Rock the Night (song)
Encyclopedia
"Rock the Night" is a single
released by the Swedish
heavy metal
band Europe
. The song was written by vocalist
Joey Tempest
in 1984 and premiered on the band's Wings of Tomorrow
tour the same year.
It was released twice; in 1985 as a single from the soundtrack
to the Swedish film On the Loose
, and in 1986 as the second international single from the album The Final Countdown.
The B-side for both releases was a 1985 re-recording of the band's debut single, "Seven Doors Hotel
".
The 1986 release became a Top 10 hit in France
, Ireland
, Italy
and Switzerland
, and peaked at #12 on the UK Singles Chart and #30 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart
in the USA. The music video was directed by Nick Morris
and shot at the Hard Rock Cafe
in Stockholm
. It was the first Europe music video that featured the band's new guitarist Kee Marcello
, since the original guitarist John Norum
had left the band weeks before the video shoot.
The song was included in the 2007 film Hot Rod
and the European version of the Nintendo DS
game Guitar Hero: On Tour.
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
released by the Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band Europe
Europe (band)
Europe is a Swedish rock band formed in Upplands Väsby in 1979 under the name Force by vocalist Joey Tempest, guitarist John Norum and drummer Tony Reno. Although widely associated with glam metal, the band's sound incorporates heavy metal and hard rock elements...
. The song was written by vocalist
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
Joey Tempest
Joey Tempest
Joey Tempest is the vocalist and main songwriter in the Swedish heavy metal band Europe. He has written hits like "The Final Countdown", "Rock the Night" and "Superstitious".-Early life:...
in 1984 and premiered on the band's Wings of Tomorrow
Wings of Tomorrow
Wings of Tomorrow is the second studio album by the Swedish heavy metal band Europe. It was released on February 24, 1984, by Hot Records.The song "Scream of Anger" was originally titled "Black Journey Through My Soul"...
tour the same year.
It was released twice; in 1985 as a single from the soundtrack
On the Loose (EP)
On the Loose is an EP released by the Swedish heavy metal band Europe in April 1985. It is the soundtrack to the Swedish 1985 film On the Loose...
to the Swedish film On the Loose
On the Loose (1985 film)
On the Loose is a Swedish film released in 1985. It was directed by Staffan Hildebrand and distributed by Föreningsfilmo AB. It stars Tomas Fryk and Carina Lindström and features appearances by rock 'n' roll singer Jerry Williams and the hard rock band Europe.-Plot:Peter works as a welder in his...
, and in 1986 as the second international single from the album The Final Countdown.
The Final Countdown (album)
The Final Countdown is the third studio album by the Swedish rock band Europe. Released on 26 May 1986 through Epic Records, the album was a huge commercial success selling over 3 million units in the United States alone, peaking at number 8 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart and reaching high...
The B-side for both releases was a 1985 re-recording of the band's debut single, "Seven Doors Hotel
Seven Doors Hotel
"Seven Doors Hotel", written by Joey Tempest, was the first single released from the Swedish heavy metal band Europe's self-titled debut album. It was a big hit in Japan, reaching the Top 10...
".
The 1986 release became a Top 10 hit in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, and peaked at #12 on the UK Singles Chart and #30 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
in the USA. The music video was directed by Nick Morris
Nick Morris
Nick Morris is a film maker who began his career in the 1980s with music videos for "The Final Countdown" by Europe, "Kyrie" by Mr. Mister and "Every Time You Go Away" by Paul Young...
and shot at the Hard Rock Cafe
Hard Rock Cafe
Hard Rock Cafe is a chain of theme restaurants founded in 1971 by Americans Peter Morton & Isaac Tigrett. In 1979, the cafe began covering its walls with rock and roll memorabilia, a tradition which expanded to others in the chain. In 2006, Hard Rock was sold to the Seminole Tribe of Florida, and...
in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
. It was the first Europe music video that featured the band's new guitarist Kee Marcello
Kee Marcello
Kee Marcello is a Swedish musician, best known as the former guitarist in the rock band Europe. He is currently pursuing his solo career.-Career:...
, since the original guitarist John Norum
John Norum
John Norum is a rock music guitarist and founder of the Swedish band Europe . Concurrent to his role with Europe, he also maintains a side solo project...
had left the band weeks before the video shoot.
The song was included in the 2007 film Hot Rod
Hot Rod (film)
The soundtrack was composed by ex-Yes guitarist, Trevor Rabin. Several songs by the Swedish rock band Europe are in the movie, including "Cherokee" and "Rock the Night." The full trailer contains three Swedish rock band songs, Europe's "Cherokee" and "The Final Countdown," and The Hives' "See...
and the European version of the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
game Guitar Hero: On Tour.
Personnel
- Joey TempestJoey TempestJoey Tempest is the vocalist and main songwriter in the Swedish heavy metal band Europe. He has written hits like "The Final Countdown", "Rock the Night" and "Superstitious".-Early life:...
− vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - John NorumJohn NorumJohn Norum is a rock music guitarist and founder of the Swedish band Europe . Concurrent to his role with Europe, he also maintains a side solo project...
− guitarsElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker... - John LevénJohn LevénJohn Gunnar Levén is the bassist in the Swedish rock band Europe. Levén and vocalist Joey Tempest are the only band members who have performed on all of Europe's studio albums....
− bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Mic MichaeliMic MichaeliGunnar Mathias "Mic" Michaeli is the keyboardist in the Swedish rock band Europe. Like many of the other Europe members he grew up in Stockholm suburb Upplands Väsby...
− keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments... - Ian HauglandIan HauglandHåkan Jan "Ian" Haugland is the drummer in the Swedish rock band Europe. When he was eight months old, he and his family moved to the Swedish suburb Märsta. He joined Europe in the summer of 1984, replacing Tony Reno. Previously Haugland had played in a number of bands, including Trilogy, where...
− drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
Chart positions
| Year | List | Peak | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Swedish Singles Chart | 4 | |
| 1986 | Italian Singles Chart Federation of the Italian Music Industry The Federation of the Italian Music Industry is an umbrella organization that keeps track of virtually all aspects of the music recording industry in Italy.... |
4 | |
| Dutch Top 40 Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting... |
6 | ||
| Swiss Singles Chart | 6 | ||
| French Singles Chart | 7 | ||
| Irish Singles Chart | 9 | ||
| Austrian Singles Chart Ö3 Austria Top 40 Ö3 Austria Top 40 is the name of the official Austrian singles chart, as well as the radio show which presents it, aired Fridays on Hitradio Ö3. The show presents the Austrian singles, ringtones and downloads chart. It premiered on 26 November 1968 as Disc Parade and was presented by Ernst Grissemann... |
11 | ||
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
12 | ||
| German Singles Chart | 17 | ||
| Mainstream Rock Tracks | 22 | ||
| Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
30 | ||
| Canadian Singles Chart Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays.... |
64 |