What killed Hair Metal?

[marcus]

Also, the lyrics from those grunge bands were really good. I remember being like "wow, what is this song about?". Very dark and mysterious, and delivered by great vocalists. None of those Seattle bands sounded like each other, either.

The Melvins still blow me away. As for the lyrics, I still haven't figured out what any of their songs are about.

[toejam]

I still don't know why it was called Hair "Metal" anyway. Most of those bands were not metal.

metal is a loose and constantly evolving term tho dude. there were no subgenres as such back then, it was all just hevay metal to people in those days. hell it wans't even called glam or hair metal back then - the terms came later.

Well, when I was a teenager in the '80s, metal, to me, was Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Mercyful Fate, Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, Exodus, Overkill, Anthrax, Testament, Overkill, Death, Obituary, Morbid Angel, heavy stuff like that. That's what I mostly gravitated towards.
I was also a big fan of Motley Crue, Dokken, Van Halen, Ratt, Ozzy and some others that were hair/glam (never really understood or cared for the whole makeup thing and looking like a chick), but I always considered them just rock/hard rock.

[Axewielder]

Did I mention Unskinny Bop yet?

That tune sucked, but I think "Your Mama Don't Dance" sucked even harder.

[Cygnus X1]

Did I mention Unskinny Bop yet?

[Axewielder]

Nirvana wrote decent songs, but I always thought the big appeal was Cobain's amazing rock voice.

Also, the lyrics from those grunge bands were really good. I remember being like "wow, what is this song about?". Very dark and mysterious, and delivered by great vocalists. None of those Seattle bands sounded like each other, either.

[åron]

As someone that never really bought into the glam element of Hair Metal, the music started to slip. Some atrocious music got heavy promotion with the same tired look. When the industry sensed that styles and tastes had changed, they happily put a stake in the heart of Hair Metal.

Nirvana wrote decent songs, but I always thought the big appeal was Cobain's amazing rock voice. Brett Michaels? Janie Lane? Boring and sleazy. Cobain, Cornell, Staley were unique, dynamic, much heavier, and more authentic than any hair band I can think of.

[Incster]

Girls killed Hair Metal

Music Industry is driven by the needs of its greatest (in the sense of actively consuming) cutomer base: teen-age girls. Valley girls and suburb princesses made the Beatles, the Stones (yes), Led Zeppelin, Punk, Hair Metal, Grunge, and Madonna. And they killed them (commercially). Well, Madonne not right now, but anytime soon. Please? Pretty Please? The Who only became relevant when Roger Daltry donned fancy clothes like Roger Plant (according to Townsed).

This does not mean that our money is ignored, but we are just niche consumers. So a headbangers ball here, a rock-zone there, a Steve Vai concert, a cool guitar, and lyrics that are about something other than 'me'. And because we spend at least 2/3 of our income on stuff to impress the girls, or finance the whims of girls thusly impressed, our commercial leverage goes totally south.

Of course, there were some monster guitarist in the Hair Metal scene (Norum, Vandenberg, Sykes ...) and they should have lingered on in one of the boys-only niches. But not wearing mascara and dressing like a color-blind table dancer.

[gemini8026]

holy crap was that Nitro song lame!!!!!'

How can self respecting men do that stuff!!!!!

The band Slaughter comes to mind. They were imitators of imitators!!! The cheese, the corny talking during songs!

[Endrik]

The Industry killed hair metal.
One day they (mtv, record labels etc.) decided that they don't sign and promote anymore hair metal bands, they have their new play thing (grunge) wich gets shit loads of exposure and because it's new and fresh it will sell more than some old shit...and that until grunge doesn't bring in so much money anymore and they can replace it with the next fad (nu metal)

Also the people had a role in it. The new generation couldn't relate to hair metal. I think songs about parties and fucking hot chicks is cool, but many kids were very angry, some were depressed because of the society, economy, politics, lousy parents or whatever reason. They needed something new, something they could relate to.

And off course hair metal helped to kill itself. It became a parody of itself.
The early bands were cool, I love Motley Crue and Ratt, they still sound fresh. They were the originals. Some later bands such as Guns'N'Roses and Skid Row were awsome too because they had some agression and balls in their music.
But a lot of bands were a bunch of Van Halen and Motley Crue rip-offs. They could play, they could write memoriable tunes, they had good looks and great stage presence but it all became too cheesy. I can listen to that stuff because I consider most of it funny.
But too much is too much... crap like Poison, Tigertailz, Trixter, Pretty Boy Floyd etc. is just garbage. I know they got a lot of poon and they made some decent sing a long songs but c'mon it doesn't sound really sincere, If I want some good hair metal, I'll listen to Shout At The Devil... why bother listnening some lame rip-offs.

[sonicsamurai]

I still don't know why it was called Hair "Metal" anyway. Most of those bands were not metal.

metal is a loose and constantly evolving term tho dude. there were no subgenres as such back then, it was all just hevay metal to people in those days. hell it wans't even called glam or hair metal back then - the terms came later.

[sonicsamurai]

yeah, i never got into obituary

[toejam]

I still don't know why it was called Hair "Metal" anyway. Most of those bands were not metal.

[Cygnus X1]

Joe's got a dog in this fight, for some reason. The subject wasn't Poison, or Warrant. The subject was the genre.
As with anything, who knocked down the Heavyweight, and who made that fighter old and shaky on his feet? Grunge was just there to fill the void. Hair ran out it's term.
Something better is around the corner. I say stop the obituary, and play yer damn guitars.

[Szostak]

hip hop, rap music,and cheesy hair metal bands killed it

Hip hop and rap did not kill hair metal lol
they came way before, starting with soul ... If anything, maybe they were responsible for rap/rock but not the untimely demise of hair metal

[jacksoncsplayer]

I think drugs, greed, and or egos killed the music not nirvana not grunge in general, they got so fucked up and big headed that they negotiated themselves right out of bands, record deals and for some right out of life.