Top 6 Air Supply Songs of the '80s

1. “All Out of Love”

As a lifelong fan of hard rock (and, most recently, a full-tilt punk rock convert), I know I’m not supposed to love this song with fierce devotion, but dammit, I just can’t help it. Actually, the reasons why this is Air Supply’s best song and one of the best of the '80s are many, but the main thing, I think, is the balance provided by shared lead vocals between Graham Russell and Russell Hitchcock. Russell’s acoustic guitar and folky vocal style serve as the perfect foil for Hitchcock’s squeaky-clean, cloying tenor, and as a result the song itself is able to shine through as the pop masterpiece it is.

2. “Lost in Love”

Many of the principles above apply here as well, as Russell’s gentle acoustic guitar again sets the stage for a love song but tones things down enough so that Hitchcock’s sappy arrival doesn’t push things completely over the line. Both of these tunes apply ample orchestration and sweet backing harmonies, but in both cases the flawless song structures carry the day. Ultimately, Russell is a gifted songwriter, and even if his lyrics display extreme earnestness, he has a deft enough touch to prevent engagement of the gag reflex. As listeners would come to learn, that’s Hitchcock’s department.

3. “The One That You Love”

Although my primary memory of this song seems to revolve around early-'80s forced trips to the shoe store or discount store with my mom, it’s still an undeniably catchy, successfully melancholy take on romance. Perhaps it feels so sappy because Hitchcock takes over lead vocals completely, but it definitely seems to be a decline from the first two worthy selections on this list. Of course, music buyers must not have agreed with that assessment, helping the song to become the duo’s only No. 1 hit on the Billboard pop charts in 1981.

4. “Sweet Dreams”

This is Air Supply’s lone stab at a power ballad, soaring in on a sweeping chorus and bolstered by twin-guitar fills, of all things. The tune may also be the duo’s least over-the-top and most straightforward offering, which is a credit to Russell’s firm songwriting sense and a reduction in heavy orchestration. We’re still in the midst of a sweet love song here (is Air Supply capable of anything else?), but at least the boys can be credited for leaving the word “love” out of the title, a bold move indeed.

5. “Even the Nights Are Better”

I suppose it can never be said with a straight face that Air Supply ever possessed much of an edge musically or lyrically, but if the duo ever did, any semblance of it was long gone by 1982. Of course, it didn’t help that at this point the pair began to rely upon outside songwriters, despite Russell’s proven pedigree for pumping out hits. It’s no surprise that as Air Supply’s sound became ever more teeth-gratingly easy listening that Hitchcock would be the focal point vocally. Even so, the duo’s heavy orchestration reached a new level here, making some music fans reach for the snooze button.

6. “Making Love Out of Nothing at All”

It’s outside professional songwriting again for this 1983 hit, but at least it’s difficult for over-the-top love songs to fail when they come from the pen of former Meat Loaf collaborator Jim Steinman, the composer of the sublime classic “Total Eclipse of the Heart.” His effort here certainly resembles that smash hit from the same year, mostly through the undeniable style of Steinman’s flashy balladry. Hitchcock’s vocals are appropriate enough, I suppose, but it is hard to take him seriously when he claims an ability to “make all the stadiums rock.” Nonetheless, a solid ballad.