Night Songs (Cinderella album)
1986 debut studio album by Cinderella
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Night Songs is the debut studio album by American rock band Cinderella. It was released on June 9, 1986, by Mercury Records.[3] Mercury issued the album worldwide, while Vertigo Records handled the album's release in the UK.
- Bearsville, Woodstock, New York
- Kajem, Gladwyne, Pennsylvania
- Warehouse, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Sigma Sound, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Sound Factory, Hollywood, California
| Night Songs | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 9, 1986[1] | |||
| Recorded | 1985–1986 | |||
| Studios |
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| Genres | ||||
| Length | 36:05 | |||
| Label | Mercury | |||
| Producer | Andy Johns | |||
| Cinderella chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Night Songs | ||||
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The album peaked at No. 3 on the US charts on February 7, 1987,[4] and was certified double platinum for shipping 2 million copies. In May 1991, it was certified triple platinum, having shipped 3 million copies.[1]
Leadoff single "Shake Me" failed to chart, but "Nobody's Fool" cracked the Top 20, reaching No. 13. Third single "Somebody Save Me" went to #66. On April 2, 1987, Cinderella filmed parts of their concert in Philadelphia. These live songs were, along with their three MTV videos, released on home video in August 1987 on Night Songs: The Videos.
Night Songs sold several million copies due to a combination of Cinderella's breakthrough single "Nobody's Fool", MTV airplay, and an opening slot on labelmates Bon Jovi's tour, in support of their album Slippery When Wet.
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [5] |
| Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 6/10[6] |
The album received mixed reviews. David Fricke, writing for Rolling Stone magazine, considered that "[Cinderella] need to jazz up their material and cut away the clichés if they're really interested in hard-rock immortality. Otherwise, their platinum dreams are going to turn into pumpkins".[7] AllMusic reviewer Steve Huey called it "not bad, just generic".[5] Canadian journalist Martin Popoff put on a par Cinderella's rise to prominence with Poison's success, judging them as "little more than vacant, colourful but life-affirming [Mötley] Crüe derivatives." He described the songs as "heavier than one might expect, but of course safe, shallow and watery like the kiddie pool."[6]
The album has been retrospectively considered a hair-metal classic, being ranked on a vast amount of "best of" lists.[8][9][10][11][12] In 2015, "Sleazegrinder" of Louder included the song in his list of "The 20 Greatest Hair Metal Anthems Of All Time".[13]
Artwork
The album cover was photographed by Mark Weiss at the Head House in the New Market and Head House district in Philadelphia.
Legacy
After the release of this album, the band slightly changed their sound to fit a more blues rock direction.[14] In October 2014 for her birthday, guitarist Tom Keifer presented Lzzy Hale of Halestorm with the costume jewelry pin he wore on his right shoulder for the Night Songs album cover. Hale subsequently wore the pin on her right hip on the album cover for Halestorm's 2015 Into the Wild Life, to include a touch of tradition.[15]
In 2015, "Sleazegrinder" of Louder included the song "Shake Me" in his list of "The 20 Greatest Hair Metal Anthems Of All Time", placing it at number 14.[16] In 2018, Collin Brennan of Consequence included the album in his list of "10 Hair Metal Albums That Don’t Suck".[17]
Track listing
All songs written by Tom Keifer.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Night Songs" | 4:12 |
| 2. | "Shake Me" | 3:44 |
| 3. | "Nobody's Fool" | 4:49 |
| 4. | "Nothin' for Nothin'" | 3:33 |
| 5. | "Once Around the Ride" | 3:22 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Hell on Wheels" | 2:49 |
| 7. | "Somebody Save Me" | 3:16 |
| 8. | "In from the Outside" | 4:07 |
| 9. | "Push, Push" | 2:52 |
| 10. | "Back Home Again" | 3:30 |
| Total length: | 36:05 | |
Personnel
- Cinderella
- Tom Keifer – lead vocals, guitar, piano
- Jeff LaBar – guitar, vocals
- Eric Brittingham – bass, vocals
- Fred Coury – drums (does not play on the album, joined shortly after it was recorded)[18]
- Additional musicians
- Barry Benedetta – lead guitar on "Back Home Again", "Nothin' for Nothin'" and "Push, Push"[19]
- Jeff Paris – keyboards[19]
- Jody Cortez – drums on all tracks[19]
- Tony Mills – background vocals[20]
- Jon Bon Jovi – background vocals on "Nothin' for Nothin'" and "In from the Outside"
- Bill Mattson – background vocals on "Shake Me"
- Production
- Andy Johns – producer, engineer, mixing at the Record Plant, Los Angeles
- David Glover, Joe Hauserman, Mark McKenna, Nick Didia, Paul Wertheimer – assistant engineers
- Mark "Weissguy" Weiss – photography/cover concept
Charts
| Chart (1986) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[21] | 15 |
| Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts)[22] | 27 |
| US Billboard 200[23] | 3 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[25] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[26] | 3× Platinum | 3,000,000^ |
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^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
Accolades
| Publication | Year | Country | Accolade | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metal Rules | 2003 | US | Top 50 Glam Metal Albums | 2 |
| Metal Rules | 2006 | US | Top 10 One Album Heavy Metal Wonders[14] | 8 |
| Guitar World | 2008 | US | Top 20 Hair Metal Albums of the Eighties[11] | 8 |
| L.A. Weekly | 2011 | US | Top 20 Hair Metal Albums of All Time[10] | 11 |
| Loudwire | 2016 | US | Top 30 Hair Metal Albums[12] | 7 |
| Consequence of Sound | 2018 | US | 10 Hair Metal Albums That Don't Suck[8] | 7 |
| Rolling Stone | 2019 | US | 50 Greatest Hair Metal Albums of All Time[9] | 18 |