Vixen -- "Edge of a Broken Heart"

(Debuted September 17, 1988, Peaked #26, 20 Weeks on the Chart)

What did the 1984 T&A classic Hardbodies have to do with the group Vixen? An early lineup of the band appeared in that film as Diaper Rash, the all-female band that played at the house party. At the time, they were moving from St. Paul, Minnesota, a different scene altogether, to the L.A.-based circuit that was breeding harder-edged rock acts.

By 1988, however, EMI downplayed any connection to the film and targeted the band as a more rocking version of The Bangles. It was a good move on paper, coming the same year that Guns 'n' Roses broke out. Poison, Cinderella and Bon Jovi were poised to issue their new albums and the L.A. hard rock scene was producing dozens of new acts at the time. To give Vixen an air of authenticity, Richard Marx was called in to help with their first single for the label.

That song was "Edge of a Broken Heart." Marx co-wrote it with Fee Waybill of The Tubes, played keyboards on it and even produced the song and made a cameo in the video. It definitely gave them a kick-start, making the Top 40 and establishing them as an all-female alternative in the male-dominated "Hair metal" genre.

Vixen - "Cryin'"

(Debuted January 28, 1989, Peaked #22, 13 Weeks on the Chart)

I'll preface this entire entry by pointing out that I was 16 years old when this song was a hit. And yes, at that time I thought the ladies in this band rocked. With the passage of time, my moods and tastes have changed and I've often found that what I really liked back then hasn't aged well. In the case of "Cryin'," it's well-crafted pop and the video is shot to appeal to viewers like the teenage version of myself. I still like the song, despite the fact that it's an obvious relic of its era.

After forming in Minnesota, Vixen eventually moved out to California to join the rock scene there. An early version of the group played a band called Diaper Rash in the movie Hardbodies. Now, if you've never seen that movie, find it and try to watch it. It'll likely change a lot of the perceptions you may have about the 1980s.

The lineup that appears in the video was in place by 1987, and lasted for two albums before disbanding in 1991 due to internal friction. It's likely the group was seen as a Glam rock answer to The Bangles by its record company, which is odd because the two groups had little in common despite having photogenic front ladies.