How "On The Dark Side" became a surprise hit
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- Опубліковано 7 лют 2025
- Without the music, the 1983 cult classic film “Eddie & The Cruisers” just wouldn’t be the same. And without the film, the real-life bar band band who wrote many of the songs for its multi-platinum soundtrack wouldn’t have recorded the Top Ten single from it, “On The Dark Side.” Get into the story of how John Cafferty & The Beaver Brown band got the gig of a lifetime in this episode of the Behind The Song podcast.
Music Producer: Christian Lane
Video Director: Eva Empleo
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Behind The Song podcast host and creator Janda Lane is a radio DJ at WDRV-FM in Chicago, the city she calls home with her husband and podcast partner, Christian Lane, and their two cats, Ollie and Liam.
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I actually really liked Eddie & The Cruisers 2. The music is just as good as the first, and the movie completes the whole Eddie story in a very satisfying way.
Wholeheartedly agree! Both movies were great as well as the music! Second part was kickass and Pare carried the role beautifully both scripts excellent!! I remember watching these repeatedly and now it’s time to see em again!
And you KNOW Sal wanted to kick his ass when he walked out of the tide without his mustache disguise on the beach
I'm another fan of both movies and have the sound tracks to both.
Ditto !
which song is like On The Dark Side again?
WOW!!!!! Its 2024 and I'm just now seeing this clip. Janda Lane was "right on" in her analysis of life for Rock 'n Roll entertainers. I've been at it since the 60's and am still trying to find the right key....no pun intended. I saw John Cafferty and his band perform live in Pittsburgh many years ago. At that time I didn't know about Bruce and his band. Back then I was a hard core soul and R&B player that was beginning to dig Jazz. I still do. I remember meeting some of the Beaver Brown band members and how cool they were talking to their fans. Thanks Mrs. Lane for posting your clip. Very cool of you!
Eddie and the Cruisers was an amazing fictional Biopic film. The music really made that show. Michael Parre had a kind of a come back with "Streets of Fire" with Diane Lane which also had an amazing soundtrack. Great episode, thank you so much
Streets of fire good movie
Killer soundtrack on Streets of Fire....ton of talented musicians!
@@redrider0151 yeah movie and sound track is awesome and got to love Diane lane in it got to love cherry valance and yes I know it’s not her name in streets of fire but to me Diane lane will always be cherry valance if I ever hooked up with her I would ask if I could call her cherry and make her dye her hair red but that’s just me lol
I hate Springsteen and didn't see this Movie until several Decades later . Streets Of Fire is a better movie with a better Soundtrack ! My opinion of course NOT trying to change minds ..
@@DeadShred9 Hey don t talk about the boss like that lol I think both movies was good and had good soundtrack but I really got to ask what does Springsteen have to do with anything or with these movies
Big nod to the skill of blending art and reality with this one. Thank you to those who put this movie together, otherwise, I might have never gotten the balls to play music in front of people.
This movie was in regular rotation on HBO in '84. I watched the movie, picked up the phone, and called a drummer. An hour later, he showed up. He carried my guitar, and I rolled my Fender Super Reverb to his house, which was about a mile away. Big moment in a fledgling musician's life. Great memories.
I was a 13 year old kid in 1983. My older brother hooked me up with the music from the movie long before I saw the movie. I have been a fan ever since. Both movie's music rings in my head. Love it and John Cafferty. This from an Iowa kid turned fat old Iowegian farmer. Let that intro start and I am cranking the volume up.
I actually saw this band at my college in the early 90s, and they completely ROCKED!!!
I'm so jealous. That's awesome!
I wish I was you
I saw them during the same time period. They played at my college, IUP. Which is Indiana University of Pennsylvania. They rocked the house that night. I never forgot that experience.
Both Eddie and the Cruisers parts are still my favourite movies. I had them on vhs. I had the soundtracks on cassettes and cds. To this day I still bring them up in Facebook comments. I loved Michael Pare and he did get more acting parts just not as big. Sad because he was great. John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band were awesome. Don't forget "Streets of Fire"
I loved this movie ! & The sequel . Loved the back story ! Thank you !
Thank you for revealing the back story to this awesome tune and for the history on "Eddie and The Cruisers" which I found fascinating!
Pare was actually lip synching, but he did a fantastic job of it in both films. I remember Pare as one of the students in Greatest American Hero.
Eddie and the cruisers both beloved movies ❤❤❤❤
Nothin's gonna save you from a love that's blind. Truer words were never spoken.
I loved both of the movies, because it’s about the Music as Eddie says…
Been a fav of mine since it came out! I have it on DVD. And I adored On the Dark Side. I'm 77 and still watch and listen to Eddie and John.
