5 Songs to Get You Through the Week #143

5 Songs to Get You Through the Week is a feature I run on Young Ears, Fresh Perspective on Sundays/early hours of Monday morning where I pick out 5 tunes that I think are notable and tell you a bit about them. The point is to give you some rocking music to help you deal with your weekday blues. You can either listen to one each day, listen to them all at once, or any other combination that you feel. As long as you can get through the week without the man getting you down, that's all I care about. Without further ado, here are the 5 tracks I've picked out for this week:

1. Is This Love, by Whitesnake

Who hasn't heard this classic? It's like the king of cheesy 80's power ballads. I'll tell you who, though. My girlfriend. When I put it on in the truck for her I figured she'd know it and we'd have a singalong. Instead she had no idea what was going on and referred to it as "weird 80's porn music". I couldn't help but laugh and be dumbstruck. I mean, she isn't entirely wrong but I was surprised that she of all people had never heard this before.

2. Without You, by Motley Crue

Funny story about this song. Most people think it's just another cheesy 80's hair metal love ballad, but in reality bassist and primary Motley Crue song writer Nikki Sixx actually wrote it during the worst part of his heroin addiction about drugs. If you REALLY listen to it and know the context of the song's genesis then it makes a whole lot more sense and you feel more sad for him than anything else. I know I'll never be able to hear this song as a sweet ballad for the ladies ever again.

3. Every Rose Has Its Thorn, by Poison

This is definitely 80's power ballad trash at its finest. Poison never really was about making real honest music to begin with, but this kind of solidifies the fact that they're all about the glitz and glamour over everything else. Gotta have a soft, laid back song for the ladies, right? That said, even though I'm ragging on them that doesn't change the fact that this song does in fact have some aurally pleasing elements to it. It didn't land itself a place as an 80's staple for no reason.

4. Angel, by Aerosmith

Once Aerosmith came back with the Permanent Vacation album in 1987, they essentially became just another pop rock band pushing out song after song for the sake of having hits and gaining commercial success to keep the train a-rollin' despite the fact that they were no longer spring chickens when compared to the more modern and hip acts at the time. This song is a major reflection of that point in time. I will give credit where it's due, though. Those vocal harmonies are without a doubt one of the most dynamite things I've ever heard in all my life.

5. You Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone), by Cinderella

Just for good measure, we're throwing a piano driven power ballad into the mix. The lyrics aren't exactly the best written, but I guess when you're that good looking, have that nice of a voice, and are setting everything to soft instruments then it doesn't really matter. I do like the vocal melodies and harmonies in this one. The piano riffing is also pretty nice as well. You can definitely tell that they are more meant for doing string snapping, rip-roaring rock n' roll though.