These incredible hits from 1979 defined music of that year, and also became some of the most recognizable tunes of the whole decade.

The three rock songs below did not have trouble speaking to teenagers. In fact, their lyrics could double as a dramatic diary entry.

The song “Message in a Bottle” was the lead single from The Police’s second album, Reggatta de Blanc — a track that would change everything for the scrappy London trio. And on this day, it became ...

A Beatle approved it. The record company hated it. How an existential pop-rock masterpiece turned its creators into unlikely transatlantic superstars ...