Twilight Zone (1982 song)
Encyclopedia
"Twilight Zone" is a 1982
hit song by the Dutch
hard rock
band Golden Earring
. It was written by the band's guitarist
George Kooymans
, who got the inspiration from a book by Robert Ludlum
, The Bourne Identity. "Twilight Zone" appears on their 1982 album Cut
. It reached #10 in the US Billboard Hot 100
and #1 on the Billboard Top Tracks chart, the band's only #1 hit in the country.
Lead vocals on the song are performed first by George Kooymans (who speaks the lines up to, and including, the line "the gun is still warm"), then by Barry Hay
who sings the rest of the song. Curiously, if the first 5 or 6 seconds of the song is played in reverse, the words "Sirens in my head, my whole life spins into" can be heard which are from two lines and chords later in the song. The full lines, "Yeah, there's a storm on the loose, sirens in my head" and "Cannot decode - my whole life spins into a frenzy" are partly masked because the vocal track is being played at a much lower volume than the reversed chords are.
, directed by Dick Maas
, features a storyline with lead singer Barry Hay as an espionage
agent who is inevitably apprehended by three henchmen (played by the other members of the band).
The music video was one of the first to feature a cinematic storyline and dance choreography and was a hit on the fledgeling MTV
network, helping the song to become the second international hit for the band. Golden Earring followed the success with an extensive tour of the USA
, Canada
and Europe
. MTV commissioned the band to shoot a movie of the final 'homecoming' concert of the tour in the Netherlands
. The concert film, also directed by Dick Maas, included a brief introductory segment which was a parody
of the TV series The Twilight Zone. The concert was released in 1984 as Live from The Twilight Zone, aired on MTV and published as video and DVD. To date this concert is regarded as one of the best live shows of the band.
The Cut album cover's iconic image of the jack
of diamonds playing card
being shredded by a bullet is used in the video and represents the life of the rogue agent.
.
"Twilight Zone" is used as the theme song for the radio news show Wall Street Journal This Morning
.
"Twilight Zone" is often heard as bumper music on the Coast to Coast AM
radio show.
The song was covered by CSS and was used in a Lincoln commercial titled "Wired Luxury."
The now-defunct Atlanta Knights, who played in the International Hockey League from 1992-96, used "Twilight Zone" as the team's theme song at home games during the pre-game introductions of the starting lineup.
The song was featured in the trailer for the 2011 movie "De Heineken ontvoering".
1982 in music
This is a list of notable events in music from 1982. 1982 was a big year in music with Madonna making her debut as well as the year that Michael Jackson released Thriller which became the world's best selling album and it still holds that title today....
hit song by the Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
band Golden Earring
Golden Earring
Golden Earring are a Dutch rock band, founded in 1961 in The Hague as the Golden Earrings . They had international chart success with the songs "Radar Love" in 1973, "Twilight Zone" in 1982, and "When the Lady Smiles" in 1984. In their home country, they had over 40 hits and made over 30 gold and...
. It was written by the band's guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
George Kooymans
George Kooymans
George Kooymans is a Dutch guitarist and vocalist. He is best known for his work with the Dutch group, Golden Earring.- References :...
, who got the inspiration from a book by Robert Ludlum
Robert Ludlum
Robert Ludlum was an American author of 23 thriller novels. The number of his books in print is estimated between 290–500 million copies. They have been published in 33 languages and 40 countries. Ludlum also published books under the pseudonyms Jonathan Ryder and Michael Shepherd.-Life and...
, The Bourne Identity. "Twilight Zone" appears on their 1982 album Cut
Cut (Golden Earring album)
Cut is an album by Dutch hard rock band Golden Earring, released in 1982 . The album spawned the hit song "Twilight Zone," which reached #1 in the Netherlands and #10 in the United States....
. It reached #10 in the US 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...
and #1 on the Billboard Top Tracks chart, the band's only #1 hit in the country.
