3 Rock Songs from the 1980s That Will Make Any Music Fan Tear Up

There is just something about classic rock music from the 1980s that tugs at your soul. It’s got this nostalgic feeling. Even in the moment, when the tunes came out, so many were reflective, curious and lamenting something lost. Maybe it was the hope of the 1960s or the rebellion of the 1970s. But either way, music from the 1980s just had that feeling.

Here below, we wanted to dive into three such examples. Three songs that will make your heart swell and your mind wonder. Three songs that will maybe even bring a tear to your eye. Let’s dive in.

[RELATED: 3 Classic Rock Songs That Will Make Any Rocker Tear Up]

1. “With Or Without You,” U2

Released on the band’s 1987 album, The Joshua Tree, this song is about the idea of loneliness. Even more than food and water, at times, people need human connection. Not through screens, not though text messaging. But real human connection. And this is what Bono was singing about, even before “smart” phones and tablets. He offers,

See the stone set in your eyes
See the thorn twist in your side
I’ll wait for you
Sleight of hand and twist of fate
On a bed of nails, she makes me wait
And I wait without you

With or without you
With or without you

Through the storm, we reach the shore
You give it all but I want more
And I’m waiting for you

With or without you
With or without you, ah, ah
I can’t live
With or without you

2. “When Doves Cry,” Prince & The Revolution

Released on Prince’s 1984 breakout LP, Purple Rain, this song has the word “cry” in its title. It’s also about loneliness and more specifically it’s about losing the object of your affection, your love. Prince, always the romantic, sings about not getting the person he so desires. The result? Electrified weeping. He offers,

How can you just leave me standing
Alone in a world that’s so cold? (So cold)
Maybe I’m just too demanding
Maybe I’m just like my father, too bold
Maybe you’re just like my mother
She’s never satisfied (she’s never satisfied)
Why do we scream at each other?
This is what it sounds like
When doves cry

Touch if you will my stomach
Feel how it trembles inside
You’ve got the butterflies all tied up
Don’t make me chase you
Even doves have pride

3. “Time After Time,” Cyndi Lauper

Released on Cyndi Lauper’s debut solo album, She’s So Unusual, in 1983, this song drips with sadness and nostalgia. It’s perfect for movie scenes and television shows. It gets at that pang in your gut that hopes for more, wishes you could change the past or control the future. Life isn’t easy and this song makes that very clear. Sings Lauper,

Lying in my bed I hear the clock tick
And think of you
Caught up in circles
Confusion is nothing new
Flashback, warm nights
Almost left behind
Suitcases of memories
Time after

Sometimes you picture me
I’m walking too far ahead
You’re calling to me, I can’t hear
What you’ve said
Then you say, go slow
I fall behind
The second hand unwinds

If you’re lost you can look and you will find me
Time after time
If you fall I will catch you, I’ll be waiting
Time after time

Photo: Rebecca Miller / Shore Fire Media