This is a trip. Came up on my youtube autoplay. In 1988 my dad, bro & i were camping in an old gold miners town in Australia. There was a 2nd hand clothing shop there that had old vinyl records, my bro was ecstatic because he'd found Eddie & the cruisers record in mint condition. I'd never heard of them & wanted to listen but had to wait til our camping trip was over. When we finally got home, my bro retrieved the Vinyl record from the car, it was buckled /melted. We could still play it but it was warped. The temps the car had gotten to in the Australian outback had destroyed the record. My bro was gutted. Years later i saw the movie & finally got to hear the soundtrack. Loved it. ❤
Both movies were awesome, so were the sound tracks! Ride on Eddie!!!
Saw John Cafferty & BB Band @ Penns Peak in Jim Thorpe about a year ago and they rocked the house.
I used to travel quite a bit for my job and stay in a lot of hotels.
I had to do an account in the area of south Jersey where the film supposedly takes place and located the hotel that "Wendell Newton" ODs in.
I requested that exact room and the manager asked what was so special about it.
I tried to explain that it was featured in a movie that he never heard of, of course.
But, at least I got to stay in the room that Wendell Newton died in.
I have watched eddie and the cruisers 2 at least 100 times, probably more.
Me too! As well as Streets of Fire - The Outsiders and The Warriors. Movies were great then.
Great little video. Loved the movie. And truth, I loved the sequel just as much. The two go hand in hand. Thanks for making this. And loved Michael Pare in another 80's rock n roll movie, Streets of Fire.
Oh thank you for this!! This song is one of my favorites 💞😎
Eddie And The Cruisers 2 is a good follow up imo.Really liked it and the soundtrack is another killer
Seriously. I don't know why this lady is throwing the sequel under the bus.
i like the fact that Jc voice sounded like it would have come from Parre's voice
I love this movie! It was done so well that it actually made me really wonder if they were an actual band!!
Great analysis by Janda Lane. She tells it all so accurately.
It's really good to see a video about Eddie and the Cruisers but more importantly about John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band. I was lucky enough to see the Beaver Brown Band and I was there at "The Bitter End" the night you mentioned. Thanks for this 'blast from the past'
They played at my college, IUP, in 91. They totally rocked the house that night! Will never forget it.
I love JC & BBB as well as the Edie & The Cruisers films. Your video is very detailed which is nice. Thanks for posting this, I've subbed to you!
Thank you very much!
I saw John Cafferty and the band at the Tampa Theatre after the movie came out. 100+ concerts later that was still the best show I have ever attended. It was like a 1950’s rock show with people dancing in the aisles. 20 years later I got to see them again at Beaver Creek in Colorado, still great!
Both films were great, all the music was great and Cafferty had eddies voice down pat.! I have both movies and I still watch them at least v once a year.!!
Where can I find this movie please help me find
Me too!
Eddie and The Cruisers, I liked both movies and the music, I have them on DVD. I listen to the music of John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown band a lot and enjoy the sound. Hey, what's not to like, I used to play in a band in the late 70's and I can tell you, the music we played, well a combination of Mex-tex to Rock and Roll. Rock and Roll will always be here to stay. Long live the music of the beaver brown band.....
Thank you for this... Eddie and the Cruiser soundtrack is played often in my house till this day
Glad you enjoyed this episode!
Loved both movies. I think I liked the second one the best. Love John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band too. Love his voice.
I remember seeing this on VHS back about 1986. First time I saw Ellen Barkin - what a fox! 😊
It was a great film. Very wistful and nostalgic; the beginning of the 80s Stand By Me nostalgia wave.
She was a hottie,she sure removed her clothes in most of her movies.
Remember when John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band played URI frat parties and clubs down at Scarborough Beach in the early 70s. Hard to believe that was 50 years ago! Beaver Brown Band is playing at Misquamicut RI’s Tunes at Tunes on the Dunes at the Westerly Town Beach as I am typing this!
I took my sister to see it when it was released originally in the theater. We both loved it greatly. I bought soundtrack and played it all the time. Its a great classic.
I Remember this song! Loved the movie and the song!
Nice. I was at The Bitter End Show (it had actually changed it's name to The Other End at that time and then changed back). went to support Beaver Brown in their first Manhattan gig. They were fired up and played a great show...
I remember the first time I saw this film. I rented it from Blockbuster and my then boyfriend knew the story and I so into the movie I kept pumping him for information. He just kept saying watch the movie. I fell in love with the film. I watch it anytime I see it on. I already loved Michael Pare as he was one of the high school students in the TV show that was a hit called Greatest American Hero starring William Katt. Michael Pare then went on to do other Rock 'n Roll movies then caught another popular TV series as a detective. But nothing compares to Eddie and the Cruisers. In the early 80's in my area was a band called Eddie and the Tide which could have been that band as well. Loved their sound as well and they were awesome.
