From Bon Jovi to Bonnie Tyler: 9 Hair Metal classics from the 80s

Cast your mind back to a time when skin-tight leather jackets were mandatory, when the size of a guitarist’s blossoming bob directly correlated with the running time of their latest guitar solo, when no song came complete without at least a dozen power chords.

Yes, we’re clearly talking about the 80s, a golden age for in-your-face, brilliantly indulgent guitar anthems.

In a new edition of Sounds of the 80s, available to watch on BBC iPlayer now, Sara Cox counts down the greatest Hair Metal moments. Casting an eye back to iconic music videos and bountiful perms, there’s only one rule: the more ridiculous, the better.

To celebrate here’s our selection of eight essential hair metal classics…

Is there a more iconic synth line than the fist-pumping opening notes of Europe’s The Final Countdown? Absolutely not. Penned by Joey Tempest on his keyboard, the rest of the band initially had mixed reactions. The outside world was more convinced, and it went to No.1 in 15 different countries, including the UK where it topped the chart for two weeks in December 1986.

Did you know? The original riff was inspired by David Bowie’s Space Oddity.

No Hair Metal celebration comes complete without a mention of this Bon Jovi stadium-filler. Telling the tale of working class couple Tommy and Gina, it turns a story of hardship into something celebratory. Who doesn’t know every single word to Livin’ on a Prayer’s chorus? Go on, ‘fess up.

Did you know? Jon Bon Jovi originally didn’t want the song on the band’s Slippery When Wet album, but a group of teenagers reportedly convinced him to change his mind.

Despite charting at No. 65 in the U.S., this was Kiss’ first top 10 hit in the UK, and it's an in-your-face anthem worthy of being considered a Hair Metal classic.

Think you’ve seen every Gene Simmons impersonation ever? Wait for this: On the new Sounds of the 80s, Radio 2’s very own Jeremy Vine, Tony Blackburn and Ken Bruce join Sara for an incredible performance of this Kiss classic. It has to be seen to be believed.

Did you know? Gene Simmons has hosted his own Radio 2 rock show, spinning tunes from the likes of Iron Maiden and AC/DC.

Try listening to this without grabbing the nearest hairdryer - or if you have one to hand, a megaphone - and singing along like a hair metal icon. A karaoke classic, this power ballad remains Bonnie Tyler’s most successful song ever, and it’s not hard to see why.

Did you know? According to songwriter Jim Steinman, the song was originally called ‘Vampires In Love’, written from the perspective of a vampiric romance.

Pendulum-swinging from Joe Perry’s guitar licks, to Steven Tyler’s fist-pumping screams, back to Run-D.M.C.'s ante-upping verses, this hair metal anthem was a game-changer. Originally released in the mid-’70s, the Aerosmith original was given a new spin 10 years later when DMC hopped on a new version. At the time, it was one of the first examples of rock and rap sharing the spotlight. A couple of decades later, pop titans Sugababes and Girls Aloud decided to cover it with their own musical face-off.

Did you know? The Run-DMC version charted higher than Aerosmith’s original.

A last-minute addition to 1988 album Hysteria, Pour Some Sugar On Me was the crossover single Def Leppard believed their fourth studio LP was previously lacking. A sky-reaching juggernaut, it ended up being a late contender for the 80s' finest Hair Metal moment.

Did you know? The song emerged after frontman Joe Elliott heard the aforementioned Aerosmith and Run-D.M.C. collaboration. "All of a sudden, rock and rap did mix, so we wrote our own," he said in 2000.

You can watch an interview with Def Leppard’s Joe Elliot and Phil Collen in the latest edition of Sounds of the 80s.

New Jersey heroes Twisted Sister make rock ‘n roll sound vital and powerful, none more so than on the chest-pumping track We’re Not Gonna Take It.

Glam rock with a revolutionary spirit, watch Sounds of the 80s on iPlayer to see where it rates in Sara Cox’s Hair Metal Megamix.

Did you know? The song was used for Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential run, but Dee Snider later asked for it to be removed, as he didn’t endorse the campaign.

Every aspiring guitar virtuoso knows their way around Sweet Child O’ Mine. Slash’s opening guitar notes remain one of rock’s most iconic riffs, and Axl Rose’s lyrics - a love letter to his girlfriend at the time, Erin Everly - are equally undisputed. The ultimate headbanger.

Did you know? The guitar riff was originally a joke, emerging when Slash messed around during a jam session.

This foot-stomper all-female Californian rockers Vixen closes our Hair Metal countdown. Lest we forget, Vixen sported some of the most outrageous ‘dos in hair metal history, and they had the wig-out tunes to match.

Did you know? Bass player Share Pedersen went on to publish her own book about knitting, called Punk Knits.

You can also hear Sounds of the 80s each Friday night on Radio 2, 10pm to midnight. If you want to get involved, e-mail us at eighties@bbc.co.uk – where you can pick a novelty song, an Anorak Track…or share your musical memories of the 80s.

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