting: All for Love

19. Poison: Something to Believe in

20. U2: I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For

Best Rock Ballads for Karaoke

  1. "Alone" Heart
  2. "Love Song" The Cure
  3. "Jack & Diane" John Mellencamp
  4. "Wonderwall" Oasis
  5. "Keep on Loving You" REO Speedwagon
  6. "Every Breath You Take" The Police
  7. "I'll Stand By You" The Pretenders
  8. "Disarm" Smashing Pumpkins
  9. "Free Falling" Tom Petty
  10. "Only the Lonely" The Motels

21. Soul Asylum: Runaway Train

22. Eric Clapton: Tears in Heaven

Best Unrequited Love Ballad Lyric

Oh can't you see?

You belong to me.

How my poor heart aches

With every step you take.

— "Every Breath You Take" The Police

23. Foreigner: I Want to Know What Love Is

24. 3 Doors Down: Here Without You

25. Air Supply: The One That You Love

Best Power Ballads by Female Singers

  1. "The Rose" Bette Midler
  2. "Promises in the Dark" Pat Benatar
  3. "It Must Have Been Love" Roxette
  4. "Edge of Seventeen" Stevie Nicks
  5. "Alone" Heart
  6. "Stay" Lisa Loeb
  7. "I'll Stand by You" The Pretenders
  8. "Only the Lonely" The Motels
  9. "Take My Breath Away" Berlin
  10. "One of Us" Joan Osborne

26. Def Leppard: Stand up Kick Love into Motion

27. Bad English: When I See You Smile

28. Cheap Trick: The Flame

29. The Police: Every Breath You Take

30. Bryan Adams: Heaven

What Makes a Great Power Ballad Video?

Kevin Cronin of REO Speedwagon has said that power ballads are basically folk songs played on electric instruments, with the wattage turned way up.