This high-energy playlist of 80s Hair Metal classics brings maximum intensity to your BJJ sessions. Soaring vocals and face-melting guitar solos create the perfect soundtrack for the controlled aggression we’re shooting for on the mats.
With mainstream hits and underground classics that dominated radio then and still pump up athletes today, the theatrical confidence of the performances mixed with the technical precision in the musicianship mirrors what we love about jiujitsu—minus the spandex (well… not really) and hairspray.
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80s Hair Metal Classics Tracks
- Youth Gone Wild - Skid Row
- Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away) - Mötley Crüe
- Inside the Electric Circus - W.A.S.P.
- The Final Countdown - Europe
- Dance - Ratt
- Kiss Me Deadly - Lita Ford
- Bathroom Wall - Faster Pussycat
- Show a Little Love - Lillian Axe
- Metal Health (Bang Your Head) - Quiet Riot
- Mista Bone - Great White
- Blondes In Black Cars - Autograph
- Hungry - White Lion
- New Thing - Enuff Z'Nuff
- Naughty Naughty - Vinnie Vincent Invasion
- Time to Surrender - Winger
- One In a Million - Trixter
- Born to Be My Baby - Bon Jovi
- Apocalypse Blues - Eclipse
- City Boys - TWO BIT THIEF
- Hollywood Killer - Tigertailz
- Doghouse - Sea Hags
- A Matter of Time - Station
- F.U. - Sebastian Bach
- Love Me Insane - Tokyo Motor Fist
The Mix
This playlist spans three generations of hair metal:
- The pioneers who defined the sound (Mötley Crüe, Ratt)
- Underground innovators who pushed boundaries (Sea Hags, TWO BIT THIEF)
- Modern torchbearers keeping the flame alive (Eclipse, Tokyo Motor Fist)
Hair Metal History
Before personal playlists, music blasted from boomboxes, car stereos, and shop radios everywhere. Hair Metal evolved from 70s rock to dominate these spaces, with hooks sharp enough to cut through street noise and production polished for FM radio. The genre's trademark sound—massive drums, searing guitars, and soaring vocals—created an instantly recognizable sonic signature that dominated Western airwaves.
While BJJ was still years away from mainstream recognition, this era's musical innovation laid groundwork for what we'd recognize today as workout-ready tracks and is ultra-compatible with the sport we love.
Facts
I put these playlists together while driving around between calls at work and when I stop the truck, I’ll check Wikipedia to get some story behind an artist or track I’ve listened to. A few standouts from this playlist:
- The Final Countdown started as a simple keyboard riff Joey Tempest wrote and shelved in the early 80s. When bassist John Levén suggested building it into a full song, the band reluctantly agreed, viewing it as merely a potential live show warm-up. The record company saw its potential as a single, and the rest became rock history
- Before launching the Vinnie Vincent Invasion, the eponymous guitarist was Ace Frehley’s replacement in KISS, contributing to their albums Creatures of the Night and Lick It Up. Contract and personal disputes with Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons led him to leave the band, but he later worked with the pair in the early 90s on Revenge.
- Lita Ford started the Runaways at age 16 alongside Joan Jett.
Need More Hair Metal?
Check out the Hair Metal Sampler no.1.
If you’re looking for more that of 80s radio vibe I’ve got you covered:
The four playlists above have a little bit of hair metal, including many tracks not featured in this playlist, but also include funk, hip-hop, punk, rock, new wave and more—all with the same swagger and attitude that was channeled into Hair Metal.