(You Can Still) Rock in America

Last updated
"(You Can Still) Rock in America"
Single by Night Ranger
from the album Midnight Madness
ReleasedNovember 1983 [1]
Recorded1983
Genre Glam metal [2]
Label MCA Records
Songwriter(s) Jack Blades
Brad Gillis
Night Ranger singles chronology
"Sing Me Away"
(1983)		"(You Can Still) Rock in America"
(1983)		"Sister Christian"
(1984)

"(You Can Still) Rock in America" is a song written by Jack Blades and Brad Gillis, and the first single released from Night Ranger's 1983 album Midnight Madness . [3] Former Deep Purple and Black Sabbath singer Glenn Hughes contribute backing vocals on the song.[ citation needed ]

Contents

Background

Night Ranger was on tour in Springfield, Illinois with Sammy Hagar in 1983. Singer Jack Blades bought several music magazines in town on his day off, many of which proclaimed "rock is dead" in favor of new wave artists like Thompson Twins or the Cure. Blades refused to believe it, as his band and Sammy Hagar had played so many concerts on their tour with thousands of screaming fans who seemed to think rock and roll was still very much alive. He came up with the chorus first, and then wrote some verses based on what fans would tell him about the lengths they went to to attend rock concerts. "So I just took this one girl's idea of what she was telling me, and I wrote that as a commentary on what I was seeing out there when everybody was saying rock was dead. And that ended up being sort of an anthem for Night Ranger, for sure," said Blades. [4]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."(You Can Still) Rock in America"Blades, Gillis4:16
2."Let Him Run"Blades, Keagy, Watson3:29
Total length:7:45

Personnel

Night Ranger

Additional musicians

Charts

Chart (1983)Peak
position
US Billboard Hot 100 [5] 51
US Mainstream Rock ( Billboard ) [6] 15

A re-recording of the song is downloadable content for Rock Band 2 and is a playable track on Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock .[ citation needed ]

"(You Can Still) Rock in America" was the opening credits theme song for the television series Rock 'N' America .[ citation needed ]

A snippet plays during the series finale of The Drew Carey Show .

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sammy Hagar</span> American rock singer (born 1947)

Sam Roy Hagar, also known as the Red Rocker, is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. He rose to prominence in the early 1970s with the hard rock band Montrose before launching a successful solo career, scoring a hit in 1984 with "I Can't Drive 55". He enjoyed further commercial success as the lead vocalist of Van Halen from 1985 through 1996, and from 2003 to 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Night Ranger</span> American hard rock band

Night Ranger is an American hard rock band from San Francisco, California. The band formed in 1979, and experienced a surge of popularity during the 1980s with the release of several successful albums and hit singles. Guitarist Brad Gillis and drummer Kelly Keagy have been the band's only constant members, though bassist Jack Blades performed on all but one of their albums. Other current members of the band include guitarist Keri Kelli and keyboardist Eric Levy.

<i>For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge</i> 1991 studio album by Van Halen

For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge is the ninth studio album by American rock band Van Halen. It was released on June 17, 1991, on Warner Bros. Records and is the third to feature vocalist Sammy Hagar. It debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart and maintained the position for three consecutive weeks. The album marked a record in the band's history, seeing seven of its eleven tracks released as singles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Montrose (band)</span> American hard rock band

Montrose was an American hard rock band formed in 1973 and named after guitarist and founder Ronnie Montrose. The band's original lineup featured lead vocalist and frontman Sammy Hagar, who later found greater success as a solo artist and as a member of Van Halen. Rounding out the original foursome were bassist Bill Church and drummer Denny Carmassi. The band experienced moderate success before disbanding in early 1977. The 1973 debut album Montrose eventually proved to be an international sleeper hit, selling in excess of one million copies and attaining platinum status in 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Blades</span> American musician

Jack Martin Blades is an American rock musician. He has worked in the bands Rubicon, Night Ranger, and Damn Yankees. He has also recorded with Tommy Shaw under the name Shaw Blades and has done work alongside the Tak Matsumoto Group. Blades' most recent efforts include a second solo album and three albums with Revolution Saints, which he was a member of until 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dreams (Van Halen song)</span> 1986 single by Van Halen

"Dreams" is a song by Van Halen released in 1986 from the album 5150. It was the second single from that album, and it reached # 22 on the Billboard Hot 100 as well as #24 on the Cash Box Top 100. Nine years after its original release, "Dreams" introduced the band to a new generation of fans when it appeared in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie and on its soundtrack album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sister Christian</span> 1984 single by Night Ranger

"Sister Christian" is a song by the American hard rock band Night Ranger. A power ballad, it was released in March 1984 as the second single from their album Midnight Madness. It was ranked No. 32 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the 1980s. It was written and sung by the band's drummer, Kelly Keagy, for his sister. It was the band's biggest hit, peaking at number five on the Billboard Hot 100, and staying on the charts for 24 weeks. It also reached No. 1 in Canada. The song is used in several films, including Boogie Nights (1997), Superstar (1999), Friday the 13th (2009) and Ben Affleck's 2023 film Air (2023).

