Not sure when I stopped listening to pop music but from what I’m hearing right now (Music Choice channel 1928), I believe it must have been in the 1980’s, because the first song I’m hearing (boy band), I don’t know.
The boys are not so much singing as scream-singing. The hair is somewhat shorter than ’70s, but there’s variety, a bit of individuality: one almost to the shoulders, another a headtop mop. Some ear parts are visible.
Now there’s Lionel Ritchie whose song I do know. In some photos, his hair had mass and shape but no mess, and in other photos his hair was trim.
Followed by Fleetwood Mac. I have two of their albums so do know the tunes. Maybe I was still listening to the radio? They seemed to have a rule: women’s blonde hair could be long and unkempt, but the men wore beards and the hair did not go below their chins. And here’s Sting’s encroaching baldness and how did Rod Stewart get his hair to stand up like that? No way would gel have been enough. Maybe he wired it.
Twisted Sister? Theme hair but what are they saying?
I’m getting an idea here, about why I stopped listening to pop music. While I liked rock, I liked folk rock more. It’s the tunes. It has tunes and voices singing them. So it’s not really about the hair.