American Songwriter has published an opinion piece arguing that rock music, often dismissed as blunt and unsophisticated, can in fact contain intricate and vulnerable songwriting worthy of academic study. The writer highlights three tracks from the 1980s that they believe could feature on the syllabus of any songwriting class and serve as must-listens for anyone wanting to learn the craft.

The three songs selected are Billy Idol's "Blue Highway", praised for blending punk and new wave with atmospheric, narrative lyrics; The Rolling Stones' "Worried About You", commended for its laid-back, bluesy musicality that gives the lyrics room to breathe; and Talk Talk's "Life's What You Make It", singled out as a "deceptively simple" example of achieving maximum effect with minimal words. Each entry includes a lyrical excerpt and a note on what emerging songwriters might learn from it, from adding intricacy to the genre to writing plainly without over-explaining.