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Sunglasses at Night
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Wikipedia article
{{Infobox song
| name = Sunglasses at Night
| cover = Sunglasses at Night (Corey Hart album - cover art).jpg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Corey Hart
| album = First Offense
| B-side = At the Dance
| released = January 21, 1984
| recorded = 1983
| studio = London, England
| venue =
| genre =
| length = 5:20 (LP version)
3:53 (7"/video version)
| label = Aquarius (Canada)
EMI America (U.S.)
| writer = Corey Hart
| producer =
| prev_title = "She Got the Radio" (promo, Canada only)
| prev_year = 1983
| next_title = It Ain't Enough
| next_year = 1984
| misc =
}}
"'Sunglasses at Night'" is a song by Canadian singer Corey Hart. It was released on January 21, 1984 as the first single from his debut album, 1983's 'First Offense', and became a hit single in the United States, officially rising to number 7 on the 'Billboard' Hot 100 during the week that ended on September 1, 1984. The song combines an unflagging synthesizer hook, characteristic arpeggio, rock guitar and cryptic lyrics. AllMusic has since described it as "an instant classic with its distinctive melody and catchy chorus".
According to co-producer Phil Chapman, the recording sessions for the album took place in a studio whose air conditioning/heating vents were directly above the mixing console. Air from the vents blew directly into the faces of the control room personnel, so they often wore sunglasses to protect their eyes. Hart, working on a new song, began to improvise lyrics that included the line "I wear my sunglasses at night."
Composition
The song is performed in the key of B minor in common time with a tempo of 127 beats per minute. Hart's vocals span from F3 to A4.
Music video
The music video, directed by Rob Quartly, shot at the Don Jail in Toronto, reflects the vision of a "fashion" police state, with scenes of Hart in a prison cell, without sunglasses, being strong-armed by police officers and paraded past various citizens wearing their regulation shades. Near the end of the video, Hart is taken to the office of a female police officer (who releases Hart in the song's end), played by Laurie Brown, who later became the host of 'The NewMusic' as well as a VJ on MuchMusic. This video uses the shorter single version instead of the longer album version.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56HSPQHSqEE Corey Hart "Sunglasses at Night" official video]
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
References
Category:1984 singles
Category:Corey Hart (singer) songs
Category:1983 songs
Category:EMI America Records singles
Category:Aquarius Records (Canada) singles
Category:Juno Award for Video of the Year videos
Category:Songs written by Corey Hart (singer)
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