@Richard Alday

Created with FreeYourMusic.com where you can transfer playlists to Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and others

Created with FreeYourMusic.com where you can transfer playlists to Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and others

Created with FreeYourMusic.com where you can transfer playlists to Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and others

Created with FreeYourMusic.com where you can transfer playlists to Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and others

Created with FreeYourMusic.com where you can transfer playlists to Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and others

Created with FreeYourMusic.com where you can transfer playlists to Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and others

Discover new music from artists we think you'll like. Refreshed every Friday.

The ‘80s maximalist ideal helped make its softer songs a little more grandiose. Hard rockers, synth-poppers and soul singers all released ballads and meditations that accompanied their deep feelings with dramatic musical gestures—sparkling pianos, weepy guitar solos, slick saxophones, vocals that went the extra octave. While some artists, like Bruce Hornsby and Phil Collins, used their pop-star platforms to take on social issues, and others like The Police and Don Henley examined humans’ darker sides in their biggest soft-rock smashes, the inspiration for a lot of the decade’s best mellow gold was love. It didn’t always result in happy endings, as the wrenching vocals laid down by the likes of George Michael and Heart’s Wilson sisters showed. But no matter the emotion being conveyed, the soft rock dominating playlists often led to pure pop bliss.

Fresh pop faces like Sarah Geronimo elegantly relayed OPM's characteristic melodic sensibility to 21st century audiences, while a string of rhythmically curious, gutsy ensembles came to shake things up. Silent Sanctuary brought their stirring strings and Taken By Cars offered insightful shots of shoegazing—plus, Up Dharma Down would first introduce their cool blend of rock-jazz-electronica.

Bands like Eraserheads and solo pop artists Donna Cruz and Regine Velasquez would become the dazzling stars of the '90s—but this was an era with much to offer. Teeth introduced raucous grunge guitars while Yano turned out edgy, alternative rock. Meanwhile, Parokya Ni Edgar starred with their sharp satire and Francis M gave the era its coolest mainstream rap—each act subverting expectations.