Hollywood Nights
"Hollywood Nights" is a song written and recorded by American rock artist Bob Seger. It was released in 1978 as the second single from his album, Stranger in Town.
| "Hollywood Nights" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band | ||||
| from the album Stranger in Town | ||||
| B-side | "Brave Strangers" | |||
| Released | 1978 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 5:05 | |||
| Label | Capitol | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Bob Seger | |||
| Producer(s) | Bob Seger, Punch Andrews | |||
| Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band singles chronology | ||||
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Background
Seger said "The chorus just came into my head; I was driving around in the Hollywood Hills, and I started singing 'Hollywood nights/Hollywood hills/Above all the lights/Hollywood nights.' I went back to my rented house, and there was a Time with Cheryl Tiegs on the cover...I said 'Let's write a song about a guy from the Midwest who runs into someone like this and gets caught up in the whole bizarro thing.'" [1]
Personnel
Credits are adapted from the liner notes of Seger's 1994 Greatest Hits compilation.[2]
The Silver Bullet Band
- Bob Seger – lead vocals, guitar
- Chris Campbell – bass
- David Teegarden – drums, percussion
Additional musicians
- Bill Payne – piano, organ
- Julia Waters, Luther Waters, Maxine Waters, Oren Waters – background vocals
Reception
Billboard Magazine described "Hollywood Nights" as "a gut crunching rocker with all the stops pulled out" and described Seger's vocal performance as "absolutely demonic."[3] Cash Box called it "a solid rocker about a Hollywood romance" with "a commanding beat, piano fills, driving guitar work and excellent lead and backing vocals."[4] Cash Box also said that "Hollywood Nights" is "what Seger is all about."[5]
Chart performance
The single edit of "Hollywood Nights" reached No. 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.[6] In the UK, the full five-minute version was released as a single on black and silver vinyl, and gave him his chart debut at No. 42. A live version from the in-concert album Nine Tonight in 1981 was issued in the UK as a single and charted at No. 49, while a reissue of the original version in 1995 charted at No. 52.[7]
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[8] | Gold | 500,000 |
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References
- Scott Sparling. "The Seger File: Stranger in Town". Segerfile.com. Retrieved 2013-09-21.
- Greatest Hits (CD). Bob Seger. Capitol Records. 1994. CDP 7243 8 30334 2 3.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - "Top Single Picks" (PDF). Billboard Magazine. August 12, 1978. p. 82. Retrieved 2020-07-09.
- "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. August 12, 1978. p. 11. Retrieved 2022-01-01.
- "CashBox Album Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. May 27, 1978. p. 18. Retrieved 2022-01-01.
- Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Pop Songs: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 218.
- Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 488. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- "American single certifications – Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band – Hollywood Nights". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved January 15, 2022.