A style of music that was predominant in the mid-
80s. Also known as
stadium rock,
cock rock,
FM rock,
hair rock and (shudder)
Soft Metal, the term poodle rock comes from the
hairstyle that was popular amongst such bands - a huge, frizzy
mullet that looked
like a distraught
poodle. Apparently the people involved decided that the best way to
carry on the satanic legacy of
Alice Cooper and
Ozzy Osbourne was to dress like
Molly Ringwald.
Love it or hate it, it was undeniably the soundtrack of the 80s. It was the perfect
manifestation of the empty materialism of the time - big, dumb, joyous (except for the
ballads), coke-addled, over-ambitious and completely lacking any soul or substance.
It was essential to the whole Simpson-Bruckheimer era. Let's face it, Top Gun wouldn't
have been half as much fun if Tom Cruise had been blasting through the skies while
"Boys Don't Cry" was blaring in the background. Or "How Soon Is Now".
For the sake of posterity, here are the five quintessential poodle rock songs:
5. "Here I Go Again" by Whitesnake
4. "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" by Poison
3. "Livin' On A Prayer" by Bon Jovi
2. "Winds Of Change" by Scorpions
and the winner...
1. "The Final Countdown" by Europe
Honourable mention to Van Halen for everything they've ever recorded.