Power Ballads Six Through Ten | #53

🎙️ Recorded: August 12th, 2021

Episode #53 Overview

Chewie and Pip return to one of their favorite musical genres of all time: the power ballad.

After previously ranking their Top 5 Power Ballads, the guys dig deeper into their personal favorites and reveal picks #6 through #10. And as they quickly discover, choosing the next five may actually be harder than choosing the first five. Once you get past the obvious classics, the lists start getting into deeper cuts, personal memories and songs that might not appear on every standard ’80s power-ballad compilation.

The conversation includes songs from Martika, Damn Yankees, Sheriff, Journey, Slaughter, Warrant, KISS, Sammy Hagar, Winger and Poison, along with honorable mentions from Kix and Survivor. Along the way, Chewie and Pip talk about the voices and songwriting that made these songs memorable, their connections to skating rinks, school dances and concerts, and why this style of music still means so much to them decades later.

They also revisit their original Top 5 lists, roast a BulletBoys cover album, discuss Steve Perry and Journey, remember Jani Lane’s songwriting and complicated legacy, praise underrated vocalists like Mark Slaughter and Kip Winger, and debate what actually qualifies as a power ballad.

And judging by the number of songs that still didn’t make either list, this probably won’t be the last time The 406 Podcast returns to the genre.

📝 Topics Discussed

Revisiting the original Top 5 Power Ballads
Ranking favorite Power Ballads #6–#10
’80s and early-’90s music nostalgia
Warrant and Jani Lane’s songwriting
Journey, Steve Perry and great rock vocalists
Sammy Hagar and “Eagles Fly”
Underrated bands including Winger, Slaughter and Kix
What actually qualifies as a power ballad
Songs tied to school dances, skating rinks and concerts
Honorable mentions and songs that barely missed the lists

🎧 Listen To Episode #53

Watch on YouTube | Watch on Rumble

⏱️ Episode Chapters

0:00 – Intro
0:57 – Revisiting the Power Ballads
6:41 – Recapping Their Original Top 5
8:08 – The BulletBoys Cover Album
11:47 – Will Their Lists Overlap?
12:49 – What’s in Your Cup?
15:49 – Buffalo Trace & Indianapolis
17:19 – The Rankings Begin
17:34 – Chewie #10: Martika – “Toy Soldiers”
22:51 – Pip #10: Damn Yankees – “High Enough”
28:07 – Chewie #9: Sheriff – “When I’m With You”
32:08 – Pip #9: Journey – “When You Love a Woman”
36:34 – Chewie #8: Slaughter – “Fly to the Angels”
39:08 – Pip #8: Warrant – “I Saw Red”
45:41 – Chewie #7: KISS – “Forever”
50:09 – Pip #7: Sammy Hagar – “Eagles Fly”
57:26 – Chewie #6: Winger – “Miles Away”
1:01:18 – Pip #6: Poison – “Something to Believe In”
1:06:37 – Chewie’s Honorable Mention
1:07:32 – Kix – “Don’t Close Your Eyes”
1:09:55 – Warrant – “Blind Faith”
1:12:40 – Pip’s Honorable Mention
1:12:58 – Survivor – “The Search Is Over”
1:15:18 – How Have They Still Not Picked FireHouse?
1:16:21 – Final Thoughts
1:17:08 – Outro