<i>Midnight Madness</i> (album) 1983 studio album by Night Ranger

Midnight Madness is the second studio album by American rock band Night Ranger, released in October 1983 by MCA Records. The album produced three charting singles and contains the band's best known hit, "Sister Christian". It remains their highest selling album at over a million copies sold in the US.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rubicon (American band)</span> American funk rock band

Rubicon was a California funk rock band, whose "I'm Gonna Take Care of Everything" spent 11 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1978, peaking at number 28.

<i>Standing Hampton</i> 1982 studio album by Sammy Hagar

Standing Hampton is the sixth studio album by American rock vocalist Sammy Hagar, released on January 6, 1982, by Geffen. This is his first album after moving from Capitol Records to Geffen. It was his first album to achieve RIAA certification, eventually going platinum, and five of its singles charted in either the mainstream rock or pop singles charts.

<i>I Never Said Goodbye</i> 1987 studio album by Sammy Hagar

I Never Said Goodbye is the ninth studio album by American rock musician Sammy Hagar, released on June 23, 1987, by Geffen Records. It was his first solo album since 1984's VOA, released while he was a member of Van Halen. The album was recorded in ten days under a contractual obligation to Geffen Records as a condition of his leaving the company to join Van Halen and their record label, Warner Bros. Records. The album spent 23 weeks on the Billboard 200 chart and became his highest charting solo album, peaking at number 14 on August 15, 1987.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kelly Keagy</span> American drummer

Kelly Dean Keagy is an American drummer and vocalist, best known for his work with the hard rock band Night Ranger. Keagy sang lead vocals on several of their hits, such as "Sister Christian", "Sing Me Away", and "Sentimental Street".

<i>7 Wishes</i> (Night Ranger album) 1985 studio album by Night Ranger

7 Wishes is the third studio album by the American hard rock band Night Ranger, released in 1985 and produced by Pat Glasser. The album features three Billboard Hot 100 chart hits: "Sentimental Street" reached No. 8, "Four in the Morning" No. 19 and "Goodbye" No. 17.

"When You Close Your Eyes" is a song by American rock band Night Ranger from their 1983 album Midnight Madness.

The Secret of My Success is a song performed by Night Ranger from their album Big Life as well as on the soundtrack to the 1987 comedy film, The Secret of My Success.

<i>Somewhere in California</i> (album) 2011 studio album by Night Ranger

Somewhere in California is the tenth studio album by American hard rock band Night Ranger, released on June 21, 2011. It is the first album since the departure of original guitarist Jeff Watson in 2007. The album introduces new guitarist Joel Hoekstra and keyboardist Eric Levy. Although the previous three releases are regarded as different and more experimental for Night Ranger, this album has been noted as somewhat of a return to the signature Night Ranger sound from the successful 1980s releases. The first single and video from the album is "Growin' Up in California".

<i>Sammy Hagar & Friends</i> 2013 studio album by Sammy Hagar

Sammy Hagar & Friends is the sixteenth studio album by American hard rock musician Sammy Hagar, released on September 24, 2013, by Frontiers Records.

<i>High Road</i> (Night Ranger album) 2014 studio album by Night Ranger

High Road is the eleventh studio album by American hard rock band Night Ranger, released on June 10, 2014. It peaked at No. 105 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, No. 31 on the Billboard Top Rock Albums chart, and No. 9 on the Billboard Hard Rock Albums chart, all on June 28, 2014. The Best Buy edition of the album includes two additional songs "Mountain Song" and "Don't Even Know Your Name".

<i>Dont Let Up</i> 2017 studio album by Night Ranger

Don't Let Up is the twelfth studio album by American hard rock band Night Ranger, released on March 24, 2017. It peaked at No. 12 on the Billboard Top Hard Rock Albums chart on June 15, 2017. It is the first Night Ranger studio album to feature Keri Kelli on guitar, who replaced Joel Hoekstra after he left to join Whitesnake.

<i>Man in Motion</i> (Night Ranger album) 1988 studio album by Night Ranger

Man in Motion is the fifth studio album by Night Ranger, released in 1988. This album was the first studio album recorded by Night Ranger after the departure of keyboardist Alan Fitzgerald, who was replaced by Jesse Bradman.

References

  1. ↑ "Night Ranger singles".
  2. ↑ Rivadavia, Eduardo. "The 11 Heaviest Hair Metal Songs". Loudwire. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  3. ↑ Roth, Jason (November 2001). "Motorin' Mania". Spin . p. 88.
  4. ↑ Ortega, Shawna (March 15, 2010). "Jack Blades of Night Ranger and Damn Yankees : Songwriter Interviews". Songfacts. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
  5. ↑ "Night Ranger Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  6. ↑ "Night Ranger Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.