By Jen Connors

After a week hiatus, Mixtape Monday is back with a double feature, bringing you six throwback hits from the eighties and nineties.

Billy Squier had his biggest hit with “The Stroke” in 1987. Ultimately a top twenty hit, the song has since been featured in Blades of Glory and Billy Madison, in addition to being covered by Buckcherry and Mickey Avalon.

“Paradise City” was released by Guns N’ Roses in 1988. According to band member Slash, the song was written in the back of a rental van after a show in San Francisco. A more explicit version was debated but turned down by the rest of the band. It is often used as the closing song in live shows. It has been covered by Carrie Underwood, Hole and Slash himself.

Madonna released “Like A Virgin” in 1984, the first and title single off of her sophomore album. It became her first number one hit and remains one of her biggest songs to date, often credited with cementing her status as the reigning Queen of Pop. The song has been featured in Glee, Moulin Rouge! and Reservoir Dogs. The song has also gained notierity as the song Madonna was performing when she kissed Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera at the 2003 VMAs.

One of the most covered songs of all time is “Hallelujah,” originally performed by Leonard Cohen in 1984. Best known for the Jeff Buckley cover version, the song has been covered by dozens of artists over the years. While it did not initially achieve much success, it has spawned dozens of chart topping versions over the last twenty-five years. Notable covers include versions by Rufus Wainwright, k.d. lang, Jason Castro, Alexandra Burke and Bob Dylan. The song’s lyrics follow its chord procession, “it goes like this, the fourth, the fifth, the minor fall and the major lift.”

Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” was released on the band’s second album, Nevermind, in 1991. Widely considered one of the best songs of all time, the band was puzzled by the song’s success at first. Written by Kurt Cobain, the song went through so many rewrites that the other three members of the band evenutally gained writing credits. The song has been covered by Patti Smith and Tori Amos and featured in Moulin Rouge!

In 1983 Pat Benatar went to songwriter Mike Chapman and asked him to write her a hit song. The result was “Love is a Battlefield,” which went on to become one of her biggest hits. The song has been covered by Selena Gomez, Cher, Carrie Underwood and Chris Norman. It has also been featured in the film 13 Going On 30.