1987 - The Year Rock Rewrote the Rules

The Ultimate Countdown: Top 10 Rock Songs of 1987 — The Year Rock Rewrote the Rules

Get ready to dive into the best rock songs of 1987, a year packed with genre-defining hits, stadium-shaking anthems, glam-metal excess, and alternative breakthroughs that forever reshaped the sound of rock. In this video, we’re counting down 1987’s most iconic rock tracks, revealing the stories behind each hit, why they mattered, and how they changed music history.

If you love 80s rock, classic rock anthems, hair metal, alternative rock beginnings, or the golden age of MTV, this is your playlist.

🔟 #10 — R.E.M. – “The One I Love”

Before alternative rock hit the mainstream, R.E.M.’s stark guitar riff and deceptively sharp lyric broke through the gloss of ’80s radio. Their first U.S. Top 10 hit pushed college rock into the spotlight and proved raw honesty could still dominate the charts.

9️⃣ U2 – “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”

A gospel-infused, spiritually searching anthem that helped define The Joshua Tree and expanded the boundaries of what a rock song could be. Echoing harmonies, soaring vocals, and a sound that made stadiums feel intimate.

8️⃣ Mötley Crüe – “Girls, Girls, Girls”

A neon-soaked glam-metal snapshot of Sunset Strip chaos. Fueled by censorship controversy and MTV buzz, this turbocharged anthem became a hard-rock staple and a blueprint for 80s excess.

7️⃣ Aerosmith – “Dude (Looks Like a Lady)”

A bold, hook-heavy comeback that pulled Aerosmith out of their mid-80s slump. With Desmond Child’s pop-rock polish and MTV-ready visuals, the band reinvented themselves for a new era of rock radio.

6️⃣ U2 – “With or Without You”

U2’s first U.S. #1 single. Sparse, haunting, and emotionally volcanic, this song proved that restraint could be just as powerful as spectacle—and that atmosphere could fill arenas.

5️⃣ Poison – “Talk Dirty to Me”

Pure pop-metal adrenaline. A three-chord blast of energy with MTV-ready swagger, this track helped Poison explode into mainstream fame and become one of glam metal’s most recognizable acts.

4️⃣ Def Leppard – “Pour Some Sugar on Me”

A studio-engineered masterpiece crafted for arenas, radios, and everything in between. Layered harmonies, punchy production, and Rick Allen’s groundbreaking electronic kit turned it into a genre-defining anthem.

3️⃣ Whitesnake – “Here I Go Again ‘87”

A reinvention of their 1982 track that became an MTV sensation—thanks to its polished production and Tawny Kitaen’s now-iconic video performance. A perfect storm of power-ballad energy and video-era star power.

2️⃣ Bon Jovi – “Livin’ on a Prayer”

A blue-collar epic powered by Richie Sambora’s talkbox riff and one of the most recognizable key changes in rock history. A universal anthem about fighting through hard times—still shouted in stadiums today.

1️⃣ Guns N’ Roses – “Sweet Child O’ Mine”

A riff Slash once dismissed as “circus music” became one of the most famous guitar intros ever recorded. Raw, emotional, and unpolished, it stood out in a year dominated by glossy production—and shot GNR to #1 and global fame.

🎸 Why 1987 Still Defines Rock Music

From arena rock anthems to MTV icons, glam-metal blockbusters, and the rise of alternative rock, 1987 wasn’t just another year—it was a reinvention of the entire genre. These songs didn’t just top the charts; they shaped what rock would become for decades.

❓ What’s YOUR favorite rock era—70s, 80s, 90s, or 2000s?

Drop it in the comments and tell us which year you want us to break down next!