This American Songwriter piece is a nostalgic round-up celebrating four arena rock songs released in 1984, a year the writer regards as emblematic of the genre's soaring vocals, elaborate guitar solos and theatrical excess. Rather than reporting news, it revisits tracks that the author argues still feel enormous decades later, offering a snapshot of the era's hard rock and glam metal scene.

The selections are Scorpions' "Rock You Like A Hurricane" (from Love At First Sting), which reached No. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 and enjoyed heavy MTV rotation; Twisted Sister's "We're Not Gonna Take It" (from Stay Hungry), which hit No. 21 on the Hot 100 and No. 7 on the Mainstream Rock chart despite appearing on the PMRC's "Filthy Fifteen" list; Van Halen's "Panama" (from 1984), which peaked at No. 13 on the Hot 100 and No. 2 on Mainstream Rock; and Queen's "Hammer To Fall" (from The Works), a more modest hit at No. 57 on US Mainstream Rock and No. 13 in the UK.