3 Classic Rock Songs That Went From 1980s Radio Staples to Near Obscurity

Some of the best classic rock songs of the 1980s hit the top of the charts but have since disappeared into obscurity. When it comes to the following classic rock radio staples, I never really hear them on the radio today. Maybe I’ve just been unlucky. Or maybe they’ve unfairly fallen through the cracks. Let’s revisit some amazing songs, either way.

“No Smoke Without A Fire” by Bad Company from ‘Dangerous Age’ (1989)

I respect this rock hit from Bad Company a lot, considering it came along later in the band’s career and still managed to hit so well. But one can’t deny that Bad Company’s golden era was in the 1970s, and much of their early work has overshadowed this late-80s hit. That’s a shame, and I think “No Smoke Without A Fire” deserves as much classic rock radio play today as it did way back at the tail end of the 1980s.

“No Smoke Without A Fire” was a fine comeback for Bad Company and reached No. 4 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.

“Everybody Wants You” by Billy Squier from ‘Emotions In Motion’ (1982)

This Billy Squier hard rock track was a huge favorite on both MTV and rock radio in 1982. Oddly enough, I can’t remember the last time I heard it out in the wild, even on classic rock radio stations. What gives?

“Everybody Wants You” by Billy Squier was a crossover hit, peaking at No. 1 on the Top Rock Tracks chart and No. 32 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song’s music video would earn heavy rotation on MTV for the rest of 1982.

“Midnight Blue” by Lou Gramm from ‘Ready Or Not’ (1987)

This Lou Gramm solo smash was once an AOR rock staple among classic rock songs in the 1980s. It was absolutely everywhere after it dropped in 1987. Today, though? I never hear it, which is very strange to me.

Gramm managed to score solo success while still serving as the frontman of Foreigner in 1987. “Midnight Blue” made it all the way to No. 1 on the Mainstream Rock chart and crossed over to the Hot 100 at No. 5.

Photo by MPIRock/ MediaPunch via Getty Images

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