00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for 1980s bands that received
00:10and still get the most backlash.
00:1710. Warrants
00:20Warrants can pretty comfortably be filed into the category of bands that are almost
00:24like a caricature of themselves. The excess of the 1980s is very much at the center of
00:36everything they do. And if you don't like your music delivered with a huge side serving of
00:42innuendos, this band will not be for you.
00:45They wanted their listeners to know exactly what type of lifestyle they led,
00:55which, for a time, was fine.
01:06But as the times changed, people started to find Warrants' gimmick more and more off-putting,
01:11a classic example of a band that could only have existed in the 80s.
01:239. Tesla
01:25Tesla certainly would've liked to single themselves out from their peers, but
01:30even their blues-tinged take on glam metal wasn't enough to save them.
01:3410. Their haters would be quick to lump them in with any other old band from the era. In reality,
01:47their biggest crime is a simple one — they didn't really do enough to stand out.
01:5210. So here we are and we've come this far
01:56Any conversation about 1980s bands that haven't aged well is going to start with some bigger names,
02:02but eventually, Tesla's music will get a mention too. They leaned on familiar rock and roll tropes,
02:08a little too much — and people seem to simply get bored after a while.
02:1310. I will find my way
02:188. U2
02:20U2 spent many, many years as one of the biggest bands in the world, but it never truly got any
02:25better for them in terms of commercial and critical acclaim than the 80s.
02:2910. See the stones set in your eyes
02:34Through albums like Boy, The Joshua Tree, and Octoon Baby, Bono and the boys redefined the sound
02:40of rock music. But the over-the-top persona of their frontman definitely hindered them over the years.
02:4610. You give yourself away
02:49People really don't seem to like Bono, seeing him as incredibly pretentious and self-righteous.
02:56I believe in kingdom come
03:01Sure, the songs have stood the test of time for the most part, but it can be difficult to even
03:06mention U2 without immediately hearing someone complain about their image,
03:10attitude, or just the guy out front.
03:1210. But the streets have no land
03:157. Motley Crue
03:18Was there a band that embodied the debauchery of 1980s hair metal quite like Motley Crue?
03:2410. Notoriety night, can I need a fight?
03:27My mother sits on a little swissly night
03:31These guys didn't earn their reputation by accident either. No, they actively wanted every last drop of
03:37notoriety they could get, so they tended to act as outrageously as possible.
03:48Their songs, by today's standards, could be considered sleazy as can be,
03:53but at their core, these guys are provocateurs.
03:5510. I got trouble, trouble in my eyes
03:58I'm just looking for another good time
04:01The fact that they seemed to commercialize controversy earned them quite a lot of money in
04:05the 80s, but it also helped to make them almost unpalatable when the decade finally came to its end.
04:176. Spandau Ballet
04:20The new romantic era certainly was not for everyone.
04:2410. So true, funny how it seems
04:28Bands like Spandau Ballet burst onto the scene with their super suave style and
04:33made it very clear that the 80s were going to be different from the 70s.
04:38I know this much is true
04:45They scored a few enduring hits with songs like Gold and True, but it's easy to see why
04:51many have dismissed them as artificial sounding or shallow.
04:54The mission statement of the band was clear, look cool, and lean into melodrama.
05:05But for as much as they had their loyal fans, their approach to synth-pop was bound to leave
05:11more than a few people totally unimpressed.
05:145. Foreigner
05:23Fans of ultra-polished anthemic stadium rock probably enjoy Foreigner just as much as
05:28any of their contemporaries.
05:30But to many music purists, their incredibly safe approach to music just doesn't cut the mustard.
05:40Everyone loves a good hook, but Foreigner have been accused of writing music that leans
05:50far too heavily into the overdramatic side of things.
05:546. But the daylight goes on
05:58Hit singles like I Wanna Know What Love Is are about as 80s as it gets, and if you left that decade
06:03trying to move on from that kind of thing, chances are you're not a Foreigner fan.
06:084. Guns N' Roses
06:15No one can deny that Guns N' Roses have talent and that their early albums proved that beyond a shadow
06:21of a doubt, but people certainly became tired of Axl Rose's egocentric behavior. The lack of end
06:31product from that point onwards didn't help. Showing up late to gigs, several public feuds,
06:36and an extremely long wait for the disappointing Chinese democracy changed many fans' opinions
06:42of G&R. The songs themselves are legendary, but it seemed as though the band — and Rose in
06:52particular — let their egos define them way too much. A great band for sure, but one that did
07:04themselves no favors. 3. Poison
07:14Excess was at the core of everything that a lot of 80s bands stood for. Poison were not unique in
07:20that sense, but boy, did they push things to the limit. Their stage shows, music videos,
07:31costumes, and overall vibe were seen as style over substance — and to their credit, that was what
07:37they were gunning for. But Poison's haters would be quick to point out that the music,
07:46while sometimes fun, was incredibly formulaic and a little bland when you start to peel back the layers.
07:52When the grunge era of the 1990s landed, bands like Poison were constantly pointed
08:01to as a prime example of why music needed bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam.
08:062. KISS KISS were a party rock band with a capital P, scoring plenty of big-selling
08:16hits throughout the 70s and 80s. But for every person who was enthralled by their theatrical edge,
08:29fun, and catchy hooks, there was another who considered them cheap and gimmicky.
08:37KISS were definitely not reinventing the wheel with their music, but many of their detractors believe
08:43that their makeup is by far and away the most interesting thing about them. Strip it away,
08:47and you're just left with generic 80s filler. Oh,
08:54and it doesn't help that Gene Simmons has a reputation for being a bit of a pain.
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09:181. Starship Starship is one of those bands that you either love or hate.
09:29But if their brand of extremely slick, corporatized stadium rock isn't for you,
09:34you are likely to absolutely despise them. Songs like We Built This City and Nothing's
09:39Gonna Stop Us Now might have been smash hits, but they most certainly split people right down the
09:45middle. In fact, they are often cited as one of the prime examples of bad 80s music.
09:55We can build this thing together, standing strong forever.
10:01To this day, they've retained a very special position in the pantheon of bands
10:06from that era, as a group whose music has aged like milk to a lot of people.
10:10What 80s bands can't help but get under your skin? Let us know in the comments below.
10:30Let us know in the comments.
10:36We should now note this video on your videos.
10:41As I mentioned before, make sure you look as sprawd ì˜¤ï¿½é ƒs.
10:44Let us know from that, in the comments below.
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