Chapter 33: Pop, Rock, and Heavy Metal in the 1980s
Chapter 33 follows the resurgence of heavy metal during the 1980s as British and American bands combined technical musicianship, theatrical performance, and MTV exposure to reach mainstream audiences. While glam metal emphasized melody, spectacle, and commercial appeal, thrash metal and hardcore punk pursued faster tempos, heavier sounds, and more confrontational themes, leading to debates over censorship and popular culture through the PMRC.
Important Terms
Heavy Metal – A style of rock music emphasizing heavily distorted guitars, loud volume, powerful rhythms, and dramatic vocals.
New Wave of British Heavy Metal – A movement of British metal bands during the late 1970s and early 1980s that combined the heaviness of early metal with the speed and intensity of punk.
Pop Metal – A commercially oriented form of heavy metal combining melodic hooks, polished production, and radio-friendly songwriting.
Glam Metal (Hair Metal) – A style of heavy metal combining distorted guitars with pop melodies, theatrical stage shows, elaborate fashion, and power ballads.
Thrash Metal – A fast, aggressive style of heavy metal blending punk's speed with technical guitar playing and complex song structures.
Speed Metal – A style emphasizing rapid tempos and technical instrumental performance that helped influence thrash metal.
Hardcore Punk – A faster, louder, and more aggressive form of punk emphasizing short songs, heavy distortion, and confrontational lyrics.
Power Ballad – A slow song that gradually builds into a loud, emotionally dramatic rock anthem.
Double Bass Drumming – A drumming technique using two bass drum pedals to create rapid rhythmic patterns.
Two-Handed Tapping – A guitar technique using both hands on the fretboard to perform rapid melodic passages.
Hammer-On – A guitar technique in which a fretting finger produces a new note without picking the string again.
Pull-Off – A guitar technique in which a fretting finger releases a string to sound a lower note.
Whammy Bar (Vibrato Arm) – A guitar mechanism that changes string tension to create pitch bends and dive bombs.
Dive Bomb – A guitar effect produced by lowering the pitch dramatically with the whammy bar.
Palm Muting – A guitar technique in which the picking hand lightly rests on the strings near the bridge to create a muted, percussive sound.
Alternate Picking – A guitar technique alternating downstrokes and upstrokes for speed and precision.
Shred Guitar – A highly technical style of guitar playing emphasizing speed, precision, and virtuosity.
Harmonics – Bell-like tones produced by lightly touching a guitar string at specific points.
Volume Swell – A guitar technique gradually increasing volume after a note is played.
Mosh Pit – Area near the stage where audience members participate in moshing during concerts.
Moshing (Slam Dancing) – An energetic dance style involving pushing and colliding with other audience members.
Stage Diving – Jumping from the stage into the audience during a live performance.
Pay-to-Play – A booking system requiring bands to sell tickets or pay fees to perform at a venue.
Parental Advisory Label – Voluntary warning label indicating recordings contain explicit content.
PMRC (Parents Music Resource Center) – Organization founded in 1985 that campaigned for warning labels on music recordings.
Filthy Fifteen – List of songs identified by the PMRC as especially objectionable because of sexual, violent, or occult themes.
Artists Discussed
Van Halen – American hard rock and heavy metal band.
Bon Jovi – American pop metal band.
Mötley Crüe – Glam metal band associated with the Los Angeles scene.
Def Leppard – British band combining heavy metal with radio-friendly pop.
Metallica – Thrash metal band that became one of the genre's most influential groups.
Slayer – Thrash metal band known for speed and aggression.
Anthrax – Thrash metal band from New York.
Megadeth – Thrash metal band founded by Dave Mustaine.
Motörhead – British band combining punk and heavy metal.
Lemmy Kilmister – Bassist, singer, and leader of Motörhead.
Judas Priest – British heavy metal band known for dual lead guitars.
Iron Maiden – British heavy metal band known for historical and literary themes.
Rick Allen – Drummer for Def Leppard who continued performing after losing his left arm.
Eddie Van Halen – Guitarist known for two-handed tapping and technical innovation.
Alex Van Halen – Drummer for Van Halen.
David Lee Roth – Original lead singer of Van Halen.
Michael Anthony – Bassist for Van Halen.
Sammy Hagar – Singer who replaced David Lee Roth.
Gary Cherone – Singer who briefly fronted Van Halen.
Guns N' Roses – American hard rock band.
Axl Rose – Lead singer of Guns N' Roses.
Slash (Saul Hudson) – Lead guitarist for Guns N' Roses.
Poison – Glam metal band.
Ratt – Glam metal band.
Great White – Glam metal band.
Black 'n Blue – Glam metal band.
W.A.S.P. – Heavy metal band.
Whitesnake – British hard rock band.
Twisted Sister – Heavy metal band known for theatrical performances.
Black Sabbath – Heavy metal pioneers who influenced Metallica.
Dead Kennedys – Hardcore punk band known for political satire.
The Germs – Los Angeles hardcore punk band.
Black Flag – Hardcore punk band.
X – Los Angeles punk band.
Circle Jerks – Hardcore punk band.
Butthole Surfers – Texas punk and alternative band.
Tipper Gore – Co-founder of the PMRC.
Susan Baker – Co-founder of the PMRC.
Frank Zappa – Musician who opposed the PMRC and testified before the Senate.
John Denver – Singer-songwriter who opposed censorship during the PMRC hearings.
Songs Referenced
"Ace of Spades" – Motörhead
"Hell Bent for Leather" – Judas Priest
"Breaking the Law" – Judas Priest
"Living After Midnight" – Judas Priest
"Run to the Hills" – Iron Maiden
"Bringin' On the Heartbreak" – Def Leppard
"Love Bites" – Def Leppard
"Pour Some Sugar on Me" – Def Leppard
"Eruption" – Van Halen
"Jump" – Van Halen
"Hot for Teacher" – Van Halen
"November Rain" – Guns N' Roses
"Welcome to the Jungle" – Guns N' Roses
"Sweet Child O' Mine" – Guns N' Roses
"One in a Million" – Guns N' Roses
"Mr. Brownstone" – Guns N' Roses
"Paradise City" – Guns N' Roses
"Nightrain" – Guns N' Roses
"Talk Dirty to Me" – Poison
"Nothin' but a Good Time" – Poison
"You Give Love a Bad Name" – Bon Jovi
"Livin' on a Prayer" – Bon Jovi
"Wanted Dead or Alive" – Bon Jovi
"Shout at the Devil" – Mötley Crüe
"Kickstart My Heart" – Mötley Crüe
"One" – Metallica
"Battery" – Metallica
"Master of Puppets" – Metallica
"Holiday in Cambodia" – Dead Kennedys
"California Über Alles" – Dead Kennedys
"Kill the Poor" – Dead Kennedys
"Chemical Warfare" – Dead Kennedys
"Nazi Punks F* Off"** – Dead Kennedys
"Darling Nikki" – Prince
"Under the Blade" – Twisted Sister
"We're Not Gonna Take It" – Twisted Sister
"Porn Wars" – Frank Zappa
Albums
Ace of Spades
British Steel
The Number of the Beast
Pyromania
Hysteria
1984
Appetite for Destruction
The Spaghetti Incident?
Out of the Cellar
Bon Jovi
Slippery When Wet
Master of Puppets
...And Justice for All
Metallica (The Black Album)
Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables
Frankenchrist
Purple Rain
Frank Zappa Meets the Mothers of Prevention