Benny Mardones - Never Run Never Hide (the album with the hit version of Into The Night on it)

Dang! Bless your heart, Benny...love & best wishes always!
By the way, here's an excerpt from an interview in which he talks about writing "Into the Night"
<snip> And in she walks, 16 years old, dressed for school in a miniskirt, little stacked heels, adorable, 16-going-on-21. She said, "You've been up all night?" and of course it was obvious. I said, "Yeah, we have." She says, "Okay, come on, Zanky," and she walks the dog out. When she leaves and goes out the door, my partner goes, "Oh, my God." I said, "Hey, Bob. She's just 16 years old, leave her alone." And literally five minutes later I said, "Play that lick again, Bobby." So he played the lick and I went (singing), "she's just 16 years old, leave her alone, they say." Then I thought about her dad and what he had done, and that's where I got (singing), "Separated by fools who don't know what love is yet." The chorus was, "you're too young for me, but if I could fly, I'd pick you up and take you into the night and show you love like you've never seen." Then the verse "It's like having it all and letting it show. It's like having a dream where nobody has a heart. It's like having it all and watching it fall apart." Because his success was not the family's success; it was just his. "I can't measure my love there's nothing compared to it" - it was all about the abandonment of this family and this 16-year-old girl. <snip>
Benny Mardones : Songwriter Interviews
Benny's very special to me; I got Never Run, Never Hide right before I decided to quit alcohol and drugs. I was told to hit 90 meetings in 90 days; I went to well over 100. I played that album every morning while I was getting ready to go to a morning meeting. A few years ago, I wrote Benny and thanked him for helping me get sober; I won't detail his reply, except to say that he thanked *me*...what a sweetheart! Thanks for everything, Benny!

 

Great story. He should've had more hits.

 

There are hundreds of thousands of songs out there, each one effecting us differently. There is not a single other song out there that has the personal vibe for me as this one. It totally takes me to a different place and it is THE song that is so perfect, melding words, music and production that it completely takes me out of myself and transforms me elsewhere. Like an out of body experience...it's so hard to explain. I never had the experience he describes, so I really don't know what it is about it but it's just really weird, and I love the song....always have. There is one other song that did that to me as a kid, but not much now: Petula Clark's Downtown. The thing they have in common is that way out there production on the vocals and some of the instruments, I guess.

That video, especially in this day and age, is darn right creepy! Another time I guess, but he doesn't "leave here alone". So, not sure why that is depicted.

 

I've always loved this album. I found a close to mind lp a couple of years ago and it sounds fantastic. I remember seeing him do ' Into The Night' on American Bandstand When it was a hit. He also performed 'Mr. American Bandstand as well. I remember that Dick Clark got a kick out of it.

 

Sheila C

 

Enjoy the album as it is a great album.

 

Sad to hear about Benny's health problems. This is a really good album. Aside from the one well known hit, I also really like:

Mighta Been Love
Crazy Boy
Hold Me Down
Hometown Girls
Too Young