3 Spine-Tingling Rock Songs From 1982 That Still Give Us Chills Today

Some rock songs have this uncanny ability to send chills up our spines. Even rock songs from back in 1982 still carry forward that spine-tingling ability after all these years, including the following three rock tracks from that very year. Let’s revisit some emotionally impactful tunes, shall we?

“More Than This” by Roxy Music from ‘Avalon’

Bryan Ferry’s vocals are almost ghostly, and the dreamy production of this song just gets under the listener’s skin like some sort of possession. Longing is rarely easy to capture in song, but “More Than This” captures it beautifully in a way that only 80s soft rock could muster.

“More Than This” really resonated with listeners at the time and peaked at No. 6 on the UK Singles chart. It also enjoyed some success in the US, peaking at No. 58 on the Mainstream Rock chart.

“Back On The Chain Gang” by The Pretenders

Context is what makes this power pop song from The Pretenders so chilling. It was written by Chrissie Hynde and recorded after the passing of the band’s guitarist, James Honeyman-Scott, in June 1982. The band had also recently fired their bassist, Pete Farndon, because of his substance abuse issues. Hynde, pregnant with her first daughter, and Martin Chambers were essentially the only Pretenders left. You can really hear the grief in Hynde’s delivery throughout “Back On The Chain Gang”.

“Back On The Chain Gang” by The Pretenders resonated with listeners in 1982 and peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

“Hallowed Be Thy Name” by Iron Maiden from ‘The Number Of The Beast’

This heavy metal classic is easily one of the best “epic” anthems of its time, at least from Iron Maiden, specifically. And that explosive climax of the song still gets even the oldest metalheads among us up on their feet. “Hallowed Be Thy Name” by Iron Maiden is more than worthy of a space on this list of spine-tingling rock songs from 1982, and fans at the time certainly loved it. This prog-metal track wasn’t initially released as a single off The Number Of The Beast, but it remains a signature song of the band’s and a fan favorite nonetheless.

(Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images)

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