Spotlight on '80s Hard Rock: Music Lists Tend to Provoke & Inspire the Creation of Others

Last week I stumbled upon a list of top hair metal songs from singer-songwriter Ryan Adams on his My Space page. My curiosity got the best of me, and although I wasn't particularly impressed with the list itself, it got me thinking about answering with my own selections. But the more I thought about it, the narrow genre of hair metal has probably had its fair share of attention on this site, at least for now.

So then I figured a more interesting list would draw from a broader pool of music to ensure high-quality picks, an angle that led me to compile my own personal list of top hard rock songs from the '80s, a decade that was quite kind to heavy guitar rock. Of course, "personal" is the operative word there, no matter how good one's intentions to be objective and universal may be. And that's the way these things go: Ryan Adams certainly thinks his list is a good one or he wouldn't have gone to the trouble of making it, and I likewise think quite a bit of mine. Ear of the beholder, I guess, but I trust you'll share with me what you behold.

• Top 10 Hard Rock Songs of the '80s
• Check out Ryan Adams' Top 5 Hair Metal Songs here.
• Ryan Adams' Official Website