| On the Dark Side | |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | John Cafferty |
| Album: | Eddie and the Cruisers |
| B-Side: | Wild Summer Nights |
| Released: | September 1983 |
| Recorded: | 1982 |
| Genre: | Hard rock |
| Length: | 2:54 |
| Label: | Scotti Bros. |
| Producer: | Vince DiCola, Ed Fruge |
| Chronology: | John Cafferty & The Beaver Brown Band |
| Next Title: | Tender Years |
| Next Year: | 1984 |
"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.
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 relaunched 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. The band performed the songs in the style of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.[2]
| Chart (1983-1984) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100[3] | 64 |
| US Cash Box Top 100[4] | 64 |
| Chart (1984) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Top Singles (RPM)[5] | 19 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[6] | 7 |
| US Billboard Top Rock Tracks[7] | 1 |
| US Cash Box Top 100[8] | 12 |
| Chart (1984) | Position | |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100[9] | 94 | |
| U.S. Cash Box[10] | 89 |
