Hollywood Nights Explained

Hollywood Nights
Cover:HollywoodNights_-_Seger.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band
Album:Stranger in Town
B-Side:Brave Strangers
Released:1978
Length:5:05
Label:Capitol
Producer:Bob Seger, Punch Andrews
Prev Title:Still the Same
Prev Year:1978
Next Title:We've Got Tonite
Next Year:1978

"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.

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]

Seger also said that "Hollywood Nights" was the closest he has had to a song coming to him in a dream, similar to how Keith Richards described the riff to "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" coming to him in a dream.[2] Seger said:

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the liner notes of Seger's 1994 Greatest Hits compilation.[3]

The Silver Bullet Band

Additional musicians

Reception

Billboard described "Hollywood Nights" as "a gut crunching rocker with all the stops pulled out" and described Seger's vocal performance as "absolutely demonic."[4] 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."[5] Cash Box also said that "Hollywood Nights" is "what Seger is all about."[6] Record World said that this song is a "perfect example" of how "Seger is a master of the story song with a strong rock beat" and that "the lyrics are compelling and the outfront piano and Seger's throaty vocals give them even more substance."[7] Classic Rock History critic Janey Roberts rated it as Seger's 13th best song.[8]

Beginning in their 2022–23 season, the Los Angeles Kings have played "Hollywood Nights" after wins at their home arena, Crypto.com Arena.[9]

Chart performance

The single edit of "Hollywood Nights" reached No. 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.[10] 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.[11]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The Seger File: Stranger in Town . Scott Sparling . Segerfile.com. 2013-09-21.
  2. Web site: How Bob Seger changed the face of American Music. Sharp, Ken. September 10, 2018. 2022-06-29. Louder Sound. Classic Rock.
  3. Greatest Hits . Bob Seger . 1994 . CD . Capitol Records . CDP 7243 8 30334 2 3.
  4. News: Top Single Picks. Billboard. 2020-07-09. 82. August 12, 1978.
  5. News: CashBox Singles Reviews. August 12, 1978. 11. Cash Box. 2022-01-01.
  6. News: CashBox Album Reviews. May 27, 1978. 18. Cash Box. 2022-01-01.
  7. Record World. August 12, 1978. 2023-02-13. Hits of the Week. 1.
  8. Web site: Top 20 Bob Seger songs. Roberts, Janey. Classic Rock History. 2023-01-22.
  9. Web site: Schneider . Rachel . 2023-03-25 . Hollywood Nights - The Kings Are On A Win Streak . 2024-05-06 . Inside The Rink . en-US.
  10. Book: Whitburn, Joel . Top Pop Songs: 1961-2001. Joel Whitburn . 2002 . Record Research . 218.
  11. Book: Roberts , David . 2006. British Hit Singles & Albums. 19th. Guinness World Records Limited . London. 1-904994-10-5. 488.