Even though glam metal and more high-energy rock music were dominating the radio back in 1989, plenty of tracks hit the airwaves that were real tear-jerkers that any Generation X fan would remember. The following three songs, in particular, had quite a few listeners crying by the radio.
“Wind Beneath My Wings” by Bette Midler from ‘Beaches: Original Soundtrack Recording’
This isn’t an original song from famed crooner Bette Midler, but her rendition of “Wind Beneath My Wings” certainly got listeners emotional. If you’ve ever been that one person who supports others, or you have someone in your life who held you together, the gorgeous chorus of this song probably had you teary-eyed back in 1989.
“Wind Beneath My Wings” was originally written in 1982 by Larry Henley and Jeff Silbar and was first recorded by the Australian singer Kamahl that year. It was recorded by Colleen Hewett, Lou Rawls, Gary Morris, and others before Midler got her hands on it. And her 1989 version was a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
“Right Here Waiting” by Richard Marx from ‘Repeat Offender’
This soft rock jam from Richard Marx is a real tearjerker about waiting for the one you love. It’s a piano-dense work, and Marx’s yearning vocal delivery elicited quite an emotional response from listeners in 1989.
“Right Here Waiting” by Richard Marx was a hefty hit on the charts. It peaked at No. 1 on the Hot 100 and No. 2 on the UK Singles chart. Marx recorded the tune after Barbra Streisand, whom he wrote it for, turned it down. Her reasoning? “I’m not gonna be right here waiting for anyone.” Iconic, honestly.
“I’ll Be There For You” by Bon Jovi from ‘New Jersey’
Bon Jovi makes it to our list of tracks from 1989 that had Generation X in tears with “I’ll Be There For You”. One could easily see this song as the 80s’ most prominent anthem about regret. And anyone who reckoned with a broken relationship in the late 80s likely resonated with this song quite a bit.
“I’ll Be There For You” by Bon Jovi was one of the biggest glam metal singles of 1989, reaching No. 1 on both the Hot 100 and the Cash Box Top 100 charts.
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