Power Ballads...

Yea, they were a total cliche' in the mid to late 80s: every hard rock/metal band HAD to have a "power ballad" on their album in order to get radio/video play. A lot of them were just plain awful of course, but let's be honest here, metal heads: I bet every one of you has at least ONE get-out-your-lighters-and sing-along power ballad that you still hold near and dear to your heart. So spill it, which one(s) still warm the cockles of your metal hearts today? Some of my favorites:

Cinderella - Don't Know What You've Got (Til It's Gone)
Kix - Don't Close Your Eyes
Dokken - Alone Again
Warrior Soul - The Golden Shore
W.A.S.P. - Forever Free

Rough Cutt - The Night Cries out for You

is my personal favorite

KISS - Forever
WASP - Forever Free
Y&T - I Believe In You

I'm sure there are others

A few others:

Barren Cross - Heaven or Nothing and Cryin' Over You
Babylon A.D. - Desperate
Helloween - A Tale That Wasn't Right
Stryper - Lady

Sometimes I wonder how kids today get through their teen years without the metal ballad. A lot of those songs play like a soundtrack to my first loves had and lost.

I'll second Babylon A.D. 's "Desperate", how that wasn't a huge hit I'll never understand.

Some other Favorites
Skid Row "I Remember You" - my all time favorite.
LA Guns "It's Over Now" or "Ballad of Jayne"
Shotgun Messiah "Living Without You"
Killer Dwarfs "Doesn't Matter"
Great White "The Angel Song"
Sleeze Beez "I Don't Want To Live Without You"
Scorpions "Believe in Love"

I've always had a soft spot for these:

Cinderella - Don't Know What You've Got
Def Leppard - Live Bites
Great White - Love is a Lie
Kiss - I Still Love You
Skid Row - I Remember You
Cinderella - Nobody's Fool
LA Guns - Kiss of Death
LA Guns - Crystal Eyes
Great White - Save Your Love (my best friend's wedding song)

Stryper-Lady
Skid Row-I Remember You
Firehouse-Love of a Lifetime
Sacred Warrior-He Died
Guns N Roses-Sweet Child O' Mine

I agree with jstate. Power ballads were a huge part of my youth too! I have 3 compilation discs, released in Scandinavia only, I think, with some of the best power ballads out there. Here are some of my favorites:

Heart - Alone
Skid Row - 18 & Life
Skid Row - I Remember You
Skid Row - Wasted Time
Damn Yankees - High Enough
Whitesnake - Is This Love
Mötley Crüe - Without You
Mötely Crüe - Home Sweet Home
Giant - I'll See You In My Dreams
MSG - When I'm Gone
Danger Danger - I Still Think About You
White Lion - When The Children Cry
White Lion - You're All I Need
Stryper - Honestly

Wow Power Ballads rule! I cant get enough of them so of my favorites are


Extreme - More Than Words
Firehouse - Love of a Lifetime
White Lion - When the Children Cry
White Lion - You're all i Need
Skid Row - I'll Remember You
Bon Jovi - Always
Faster Pu$$ycat - House of Pain
Mr. Big - To be With You
Tesla - Love Song
Dokken - Alone Again
Damn Yankees - High Enough

are just a few

"Still Loving You"- SCORPIONS
"Save Your love"- GREAT WHITE
"Alone Again"- DOKKEN
"House of Pain"- FASTER Pu$$ycat
"Walkin' Away"- KIX
"Ballad Of Jayne"- L.A. GUNS
"Home Sweet Home"- MOTLEY CRUE
"Liza Jo"- ROCK CITY ANGELS
"Over You"- ROXANNE
"Sacrifice Me"- SALTY DOG
"We're No Good Together"- TESLA
"The Price"- TWISTED SISTER
"1916" - MOTORHEAD *


* Not quite a ballad but a mellow moving song...this still chokes me up ...something about hearing Lemmy sounding close to tears....

I actually love power ballads:

Limited to 80s and early 90s (otherwise this would be longer):

