Big Life is the fourth studio album by Night Ranger

Night Ranger

Night Ranger is an American rock band from San Francisco that gained popularity during the 1980s with a series of albums and singles. The band's first five albums sold more than 10 million copies worldwide...

, released in 1987. It featured the single "The Secret of My Success

The Secret of My Success (song)

The Secret of My Success is a hard rock song performed by Night Ranger from their album Big Life as well as on the soundtrack to the 1987 comedy film, The Secret of My Succe$s. The star of the film, Michael J. Fox, was the person to request the band to write and record the song...

", which was written for the 1987 film of the same name starring Michael J. Fox

Michael J. Fox

Michael J. Fox, OC is a Canadian American actor, author, producer, activist and voice-over artist. With a film and television career spanning from the late 1970s, Fox's roles have included Marty McFly from the Back to the Future trilogy ; Alex P...

. The single flopped, stalling outside the Top 40, peaking at #64. It was a top twenty hit on the Mainstream Rock charts though, hitting number 12.
allmusic.com's Stephen Thomas Erlewine said this about the record: "Night Ranger didn't have the hooks in either the rocker or ballad department on Big Life, and the respective singles ("The Secret of My Success," "Hearts Away") flopped along with the rest of the album. Though they later rebounded artistically, such a poor performance marked the end of Night Ranger's time as hitmakers."

Track listing

1. "Big Life" (Blades, Gillis) 5:16
2. "Color Of Your Smile" (Blades) 4:13
3. "Love Is Standing Near" (Fitzgerald, Blades, Keagy) 4:24
4. "Rain Comes Crashing Down" (Blades) 5:56
5. "The Secret of My Success
   The Secret of My Success (song)
   The Secret of My Success is a hard rock song performed by Night Ranger from their album Big Life as well as on the soundtrack to the 1987 comedy film, The Secret of My Succe$s. The star of the film, Michael J. Fox, was the person to request the band to write and record the song...
   
   " (Blades, Foster, Keane, Landau) 4:26
6. "Carry On" (Blades, Keagy) 4:19
7. "Better Let It Go" (Keagy, Blades) 4:40
8. "I Know Tonight" (Blades) 4:03
9. "Hearts Away" (Blades) 4:58

Band members

• Jack Blades
  Jack Blades
  Jack Martin Blades is an American musician. He has worked in several bands: Rubicon, Night Ranger , and Damn Yankees . He also recorded with Tommy Shaw under the name Shaw/Blades, and has done work alongside TMG, the Tak Matsumoto Group...
  
   - lead and backing vocals, bass guitar
• Brad Gillis
  Brad Gillis
  Brad Gillis is a guitarist most famous for playing with the band Night Ranger. He was in the band Rubicon during the 1970s before Night Ranger. He has also played for Ozzy Osbourne and Fiona, and has released solo albums....
  
   - lead and rhythm guitars, vocals
• Jeff Watson
  Jeff Watson
  Jeffrey D. Watson is a Canadian politician. He is the current Member of Parliament for the Essex electoral district in Ontario....
  
   - lead and rhythm guitars
• Alan Fitzgerald
  Alan Fitzgerald
  Alan Fitzgerald, U.S. musician , was a member of several U.S. bands.He played as a bassist in the bands Montrose and Gamma, both of which also featured guitarist Ronnie Montrose....
  
   - keyboards, piano
• Kelly Keagy
  Kelly Keagy
  Kelly Keagy is an American drummer and vocalist, best known for his work with Night Ranger. Keagy sang lead vocals on several of their hits, such as "Sister Christian", "Sing Me Away", and "Sentimental Street".-Early years:...
  
  - drums, percussion, lead and backing vocals

Production

• Produced By Night Ranger, David Foster, Wally Buck & Kevin Elson
• Engineered By Kevin Elson, Wally Buck, Rick Hulbrook, Frank Pekoc & Tom Size
• Mixed By Kevin Elson