The term "hair metal"

Does anyone dislike this term? I mean, it describes their look, not the music (would Phil Collins be called "bald music" for example?). I think "pop metal" is a much better descriptive term.

For awhile the look was almost as important as the music and it included lots of hair. People know what it refers to, not worth worrying about imo.

It is just another label that some use to describe the era and some that came through that have learned to loathe.  Personally, pop metal is just as offensive as not every band that was part of that scene had big radio hits or were even that much pop.  

Truthfully, we joked about it hear for a long time, but there is an old CMR saying that applies here, "If it jams, it jams!"  I don't care if they call it hair metal, glam, old fart metal, or whatever, it still jams.

When I first heard the term, I thought it was derogatory and dismissive and I did not like it.  
Now that the term has taken root in the culture, I don't mind so much, although I agree it is not entirely accurate (I mean, they even call Queensryche a hair metal band).

As Black Rider said, people know what it refers to, so it is recognizable.

I've said this before, but back in the 80's we did not call this music hair metal.  
We called it commercial metal or pop metal.  
If the hair and make-up was really outrageous, they called it glam, or glam rock.
Those who hated it called it 'poser' metal.
I was happy with 'commercial metal,' but even that has it's descriptive limitations.

Exactly!  Judas Priest had a few singles that hit radio, but they are not the same as Poison or Winger.  Ozzy also had a few radio singles, but he isn't in the same vein as Bon Jovi or Warrant but still gets lumped in as hair metal.

Why not just say 80s metal and leave it at that?  Granted, some bands active in the 70s and 80s were still active in the 90s, but that sound of the 80s truly didn't happen as much in other decades after.  It was as much of an era as it was a style.

Doesn't bother me one bit.  Is one of my Fav stations on satellite radio.  

L8T wrote:Doesn't bother me one bit.  Is one of my Fav stations on satellite radio.  

I am a fan of both Hair Nation and Ozzy's Boneyard.

"Hair Metal" doesn't bother at all.  At least I don't hear the term "butt rock" anymore.  I couldn't stand that one.

Staybrite wrote:"Hair Metal" doesn't bother at all.  At least I don't hear the term "butt rock" anymore.  I couldn't stand that one.

+1

Alot of people also conflate *hair metal* *glam metal* as synonymous. IMO, while the two overlap, *hair metal*(or big hair...metal) can be anything from hard rock to glam to just plain heavy metal and even in some cases thrash(look at the BIG HAIR of some of the early thrash bands, even a Martin Eric Ain from Celtic Frost). Big hair and glam can overlap, but not all *hair* metal is glam.
What really grinds my gears is when people refer to W.A.S.P. and Twisted Sister and Skid Row as glam and hair. They were hair, but neither of them was *glam*. T.S. did the make up in ironic humor to shock and pizz people off and sounded more metal. W.A.S.P. werw never really glam, one or two members were glam-ish but not all and not Blackie(do glam bands wear spiked cod pieces and saw blades on their arms? No)- WASP were shock rock heavy metal even allmost speed metal at times- a little glam influenced on their first album or two but not purely so, alot more complex in sound, alot more arranged and epic.
Skid Row had Slight glam influence on their first album two but not purely, by their second album they'd shed all aspects of glam (what little of it they had) and were balls to the wall *street*...heavy metal with speed elements.
They were all hair metal, but none were glam. Same with Ratt..glam in sound but more street in sound and barely any make up...not *glam*...but *hair* yes.
Even Early Maiden and Ozzy and even early Megadeth or Overkill(look at their *big* hair on their first few albums) were *hair*, but not glam...just in your face thrash.
So yeah, the term *hair metal* can be misleading.

That said, I'm not knocking glam metal. Glam broke me into metal. My first metal purchase was Dr.feelgood by Crue so...
I still like Crue, I like some Cinderella too, and a few other glam bands(mostly the glam bands on the heavier side of glam)...I cant stand Poision(they ain't glam metal, they're glam rock).they have 2 or 3 ok songs but suck otherwis. Feel the same way about Warrantz( though I do like *dirty rotten filthy stinking rich * the song as well as *cherry pie*)and Slaughter(though I do love *up all night*)
Glam can be ok, but most of it is drivel, lol! But the heavier or darker *glam* bands are allright with me....still love the Crue.
And Def Lepard. Who were not metal but hard rock....kick arse hard rock, and they were never *glam*, but they were *hair*.

Also, Stryper often get put in the basket of *glam* a d *hair*, they were hair metal, but they were more metal-ish than glam in sound, verging on Maiden and Priest type sound at times, though Michaels vocals in the early days...while powerful and showing good range were kinda teen boyish sounding...less manly...for awhile but still wasn't glam vocals and the music certainly wasnt glam. Heavy hair metal.
Always thought their stripes get up was quite ingenious.

alldatndensum wrote:Exactly!  Judas Priest had a few singles that hit radio, but they are not the same as Poison or Winger.  Ozzy also had a few radio singles, but he isn't in the same vein as Bon Jovi or Warrant but still gets lumped in as hair metal.

Why not just say 80s metal and leave it at that?  Granted, some bands active in the 70s and 80s were still active in the 90s, but that sound of the 80s truly didn't happen as much in other decades after.  It was as much of an era as it was a style.

Wait... some people call Ozzy hair metal?

I call Ozzy “rather be listening to Sabbath” metal.

Let‘s face it, those dudes had big hair.

Back in the '80s, we called it Heavy Metal.  Which in all reality is Hard Rock with great guitar riffs.  After that term was coined, Thrash Metal, Speed Metal and Death Metal emerged as labels.  While these were 3 offshoot metal labels, they were all the same:  Faster and more aggressive Heavy Metal.

Along the same vein, Glam Metal has nothing to do with the music but rather the flashy, over the top outfits they wore.  Motley Crue hit the scene with chains and leather akin to Judas Priest.  They did that for their first 2 albums.  For Theater of Pain, they went all glam in their dress.  The music was still Motley Crue.  Nothing changed except for the outfits.

By the late '80s, early '90s, the vast majority of the ads in the Seattle area looking for metal musicians contained some derivative of "Must have big hair".