hair metal

A genre of music begining in the 1970's, which gained mainstream audience in the 1980's, suffered a decline in the 1990's, and now enjoys a more underground success, despite some hair metal bands still breaking into the mainstream. The first hair metal band is argued by many, although Quiet Riot's "Metal Health" was the first metal album to reach number one on the bilboard charts, and so is often refered to as the begining of the genre, despite Quiet Riot being active throughout the 1970's. The genre often involved high pitched vocals. The genre's direction would often differ from band to band or even song to song, some displaying pop characteristics, and other displaying blues characteristics, such as Warrant's "Train Train". Lyrical content would focus on an up-beat look at life, involving parties, drugs (Motley Crue's "Dr. Feelgood"), sex (Warrant's "Cherry Pie"), relationships (Blue Crystal's "Someone"), as well as other themes in keeping with a comical or "party hard" look on life ("Slick Black Catillac", "We're Not Gonna Take It", "You're The Only Hell Your Momma Ever Raised"). Power Ballads also became large in Hair Metal, and by the end of the 90's became incredibly processed and watered-down. Examples include "Living On A Prayer" and "Home Sweet Home". Hair Metal has been meaningful. Warrant's "Uncle Tom's Cabin" deals with two innocents witnessing two police officers commiting murder, and Marilyn Manson's "Mechanical Animals" album deals heavily with the negative effects of drugs. The visual component of Hair Metal is huge. Many hair metal bands had elaborate stage antics, with pyrotechnics and wire-work. Hair Metals also generally wear make-up, fashion their hair, and wear outfits suggesting femininity. One hair metal performer, Blackie Lawless, took this to the extremes by cutting pieces of raw meat up on stage via the buzzsaw attached to his cod-piece. Hair Metal's decline is usually credited to the rise of Alternate Rock, although it can also be assigned to the genre being considered sexist, the break-up of key bands, many bands changing direction, and also many individuals involved entering rehab, as well as the "dark side" of the genre, which was displayed in "The Decline Of Western Civilisation II: The Metal Years", which showed many Hair Metalers intoxicated. Rather than looking "cool", it simply looked pathetic. The genre now has an underground following, and has taken on a much edgier attitude, look, and sound. Many hair metal bands continue to tour and release albums, usually heavier and dealing with more extreme situations.