Daily Boom 80's Throwback: Billy Squier - 'In The Dark'

"Life isn't easy from the singular side

Down in the hole some emotions are hard to hide

It's your decision, it's the chance that you take

It's on your head, it's a habit that's hard to break

Do you need a friend, would you tell no lies

Would you take me in, are you lonely in the dark

In the dark"

Wayyyy back in the very early 80's there was a young rocker named Billy Squier that was kind of like a shooting star. He could sing and play and perform with the best of them. His earliest songs like "The Stroke" and "My Kinda Lover" did great on the charts and they were pop-ish enough to get a whole lot of top 40 airplay as well. 

"In The Dark" was my absolute favorite though. It has such a great edge to it and when I hear it now 37 years later I still really dig it. It was considered a no-brainer that Squier would have a long-standing career in rock, at least until 1984 album Signs of Life was released. The lead single, "Rock Me Tonight" was the biggest hit of his career but the video that accompanied it was so awesomely bad that it is often viewed as the thing that all but killed Squier's career. He is still around and you might catch him playing but his career just never was the same.

I've always kind of wondered if it was the negativity that did him in or if it was his reaction to it. If it somehow ate away at him and made him a little fearful of creating some new stuff. Either way, it's a shame because this dude is pretty great. Check out "In The Dark" below!

Daily Boom Holiday Tunes: Billy Squier- 'Christmas is the Time to Say I Love You'

Daily Boom 80's Throwback: Billy Squier 'Rock Me Tonite'

(You want it all right)...We're goin' in style
Say you walk right--you talk right--and your hair's so wild
(Snow-white)--Hey that's not what I mean
We go down in the shadows and crawl between

Moonlight in the city brings the magic to your eyes
Freezin' a moment--leave me paralyzed
Breathe an emotion--set it dancin' in my ear
Bring on the rhythm when I hold you near

Take me in your arms--roll me through the night
Take me to your heart--rock me tonite

Back in the early summer of 1984, Billy Squier had an instant hit with "Rock Me Tonite".  It was the lead single off of his Signs of Life album and it came on the heels of two super-successful other albums. The fact that the song was a hit surprised no one, but his video for the track sure did. Supposedly, Squier had decided against working with two other directors before hiring Kenny Ortega to work some magic on "Rock Me Tonite".

Apparently, MTV was waiting for a video to world premiere and in spite of Squier's label not exactly liking the concept, they went ahead and made this thing. While Squier has blamed Ortega for the fallout, I have to wonder how on earth he could have watched this thing back and thought it was good. Squier, an already established rocker with serious credibility danced, pranced and romped his way right out of a career. It's amazing what 4 bad minutes on film did to this guy. Almost immediately his ticket sales dropped like a brick. While Squier is still around making music, it is widely believed that the "Rock Me Tonite" video was the equivalent of career suicide for him.

This video is also thought to be the absolute worst video in the history of MTV, so enjoy how awesomely bad it is. Can you think of any other video that is worse?

Daily Boom 80's Throwback: Billy Squier - 'In The Dark'

"Life isn't easy from the singular side

Down in the hole some emotions are hard to hide

It's your decision, it's the chance that you take

It's on your head, it's a habit that's hard to break

Do you need a friend, would you tell no lies

Would you take me in, are you lonely in the dark

In the dark"

Wayyyy back in the very early 80's there was a young rocker named Billy Squier that was kind of like a shooting star. He could sing and play and perform with the best of them. His earliest songs like "The Stroke" and "My Kinda Lover" did great on the charts and they were pop-ish enough to get a whole lot of top 40 airplay as well. 

"In The Dark" was my absolute favorite though. It has such a great edge to it and when I hear it now 37 years later I still really dig it. It was considered a no-brainer that Squier would have a long-standing career in rock, at least until 1984 album Signs of Life was released. The lead single, "Rock Me Tonight" was the biggest hit of his career but the video that accompanied it was so awesomely bad that it is often viewed as the thing that all but killed Squier's career. He is still around and you might catch him playing but his career just never was the same.

I've always kind of wondered if it was the negativity that did him in or if it was his reaction to it. If it somehow ate away at him and made him a little fearful of creating some new stuff. Either way, it's a shame because this dude is pretty great. Check out "In The Dark" below!

Currently Booming: Billy Squier - 'Christmas Is The Time To Say I Love You'

Daily Boom 80's Throwback: Billy Squier - 'In The Dark'

"Life isn't easy from the singular side

Down in the hole some emotions are hard to hide

It's your decision, it's the chance that you take

It's on your head, it's a habit that's hard to break

Do you need a friend, would you tell no lies

Would you take me in, are you lonely in the dark

In the dark"

Wayyyy back in the very early 80's there was a young rocker named Billy Squier that was kind of like a shooting star. He could sing and play and perform with the best of them. His earliest songs like "The Stroke" and "My Kinda Lover" did great on the charts and they were pop-ish enough to get a whole lot of top 40 airplay as well. 

"In The Dark" was my absolute favorite though. It has such a great edge to it and when I hear it now 37 years later I still really dig it. It was considered a no-brainer that Squier would have a long-standing career in rock, at least until 1984 album Signs of Life was released. The lead single, "Rock Me Tonight" was the biggest hit of his career but the video that accompanied it was so awesomely bad that it is often viewed as the thing that all but killed Squier's career. He is still around and you might catch him playing but his career just never was the same.

I've always kind of wondered if it was the negativity that did him in or if it was his reaction to it. If it somehow ate away at him and made him a little fearful of creating some new stuff. Either way, it's a shame because this dude is pretty great. Check out "In The Dark" below!

Daily Boom 80's Throwback: Billy Squier 'Rock Me Tonite'

(You want it all right)...We're goin' in style
Say you walk right--you talk right--and your hair's so wild
(Snow-white)--Hey that's not what I mean
We go down in the shadows and crawl between

Moonlight in the city brings the magic to your eyes
Freezin' a moment--leave me paralyzed
Breathe an emotion--set it dancin' in my ear
Bring on the rhythm when I hold you near

Take me in your arms--roll me through the night
Take me to your heart--rock me tonite

Back in the early summer of 1984, Billy Squier had an instant hit with "Rock Me Tonite".  It was the lead single off of his Signs of Life album and it came on the heels of two super-successful other albums. The fact that the song was a hit surprised no one, but his video for the track sure did. Supposedly, Squier had decided against working with two other directors before hiring Kenny Ortega to work some magic on "Rock Me Tonite".

Apparently, MTV was waiting for a video to world premiere and in spite of Squier's label not exactly liking the concept, they went ahead and made this thing. While Squier has blamed Ortega for the fallout, I have to wonder how on earth he could have watched this thing back and thought it was good. Squier, an already established rocker with serious credibility danced, pranced and romped his way right out of a career. It's amazing what 4 bad minutes on film did to this guy. Almost immediately his ticket sales dropped like a brick. While Squier is still around making music, it is widely believed that the "Rock Me Tonite" video was the equivalent of career suicide for him.

This video is also thought to be the absolute worst video in the history of MTV, so enjoy how awesomely bad it is. Can you think of any other video that is worse?

Currently Booming: 80's Rock Playlist