10 Most Important Hard Rock Bands Of The 80s

10. Bon Jovi

For most of the hairsprayed portion of rock and roll, all signs pointed to the Sunset Strip. After all, this was the sunshine-y brand of rock and roll that was meant for LA, with the era of big hair and lipstick being the calling card for everyone from Poison to Faster Pussycat. So...how did we manage to have one of the biggest names at the time come all the way from Jersey?

Yeah, even though Bon Jovi definitely sounded similar to the hair metal bands of the time, these boys were proud to be from the East Coast, bringing with them some amazing licks on albums like Slippery When Wet. As much as their brand of rock and roll may have been a bit softer than even some hair metal fans would have preferred at the time, the group's knack for songwriting were miles above any of their contemporaries.

At a time when most bands were looking to write songs about the rock and roll lifestyle with occasional ballads being thrown into the mix, Livin On a Prayer and Wanted Dead or Alive are songs with genuine stories to tell and some amazing hooks that keep you wanting more every time you get done listening to them. Even though the band may have fit right in during the hair metal movement, the songs they wrote are the kind of slice of life tales that Bruce Springsteen would have recognized in an instant.