THE TOP FIVE AIR PUNCHING SONGS
OF ALL TIME
em Feature

Music can induce a number of emotions, from love, passion and elation to despair, sorrow and anger. It can sometimes even make us unwillingly express these emotions, be it hugging a loved one, dancing like some deranged idiot or body-slamming into someone twice your size and thus gaining their respect. But only 80s arena rock could fill someone with an emotion that you couldn't quite put your finger on. It induced happiness and excitement with a sprinkling of 'positive anger'. This led to a form of expression not seen since. Air punching.

Air punching is as it says. It came about through strong reverberated snare beats, which were a little too far apart to head-bang to, but too close together to wave your lighter.

This is the top five of air punching list. Don't worry they have their reasons.

5. Paradise City - Guns 'n' Roses
Taken from the 'Appetite for Destruction' album circa 1987, this was Guns 'n' Roses' arena rock air-punching anthem. The simple kick-drum-reverb snare 4-4 intro would send lighters back into the back-pocket and fists thrust into the air, maybe even the odd steady clap-along (the air punch for those too scared to let the anger of rock consume them). However, the double-snare introduction for the Slash's guitar soon stopped the punching, upon which many a ponytail was unfurled and mullets sent a-flyin'. Which is why Paradise City has only just scraped into the number 5 slot. This song was given a retrospective revival with the excellent film 'Can't Hardly Wait', in which we see an American High School Rocker demonstrate the 'Double Fisted Air Punch'. It's certainly one to look out for.

Air punch to… The intro and the chorus. Everything else calls for lame head-banging. They even cut out most of the song leaving essentially the intro and chorus in 'Can't Hardly Wait', so what does that tell you? The fast forward button has never come in so handy.


4. Kyrie - Mr. Mister
Mr. Mister were an odd bunch. Wafting onto the scene in 1986, their debut single 'Broken Wings' got them to number 4 in the UK charts, but lined them up as a bit of a pop synth rock act, which of course they were. Even the photo on the back of their 1985 album 'Welcome To The Real World' sums them up perfectly. However, within the myriad of heart-bleeding soft synth rock ballads contained on the album, there are one or two shining nuggets of pop synth rock pop rock, including Kyrie. Kyrie was the sound of Autumn, bringing a shining light to the bleakness of October. With strong reverberated snares and a highly sing-a-longable chorus, Kyrie could get the number 4 slot for the middle-8 alone, a simple combination of vocals and drumbeat. Pure magic.

Air punch to… Anything from where the drums kick in, but the chorus will make you wish your arm were a foot longer to punch higher than anyone else, and the middle-8 could cause you to dislocate your shoulder. Be careful.


3. I Wanna Rock - Twisted Sister
All of the 'hard' heavy metal kids at school seemed to like Twisted Sister. Having never heard or seen them before I figured they were some scary metal group. If only I'd seen them at the time I'd have laughed until milk came out of my nose, even if I wasn't drinking any milk. However, despite their ludicrous appearance, they did get a name check in Disney's 'Flight Of The Navigator', with Sarah Jessica Parker giving her attendance at a Twisted Sister concert the reason for her streak of purple hair. 'I Wanna Rock' is probably their only famous pop rock hit, but it is anathematic of the time, when kids just wanted to rock. Brought back to life in the movie 'Road Trip', it shows just how much fun can be shared with some anathematic 80s pop rock.

Air Punch to… The entire song, it's the same beat throughout. However, the drums aren't so strong and reverberated, giving you the option to head-bang.


2. Pour Some Sugar On Me - Def Leppard
"Love is like a bomb, baby, come and get it on." Yes! The wise words of Joe Elliot there. Def Leppard, came crawling out of Sheffield in the early 80s to take the north of England by storm. Things started looking a little better with 1983 release 'Pyromania'. By 1985 they had become fully americanised and with their crazy circular stage took the western world by storm. Their second single release from the 'Hysteria' album reminded the world of their British roots, with the video for 'Pour Some Sugar On Me', featuring the Leps performing in a country house being demolished by some of the roughest looking women to have ever appeared in a music video. Quite what message they were trying to purvey is anyone's guess, but they sure knew how to rawk! Most of their songs from 'Hysteria' are air punchable because of the steady snare beats, but this is largely due to the drummer having minus one the regular amount of arms, so any fancy drum-work was probably out of the question. Ignore the cringe worthy lyrics (e.g. "You've got the peaches, I've got the cream") and this is an air punching classic.

Air punch to… All of it. Strong reverberated snares will send you thrusting for the sky. No doubt the drummer would have joined in, but then what is he going to drum with, his feet? Oh yeah, he did. The chorus is fairly head-bangable though, which is why this gets number 2.


1. Born In The U.S.A. - Bruce Springsteen
'The Boss' never really had that big a fan base here in the U.K. as he undoubtedly did in America. Outside of the singles 'Dancing In The Dark', 'Streets Of Philadelphia' and 'Born In The U.S.A.' his work is fairly vague. Well, to eyemachine anyway. However, the classic cover of his album 'Born In The U.S.A.' established Mr. Springsteen as the American working class hero, with the dirty baseball cap hanging out of the back pocket of the tattered blue jeans. Oh, sweet America. Of course, British working class men completely missing the point of the song, adorning the look and sporting t-shirts proclaiming that they were, like Bruce, 'Born In The U.S.A.' just didn't seem to work somehow. Despite all that nonsense, Bruce is our number one position holder for the simple reason that you can do nothing else to this song but punch the air. It doesn't rock, and for the most part of the intro the drummer only appears to have a reverberated snare. You can't dance to it, it's too slow; you can't head-bang to it, you'd look like you were sneezing. And that is why 'Born In The U.S.A. is the greatest air punching song of all time. Well done, Bruce.

Air punch to… All of it. Try doing anything else but air punching. You will look a fool. Believe me, I've tried.

david twomey

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