That was a wonderful tribute to a great band and a great song. Thanks so much for putting it together. Been a fan of Cafferty's since HBO aired the movie on heavy rotation in '84 (I was only 13 so I couldn't have seen them in their "natural environment"). Eddie and the Cruisers inspired me to play guitar (yes, the irony isn't lost on me). I've seen Cafferty and the boys more times than I can count including this past summer the day before Tunes' birthday (he's in his 80's now and still plays that sax better than anyone ever has).
But here's a tidbit that you didn't include in your wonderful review of the song. Cafferty saw the early "dailies" for the movie and was given the title "On the Dark Side" because it was in the novel by P.F. Kluge and told that it had to have this classical piano intro with a classic rock guitar riff following it (that's the scene where you see Wordman show the band the song he had written and how Eddie takes it and rocks it up). Cafferty was given the scene where Joanne, Eddie's girlfriend, is seen walking into Tony Mart's while Wordman is playing on the piano (he's playing the piano part of Tender Years). From the scene Cafferty writes the line "from out of the shadows she walks like a dream" and writes the whole first verse based on that knowing that bit of the movie about Wordman having a crush on someone he can't have. But...Cafferty can't seem to come up with any more lyrics. He tells Kenny Vance he has a great first verse for the song but can't come up with anything else. Kenny says, "Just sing it, again." Cafferty says to him, "You can do that?" Kenny says, "This is rock and roll! You can do anything you want!" And that's why there isn't another verse. (BTW, if you dig around for Cafferty interviews, you can find him telling this story. I ain't makin' this up.)
Loved loved loved the video and the trip down memory lane (happened to be practicing other tunes for my band when it popped up and I played along to the backing track...
Thanks for sharing that tidbit! Interesting. I'm glad you enjoyed this episode!
Spent many summer nights in Asbury Park in the 80s at the Fastlane watching JC & BBB often. Boss jumped on stage occasionally. All before the movie. Memories.
I was in the USMC in SoCal when the movie came out... I saw the movie then bought the soundtrack album (on cassette). Still have that tape.
I personally Loved Eddie and The Cruisers II . The music was fantastic in both movies, but I enjoyed the feel of being in the presence of Parre's character, Eddie Wilson. In the first movie it was more of a look at Parre's character which I didn't enjoy fully. I enjoyed the Cruisers and the scenes where they were creating tunes and then singing them. However I felt I wanted more.. and along came Eddie and The Cruisers II. 😎👍 I enjoyed Parre's acting as well as the rest of the actor's in the second movie. I love watching the DVD frequently.
Eddie and Eddie II are in my movie library. I do have the Kludge novel.
The Mrs. and I saw John Cafferty and Beaver Brown at a night club in NW Florida shortly after Eddie was released.
So loved this movie!!! Great soundtrack too!!!
This film and its music has been a fav of mine since the 80s
LOVE this Janda, such a good retrospective on a classic tune and movie. You ROCK presenting it :)
Thanks so much!
Eddie Lives was an awesome Movie. IF you ever been in a band, watching the struggles was very real. And then seeing the ending where he wins. What more could you ask out of a story like this. I guess you just dont know. How ever, I loved the first one, and the second one brought it all together. I am so glad they made the second one. I still watch either one when I can. I am never bored with the great performances and songs. What a wild ride any time you watch either one of them. Eddie Lives
Thank you so much for this review. I love this film.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Janda- Thank you for that cool incite. I can't tell you how surprised I was in 1994 when I caught up with John Caffery and the Beaver Brown Band at a very small club in Kirksville MO playing a gig. It was my first time to see them and I did not know the Michael Antunes was the real life sax player in JCBB. So when the lights came up on that small town show I truly had a surreal moment thinking I was seeing the ghost of the fictional Wendell Newton.....lol
Takes me back to my youngest years back in my cali.dayz I was a kid then but grew up with a family that had a great band & music changed my attitude 😎 & perspective way now I respect all musicians of all kinds rythem & rhymes 😮. Eddie & the cruisers movie pt 1&2 the Dark side every time I watch Eddie & the cruisers take me back to cali every time.to me never gets old.😮
I actually love both movies and how the second one closes the book the fiest left open
The greatest original soundtrack of any movie!
Eddie and the Cruisers I and II are great iconic music and how the music was created, in the movie. Being a singer song-writer. musician, recording artist, band member, I can relate with the band, performer scene dynamics. I watch my Cruisers CD's often. To cool, too fun. ;o)
When I first saw the movie on HBO in 1984, I thought I was watching a commercial.... Little did I realize I was watching a movie with music that would become the soundtrack of my life.
Excellent report. I will revisit this movie. Ps: How do I meet this woman?
