A few nights ago, Keith suggested this one.  I didn’t recall it … when I thought of “Heat of the Night” I thought of the long-running television show starring Carroll O’Conner, Alan Autry and Howard Rollins.  But once I listened to the song it did seem vaguely familiar, but not one that I’ve heard many times.  Still, I’m always seeking to expand my repertoire, broaden my horizons, so I decided to play this one tonight.

There isn’t a lot of background info available about this song.  It was written by Bryan Adams and his regular collaborator Jim Vallance, released in March 1987.  The song became the most successful song from Adams’s album Into the Fire in 1987.  The song was partly inspired by the film noir classic The Third Man, starring the actor-director Orson Welles. The darkness of the lyrics was further influenced by a trip Bryan and Jim Vallance took to Berlin in March 1986, before the wall came down.

The song charted at #6 in the U.S., #7 in Canada, and #50 in the UK.

Heat of the Night

Bryan Adams

I was caught in the crossfire of a silent scream
Where one man’s nightmare is another man’s dream
Pull the covers up high – and pray for the mornin’ light
Cause you’re livin’ alone – in the heat of the night
Met a man with a message from the other side
Couldn’t take the pressure – had to leave it behind
He said it’s up to you
You can run or you can fight (yeah that’s right)
Better leave it alone – in the heat of the night
In the heat of the night they’ll be comin’ around
They’ll be lookin’ for answers they’ll be chasin’ you down
In the heat of the night
(Where you gonna hide when it all comes down)
(Don’t look back don’t ever turn around)

Had to pay the piper to call the tune
Said he’d be back someday – said he’d be back real soon
Pull the shades down low – you’ll know when the time is right
When you’re lyin’ alone in the heat of the night

In the heat of the night they’ll be comin’ around
They’ll be lookin’ for answers they’ll be chasin’ you down
In the heat of the night
(Where you gonna hide when it all comes down)
(Don’t look back don’t ever turn around)

In the heat of the night they’ll be comin’ around
They’ll be lookin’ for answers they’ll be chasin’ you down
In the heat of the night
(Where you gonna hide when it all comes down)
(Don’t look back don’t ever turn around)
In the heat of the night they’ll be comin’ around
They’ll be lookin’ for answers chasin’ you down
In the heat of the night
(Where you gonna hide when it all comes down)
(Don’t look back don’t ever turn around)
In the heat of the night yeah
They’ll be chasin’ you down
In the heat of the night
(Where you gonna hide when it all comes down)
(Don’t look back don’t ever turn around)

Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: Bryan Adams / James Douglas Vallance

Heat of the Night lyrics © Testatyme Music, Universal Music Works, Adams Communications Inc.