Episode 54: Into the 80s! What Came Next for 70s Heavy Metal.
PLAY LIST
“Metal Health” by Quiet Riot (1983)
“Pour Some Sugar on Me” by Def Leppard (1987)
“Home Sweet Home” by Motley Crue (1985)
“Here I Go Again” by Whitesnake (1982/1987)
“Jump” by Van Halen (1984)
“Livin’ on a Prayer” by Bon Jovi (1986)
SHOW NOTES
This episode examines how heavy metal changed from the 1970s to the 1980s. The transformation of heavy metal was dramatic, evolving from a gritty, blues-influenced style into a diverse and more commercially driven genre. In the 1970s, bands like Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, and Deep Purple laid the foundation with dark themes, heavy guitar riffs, and a raw, analog sound. By the 1980s, metal had splintered into subgenres such as thrash, glam, and power metal, but hair metal was the most commercially successful. Advances in production and the rise of MTV amplified the genre’s appeal, turning bands like Def Leppard and Mötley Crüe into household names. Lyrically and visually, metal in the 1980s became more extreme and theatrical, expanding its audience and cementing its place in popular culture.
SOURCES
Brannigan, Paul. 2024. “Jon Bon Jovi: The Classic Rock Interview | Louder.” Louder Sound. https://www.loudersound.com/features/jon-bon-jovi-forever-interview.
Classic Albums. 2003. “Classic Albums: Hysteria.” BBC.
Def Leppard. 2023. “Def Leppard - Behind the Song - Pour Some Sugar on Me - BBC Radio 2 Piano Room.” YouTube.
Enders-Hudson, Julie. 1984. “What do teenagers want? Cancelled rock band tells the world.” Fort Pierce Tribune (Fort Pierce), February 3, 1984.
“Glam Metal News Story - 1988.” 2012. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cbP8vIqU3U.
Graff, Gary. 1988. “Whitesnake's New Image Brings Success.” Lexington Herald-Leader, January 3, 1988.
Grant, Sarah, Anthony Devlin, and Danny Lawson. 2023. “The Drastic Life of Joe Elliott.” SPIN. https://www.spin.com/2023/06/joe-elliott-def-leppard-interview/.
Johnson, Rick. 1979. “Is Heavy Metal Dead?” Creem (Detroit), October, 1979.
Johnson, Rick. 1987. “Heavy Metal Must Be Destroyed.” Creem (Detroit), May, 1987.
Kordosh, J. 1984. “Cum on, Top the Chartz: A Quiet Riot Goin' On.” Creem Magazine, March, 1984.
“Metal Health by Quiet Riot.” n.d. Songfacts. Accessed April 23, 2025. https://www.songfacts.com/facts/quiet-riot/metal-health.
Rhodewalt, Bruce D. 1983. “Popular Group Scorns Heavy Metal Label.” Lubbock Evening Journal (Lubbock), July 1, 1983.
Rizzo, Frank. 1987. “For Motley Crue, the heavy-metal winner's circle is home sweet home.” The Morning Call (Allentown), August 21, 1987.
Rolli, Bryan. 2023. “How Quiet Riot Scored Their Anthem With 'Metal Health.'” Ultimate Classic Rock. https://ultimateclassicrock.com/quiet-riot-metal-health-bang-your-head/.
Rosen, Steven. "Eddie Van Halen drops the bomb on Heavy Metal". Guitar World (1984). Van Halen. Rock's Backpages. Accessed April 26, 2025. http://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/eddie-van-halen-drops-the-bomb-on-heavy-metal.
Starr, Larry, and Christopher Waterman. 2007. American Popular Music: From Mistrelsy to Mp3. 2nd ed. N.p.: Oxford University Press.
Sweeting, Adam. "Bon Jovi: Metal's mettle". The Guardian (1988). Bon Jovi. Rock's Backpages. Accessed April 28, 2025. http://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/bon-jovi-metals-mettle
Van Zandt, Steve. 2021. Unrequited Infatuations: Odyssey of a Rock and Roll Consigliere : (a Cautionary Tale). Edited by Ben Greenman. N.p.: Hachette Books.
VRP Rocks. 2023. “How Quiet Riot Catapulted into MTV Superstardom.” YouTube.
Wiederhorn, Jon, and Katherine Turman. 2013. “Welcome to the jungle: The definitive oral history of '80s metal.” Salon.com. https://www.salon.com/2013/05/22/welcome_to_the_jungle_the_definitive_oral_history_of_80s_metal/.