On the Dark Side

Last updated
"On the Dark Side"
Single by John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band
from the album Eddie and the Cruisers
B-side "Wild Summer Nights"
Released
  • September 1983 (original release)
  • August 1984 (re-release)
Recorded1982
Genre Hard rock
Length2:54
Label Scotti Bros.
Songwriter(s) John Cafferty
Producer(s) Vince DiCola, Ed Fruge
John Cafferty & The Beaver Brown Band singles chronology
"Wild Summer Nights” / “Tender Years"
(1980)		"On the Dark Side"
(1983)		"Tender Years"
(1984)
Music video
"On the Dark Side" on YouTube

"On the Dark Side" is a song by fictional American rock band Eddie and the Cruisers, released as a tie-in to the 1983 film of the same name. When initially released in September 1983, the song peaked at No. 64 on the Billboard, while the film itself was pulled after three weeks in the theaters.

Contents

When the film was released to home video and pay cable outlets in early 1984, the film as well as the song received renewed interest, and the single was re-released that August. [1] This time, the song reached No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 19 on Canada's RPM 100. It also lasted five weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Rock Tracks chart, displacing The Fixx.

John Cafferty & The Beaver Brown Band served as the real-life, officially uncredited stand-ins for the fictional Cruisers on the recording (as they did for the rest of the soundtrack album); only one member of the band, saxophonist Michael Antunes, appeared in the film, and none of the other actors playing Eddie and the Cruisers were musicians. [2]

Chart performance

First US release (1983)

Chart (1983-1984)Peak
position
US Billboard Hot 100 [3] 64
US Cash Box Top 100 [4] 64

References

  1. ↑ Edgers, Geoff (April 24, 2015). "'Eddie and the Cruisers' was a massive '80s flop. How did it become a beloved cult film?". The Washington Post . Retrieved April 7, 2020.
  2. ↑ Muir, John Kenneth. The Rock and Roll Film Encyclopedia. Applause Books, 2007. p.86
  3. ↑ "Music: Top 100 Songs". Billboard. November 19, 1983. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  4. ↑ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles – Week ending November 19, 1983". Cash Box Magazine. November 19, 1983. Archived from the original on September 13, 2012. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  5. ↑ "Image : RPM Weekly - Library and Archives Canada". Library and Archives Canada . Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  6. ↑ "Chart History". Billboard. October 27, 1984. Archived from the original on August 25, 2018. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  7. ↑ "Music: Top 100 Songs | Billboard Hot 100 Chart". Billboard. September 22, 1984. Archived from the original on July 17, 2018. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  8. ↑ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles – Week ending November 3, 1984". Cash Box Magazine. November 3, 1984. Archived from the original on September 30, 2012. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  9. ↑ "Top 100 Hits of 1984/Top 100 Songs of 1984 | Music Outfitters".
  10. ↑ "Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles". Cash Box. December 31, 1984. Archived from the original on September 30, 2012. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
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