
Welcome to the Jungle
Series looking at US rock music from the late 60s to the early 90s. The final part explores the 1980s and the eventual demise of American rock's golden era.
The final part explores the 1980s and the eventual demise of the golden era of American rock.
The beginning of the decade saw the meteoric rise of MTV which completely changed the landscape of rock music. From Los Angeles, a new rock scene emerged of party-anthem pop-metal, tailor-made for the visual medium of TV. Bands like Van Halen, Motley Crue and Poison sported heavy make-up, flashy clothes and huge hair while singing songs of sex, partying, drinking and drugs.
The other side of American mainstream rock attempted to tackle the social and political issues of the time. John Mellencamp, Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen all produced a stadium rock that appealed to the nation's blue-collar workers. Their music filled arenas, but was anybody really listening to the message?
As the decade moved on, MTV exposure directly translated to commercial profit and soon the hugely popular pop-metal - dubbed Hair Metal by its critics - was saturating the market. Power ballads, big choruses and even bigger hair were the order of the day, with the highly marketable Bon Jovi leading the pack. Guns N' Roses saw themselves as the antithesis to what they considered fake rebellion, soft-rock drivel. But, as we discover, even they became neutralised by the commercialisation of the rock industry.
The documentary ends in the early 90s with the emergence of Nirvana and grunge, which wiped away the narcissistic, sexist and pompous music form American rock had grown into. However, it was ultimately another genre of pop music that really replaced the golden age of rock, producing the big personalities the rock scene could no longer provide.
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Clip
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Mötley Crüe and the birth of Hair Metal
Duration: 01:16
Music Played
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Aerosmith
Sweet Emotion
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Jimi Hendrix
Purple Haze
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Styx
Babe
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Guns N’ Roses
Welcome to the Jungle
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Journey
Don't Stop Believin'
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Chicago
Hard to Say I'm Sorry
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Buggles
Video Killed The Radio Star
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Duran Duran
Girls on Film
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Styx
Too Much Time on My Hands
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REO Speedwagon
Keep on Lovin' You
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Van Halen
Panama
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Van Halen
Hot for Teacher
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Van Halen
Jump
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Bruce Springsteen
Cover Me
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Bruce Springsteen
Born in the USA
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Michael Jackson
Thriller
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Prince & The Revolution
Purple Rain
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Madonna
Like a Virgin
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Poison
Nothin' But a Good Time
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Ratt
Lay it Down
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Quiet Riot
Cum on Feel the Noize
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Mötley Crüe
Looks That Kill
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Mötley Crüe
Too Young to Fall in Love
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Mötley Crüe
Smokin' in the Boys Room
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Poison
Talk Dirty to Me
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Mötley Crüe
Girls Girls Girls
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Ratt
Round and Round
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KISS
I Love it Loud
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KISS
Tears are Falling
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Heart
Alone
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Run‐D.M.C. & Aerosmith
King of Rock
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Run‐D.M.C. & Aerosmith
Walk This Way
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Aerosmith
Dude Looks Like a Lady
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Whitesnake
Here I Go Again On My Own
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Tom Petty
Change of Heart
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Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Don't Come Around Here No More
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John Mellencamp
Jack and Diane
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John Mellencamp
Rain on the Scarecrow
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W.A.S.P.
**** like a Beast
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Mötley Crüe
Live Wire
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Bon Jovi
Livin' On a Prayer
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Bon Jovi
Runaway
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Bon Jovi
You Give Love a Bad Name
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Bon Jovi
Never Say Goodbye
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Bon Jovi
Wanted Dead Or Alive
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Whitesnake
Is this Love?
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Poison
Every Rose had its Thorn
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Aerosmith
Angel
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Mötley Crüe
Home Sweet Home
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Poison
Every Rose had its Thorn
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Mötley Crüe
Home Sweet Home
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Guns N’ Roses
Welcome to the Jungle
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Guns N’ Roses
It's So Easy
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Guns N’ Roses
Out ta Get Me
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Guns N’ Roses
My Michelle
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Guns N’ Roses
Sweet Child O' Mine
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Guns N’ Roses
Patience
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Guns N’ Roses
November Spirit
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Nirvana
Smells Like Teen Spirit
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Nirvana
In Bloom
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Wu-Tang Clan
Da Mystery of Chessboxin'
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Dr. Dre
Still D.R.E. (feat. Snoop Dogg)
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Guns N’ Roses
Paradise City
Credits
Role | Contributor |
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Narrator | Shaun Parkes |
Producer | James Hale |
Director | James Hale |
Executive Producer | Paul Bullock |