My band is working on this song right now, our first run on it is this Friday
Loved Eddie and the crusiers both movies ❤
Both were Great movies
I saw this band at a festival in Jackson, Tn. They opened for Rick Springfield. It was an awesome concert!
I disagree that Eddie Lives was a bad movie. It was a great film! We all have our own opinions. Watch them both!!!
my favorite movies and one of my absolute favorite bands
One of my family's all time favorite movies. Still have it❤
we all needed this....such a great band!
This film had a huge life on VHS back in the 80s. Parre was in "Streets of Fire" where Diane Lane had to do some lip syncing. Good music and acting in both movies.
Exactly like you explained it. It hit HBO when I was 15 years old, it became a hug hit with the younger generation.
I think it should be noted, you did a really good job on this. You have a great voice for radio.
Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed it.
Terrible Sequel?
The sequal was incredible and both movies are iconic.
A buddy and I rented the movie in 1985 and the next time I went to Rolling Stone Records on Harlem & Irving Park Road I bought the sound track just so I could hear 'Season In Hell', which you only hear the intro to, in the movie. Money well spent!...Can you see the light, can you hear the sound, can you feel this whole world turning around?
Entire album was excellent.
I love everything Eddie & The Cruisers - both movies, the music, the story, omg, I am addicted!
I first saw Eddie and the Cruisers at a dollar theater somewhere around Azusa back in 84, bunch of us being poor college students, was the best buck we ever spent, we saw the movie about 10 times before they pulled it.
One of my fav rock band !!! Eddie is still alive !
Thanks for sharing your video about eddie and the cruisers
Still watch it great movie
I came in ...apparently like several others with thoughts on Eddie and the Cruisers II. Obviously everyone is not going to enjoy every movie. I get that. But I have to disagree with the opinion that this movie is not as good as the first. This movie, to me is right on target. Not only is the music just as good.. and maybe better (Running Thru the Fire??) But we find out what not only what happened to Eddie, but get to see his dream realized. Only slip up to me was the fact that they did not give credit to Frank Ridgeway... as he was the one who would have been writing the music for "A Season in Hell".
I hear ya. It has its moments.
I am going to have to find this movie. One of my favorites. Loved the soundtrack too
Was never a bust movie or flop for me. Loved it. Still do to this day. And have several copies.
Michael Pare was believable as Eddie Wilson because his normal speaking voice was somewhat raspy. That made ot easy to forget he wasnt really the singer.
I have been looking for this movie for years. 😂
The scene on the rooftop in Jersey when they put On The Darkside together as rock song is my absolute favorite scene in movie history.
I was a teenager when this came out and it’s just a great song … great movie..and great history so thanks
I live outside of Philly so we've spent a lot of time down the Jersey Shore. Have been to the Bar they played at many times in Somers Point back in the day. Was great to see that Bar in the movie! ( Tony Marts)
The junkyard scene was filmed at a real junk yard in Atco New Jersey off of Jackson Rd. That road was closed for 2 weeks for a 10min film clip.
The monument to nothing?
In that same vein, and about the same time, (1). Streets of Fire, good songs, and a dance scene by the French dancer/actress who did most of Jennifer Beals dancing in Flash Dance , and (2) the Warriors, all adrenaline, all cult, total guy flick.
My history teacher made me a cassette copy of the soundtrack for the first album….. so great full she did….. she knew what a music nerd I was. I went out and bought the Album after listening to the cassette copy I was given….
Love both movies
Awesome music and movie.😊.
Best review/synopsis of EATC! Ever! KUDOS!
Thank you!
One of my favorite movies of all time. Michael Pare was the perfect casting for Eddie. John Cafferty soundtrack matched Michael pare look perfectly. Awesome movie. Michael Pare should have gone on to bigger things but for some reason didn't.
JC & The Beaver Brown will release a fantastic new album this summer, first single Day In The Sun came out Memorial Day...
I still remember those beautiful eyes ,he was and still is gorgeous
That band rocked!!! Love them!!!!
I loved Eddie and the cruisers parts one and two
Great job! Thank you very much!
Thank you!
My dad’s favorite movie and tender years was my father daughter dance at my wedding. Ps how dare you disparage part 2!! I still enjoyed it 😊
❤❤ I love both of these movies and have watched them several times. ❤❤
I like Eddie and the Cruisers I got that album every once in a while break it out and listen to it
Eddie and the Cruisers is a great flick but there are so many anachronisms it’s unintentionally funny at times
Right like releasing Bruce Springsteen music in the 1950s 😆 🤣 😂
I had a manager that looked just like Sal Amato. Eddie and the cruisers is one of my favorites.
Frank Ridgeway's solo performance on electric piano is still my favorite.
LOVED IT then L,OVE it now ! Thank you!!😂😅😊