Skid Row-I Remember You
Cinderella-Don't Know What You've Got
Damn Yankees-High Enough and Where You Going Now
Bon Jovi-Always, Bed Of Roses, I Want You, and In These Arms
Warrant-Sometimes She Cries, I Saw Red, Heaven, and Bitter Pill
Guns & Roses-Sweet Child O' Mine, Don't Cry, Patience, and November Rain
Scorpions-Winds Of Change, Send Me An Angel, and Here In My Heart
Stryper-Honestly, Lady, Always There For You, and Together As One
Heart-Alone, What About Love, and These Dreams
Whitesnake-Is This Love and Here I Go Again
Sacred Warrior-He Died and Holy Holy Holy
Aerosmith-What It Takes, Angel, Cryin', and Crazy
Alice Cooper-Only Women Bleed
Europe-Carrie, Open Your Heart, and Dreamer
Extreme-More Than Words, Seven Sundays, Stop The World, Rise 'N Shine, and Who Cares
Guardian-Forever And A Day and Never Say Goodbye
Ken Tamplin-Never Give Up and I Hear Cryin'
Magdallan-House Of Dreams and Give All To Love
Motley Crue-Home Sweet Home and Don't Go Away Mad
Nelson-After The Rain and Love & Effection
Night Ranger-Goodbye, Sister Christian, Sentimental Street, and Restless Kind
Ozzy Osbourne-Can't Kill Rock & Roll and Mamma I'm Comming Home
Poison-Life Goes On, Something To Believe In, Only Time Will Tell, and Every Rose Has I'ts Thorn
Queensryche-Silent Lucidity and Anybody Listening (not quite but close)
Ratt-One Step Away and Given Yourself Away
Savatage-Out On The Streets
Shout-Winners Or Losers, Love Will Find A Way, and Faith Hope And Love (again not quite but close)
Slaughter-Real Love and Fly To The Angels
Tesla-Love Song, Paradise, and A Lot To Lose
Ugly Kid Joe-Busy Bee, Cats & The Cradle, and Mr. Recordman
Van Hagar-Can't Stop Loving You, When I's Love, and Right Now
Vince Niel-Can't Change Me and Forever
Whitecross-In America, Walk With Me, and In The Kingdom
Winger-Headed For A Heartbreak and Miles Away
Firehouse-When I Look Into Your Eyes and Love Of A Lifetime
Enuff Z'nuff-Fly High Michelle
Whitelion-When The Children Cry
Steelheart-I'll Never Let You Go

I'm sure I forgot some but this list is long enough.

jstate wrote:

I'll second Babylon A.D. 's "Desperate", how that wasn't a huge hit I'll never understand.

Babylon A.D. were a great band, I think they just came to the hair metal party a little late (and were signed to a label that didn't know squat about hard rock/metal). "Desperate" should've been a single.

Quote :

Shotgun Messiah "Living Without You"

Fan-TASTIC song! Instead of the typical "My woman done left me, i can't live without her" cliches of most power ballads, this one is the opposite sentiment -- "You're leaving? Fine, f**k off" (haha)

Monstrosity - Final Cremation

Holy Soldier - Eyes of Innocence

Freddy - start the Babylon A.D. thread and I'm there. When that album came out I listened to nothing else for weeks. Great stuff. "Desperate" got me through my first real heart pulled out and stomped heartbreak.
And ironically enough it was that girl that got me into Shotgun Messiah in the first place.

One thing that used to amuse me was how every ballad was treated like a love song. I remember school dances where we slow danced to "Don't Close Your Eyes" and "House Of Pain". Like suicide and broken homes were reasons to pull the girl closer to you. Always found it sorta odd.

What a great thread.

Adding to the great tunes listed already:

Gwar - The Road Behind (surprisingly good...."There's more to life than making other people die!!")


Bride had some good ones:

Sweet Louise

I Miss The Rain

Goodbye

And my #1 all-time?

Steel Dragon/Steelheart - We All Die Young - that's the BEST "made for a movie" song I've ever heard!!

scottmitchell74 wrote:

Gwar - The Road Behind (surprisingly good...."There's more to life than making other people die!!")

This line always brings a tear to my eye:
"You were a roadkill baby, till I scraped you in my arms
Just another wattle flappin' on the old turkey farm
So baby... baby quit your cryin', put your clown britches on!"

Awesome pick! Wish I'd thought of it!!

lol! Put your clown britches on!!

What a band!! That tune never ceases to amaze me when I consider who's playing/singing....

All good choices.

Don't forget these:

Steelheart - I'll Never Let You Go (Angel Eyes) - That singer hit some nice high notes!
Bad English - When I See You Smile
Hardline - Can't Find My Way

Much love for Power Ballads - they will stand the test of time forever (in my eyes at least)

Prophet - Sound of a Breaking Heart

Heard it today on XM

Not bad

Scorps - Still Loving You...

Cinderella - Don't Know What you got till it's Gone.....

Whitesnake - It's Love

scottmitchell74 wrote:

And my #1 all-time?

Steel Dragon/Steelheart - We All Die Young - that's the BEST "made for a movie" song I've ever heard!!

Great Song Scott.I love that song and Rockstar is one of my favorite movies ever.All the Steel Dragon tunes are pretty good IMO

My favorite soundtrack. The ones made for the movie are incredible!

The Quireboys - King Of New York

Scorpions - "Holiday," "Wind of Change"

Bang Tango - "Midnight Struck"

Saigon Kick - "Love Is On the Way"

And let us not forget:
Anthrax "N.F.B. (Dallabnikcufecin)"

Fat Freddy wrote:

Stryper - Lady

Cannot stand that song. But to each their own!

Power ballads are initially what got me into hair metal, so it's a pretty big list, but here's a few that spring to mind...

Kix - Tear Down the Walls
Helloween - In the Middle of A Heartbeat
Arcade - Cry No More
Scorpions - Holiday
Winger - Miles Away
Faster Pu$$ycat - House of Pain
Warrant - Let It Rain, I Saw Red, Stronger Now
Bon Jovi - pretty much every ballad they ever did