3 Rock Songs From the 1980s That Songwriters Can’t Help but Feel Inspired By

Rock music in the 1980s often had a purpose. If nothing else, songwriters of the day wanted to inspire their listeners to sing, dance, think, or even write. And that’s just what we wanted to dive into here below.

We wanted to highlight three songs from back in the day that urged music fans to be their best creative selves. Indeed, these are three rock songs from the 1980s that can’t help but inspire you to write more.

“Kiss” by Prince from ‘Parade’ (1986)

In some ways, this song is supremely simple. At its core is a single word and a funky guitar strum. But of course, there is always more than meets the eye when it comes to the rocker Prince. That doesn’t have to deter you, though. You can take the basic structure of this song and build off it. Don’t worry about Prince’s unique genius. Worry about your own! So, find the word you want to build a song around and then get funky with it.

“Time After Time” by Cyndi Lauper from ‘She’s So Unusual’ (1983)

Cyndi Lauper’s 1983 debut album, She’s So Unusual, is pure nostalgia. Even in the moment, it reminded people of the past. The song “Time After Time” was like a dream that recalled childhood, those wistful days when we were all wondering what the future would hold. Well, that’s a great topic for anyone to write about. Indeed, just take a page out of Lauper’s book and write about what you know: growing up to become you.

“About A Girl” by Nirvana from ‘Bleach’ (1989)

When most people think about the grunge band Nirvana, they think about the 1990s. The early part of the decade saw the grunge genre blow up around the world, and Nirvana was at the height of it with their 1991 LP, Nevermind. But the band’s 1989 debut album, Bleach, also offered a number of standout songs for fans. For an example of this, look no further than the simple song “About A Girl”. Just a few chords and a lot of passion—that was the formula on this record, which was recorded in Seattle for a few hundred dollars in a few dozen hours.

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