The soulful and passionate "Into The Night" became a radio classic across the country since the 80s and is one of the most frequently played tunes in radio history. It is estimated that the song has been played more than 4.5 million times in the U.S. alone. The song is special because it is one of only ten singles to make it to the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart twice. Chubby Checker was the first to do this with his cover of "The Twist" which went to #1 in both 1960 and 1962. Another was "Do You Love Me" by the Contours which first did it in 1962 and then again in 1988 after being featured in 1987's Dirty Dancing.

Benny Mardones originally released "Into the Night" in June 1980 as part of his Never Run, Never Hide album. The song peaked at #11 for two weeks in September 1980, logging 20 weeks on the chart before falling off in late October. Then in 1989, a Where Are They Now? Arizona radio segment spurred an L.A. DJ to add the song to his playlist, with that exposure ultimately getting the song back onto the national charts in May of that year. This time the song peaked at #20 in the first week in July, adding 17 weeks to its previous run of 20, to add up to a total of 37 (nonconsecutive) weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, breaking the record set by Laura Branigan with her single "Gloria" (which had charted for 36 consecutive weeks from July 1982 to March 1983) for the longest-charting single of the 1980s by a solo artist.

I don't know about you, but I think this is pretty impressive. I have always really liked this song, but if you listen to the lyrics it may, at first, make you question the subject matter. The song begins, "She's just sixteen years old, leave her alone, they say. Separated by fools who don't know what love is yet. But I want you to know, if I could fly I'd pick you up, I'd take you into the night and show you a love like you've never seen - ever seen." One may jump to the conclusion that this song is perverted and Mardones should be ashamed for professing his love for a minor, but that would be wrong. Here is what Mardones has explained, "There was a girl in my building in Spanish Harlem whose father ran out on her and her family. I felt so bad for her that I hired her to walk my dog. She came into my apartment early one morning and [his friend] Bobby Tepper and I had been up all night writing songs. She was all dressed up and was one of the most beautiful sixteen-year-old girls you've ever seen. When she left with the dog Bobby said, 'Oh my word' and I replied, 'She's Just 16 years old, leave her alone.' And thus a classic was born. It was originally called 'She's Just 16 years Old' until someone at the record company said don't you think you should call it 'Into The Night'?" You can relax because it's not really about Benny wanting to get it on with an under-age girl.

You can just enjoy this great 80s classic for what it is... an outstanding song. Here is a video of Benny Mardones performing "Into the Night"...

Since the self-titled album in 1989 which included the re-release of "Into the Night," Mardones has released four more studio albums unfortunately to little acclaim outside of his strong fan base. The 2002 album, Journey Through Time, includes an incredible acoustic version of "Into the Night" that I like even better than the original. Mardones has battled drug addiction, depression and now suffers from Parkinson's disease. He is the subject of a documentary movie titled Into the Night: The Benny Mardones Story which you can see the preview for it here...

Mardones is admittedly a "one-hit wonder" but, as I have said many times before, that is one more hit than most get. Plus he enjoyed two bites of the same apple when his one hit rose up the charts to begin and again to end the great decade of the 80s. Happy Birthday, Benny, and thank you very much for "Into the Night."

That will wrap up another issue of Kickin' it Old School. Thanks as always for reading and hope you are enjoying the interviews. If you are interested in reading any of my other 80s related issues, please click there for a summary of those. You can also always click on the Archives in the upper left hand column or use the Google Search Box at the top of the right hand column to find any other issues you may have missed. If you are a fan of Kickin' it, PLEASE CLICK ON THE FACEBOOK LOGO in the upper right hand column. This will take you to the Fan Page where I ask you to then click on the "Like" button. Even if you are not a Facebook member yet, please consider joining and registering as a fan at that page. You can also follow Old School on Twitter by clicking on the FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER LOGO also in the upper right hand column. This will take you the page and you can just click on the box that says "Follow". I am sending daily 80s tweets, so sign up to get those. Let other 80s fans know about it as well! Peace and much love.

Check this out: Would you let your children play at this playground? I appreciate them taking the time to put a warning sign and all, but how about actually removing the poison plants and snakes?

Quote of the day: "A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him." -David Brinkley