Lead vocals on the song are performed first by George Kooymans (who speaks the lines up to, and including, the line "the gun is still warm"), then by Barry Hay
Barry Hay
Barry Andrew Hay is the vocalist/frontman for Dutch rock band Golden Earring.-Biography:Hay was born in Faizabad, India, and moved to the Netherlands at the age of eight. He lived in Amsterdam and later in The Hague. In the summer of 1967, he joined the Golden Earrings, as they were then called,...
who sings the rest of the song. Curiously, if the first 5 or 6 seconds of the song is played in reverse, the words "Sirens in my head, my whole life spins into" can be heard which are from two lines and chords later in the song. The full lines, "Yeah, there's a storm on the loose, sirens in my head" and "Cannot decode - my whole life spins into a frenzy" are partly masked because the vocal track is being played at a much lower volume than the reversed chords are.
Music video
The music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
, directed by Dick Maas
Dick Maas
Dick Maas is Dutch film director, screenwriter, film producer and movie music composer.He achieved national fame after the success of the movies De Lift, Amsterdamned and Flodder.-Shorts:* Adelbert* De overval...
, features a storyline with lead singer Barry Hay as an espionage
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
agent who is inevitably apprehended by three henchmen (played by the other members of the band).
The music video was one of the first to feature a cinematic storyline and dance choreography and was a hit on the fledgeling MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
network, helping the song to become the second international hit for the band. Golden Earring followed the success with an extensive tour of the USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. MTV commissioned the band to shoot a movie of the final 'homecoming' concert of the tour in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. The concert film, also directed by Dick Maas, included a brief introductory segment which was a parody
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
of the TV series The Twilight Zone. The concert was released in 1984 as Live from The Twilight Zone, aired on MTV and published as video and DVD. To date this concert is regarded as one of the best live shows of the band.
The Cut album cover's iconic image of the jack
Jack (playing card)
A Jack, also Knave, is a playing card with a picture of a man on it. The usual rank of a jack, within its suit, is as if it were an 11 ....
of diamonds playing card
Playing card
A playing card is a piece of specially prepared heavy paper, thin cardboard, plastic-coated paper, cotton-paper blend, or thin plastic, marked with distinguishing motifs and used as one of a set for playing card games...
being shredded by a bullet is used in the video and represents the life of the rogue agent.
Twilight Zone in popular culture
"Twilight Zone" was used as the theme song in the 1993 hit pinball game, "The Twilight Zone" (based on the classic TV series), made by Midway GamesMidway Games
Midway Games, Inc. is an American company that was formerly a major video game publisher. Following a bankruptcy filing in 2009, it is no longer active and is in the process of liquidating all of its assets. Midway's titles included Mortal Kombat, Ms.Pac-Man, Spy Hunter, Tron, Rampage, the...
.
"Twilight Zone" is used as the theme song for the radio news show Wall Street Journal This Morning
Wall Street Journal This Morning
The Wall Street Journal This Morning is a two-hour radio news/talk program produced by the Wall Street Journal Radio Network and hosted by Gordon Deal and Gina Cervetti. The program covers a broad range of topics such as business, lifestyle, careers, technology, and more...
.
"Twilight Zone" is often heard as bumper music on the Coast to Coast AM
Coast to Coast AM
Coast to Coast AM is a North American late-night syndicated radio talk show that deals with a variety of topics, but most frequently ones that relate to either the paranormal or conspiracy theories. It was created by Art Bell and is distributed by Premiere Radio Networks. The program currently...
radio show.
The song was covered by CSS and was used in a Lincoln commercial titled "Wired Luxury."
The now-defunct Atlanta Knights, who played in the International Hockey League from 1992-96, used "Twilight Zone" as the team's theme song at home games during the pre-game introductions of the starting lineup.
The song was featured in the trailer for the 2011 movie "De Heineken ontvoering".
Chart positions
| Chart (1983) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| 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... |
1 |
| US Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... Hot 100 |
10 |
| US Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... Top Tracks |
1 |
See also
- List of Dutch Top 40 number-one singles of 1982
- List of number-one mainstream rock hits (United States)
External links
- [ Song review] at Allmusic