Twilight Zone

Jay Dreyer

2 minute read

Song:Twilight Zone
Artist:Golden Earring
Release Date:1982

How did this happen?

I had to take my car into the shop for a couple days to have a bunch of work performed that I really didn’t want to have performed. They gave me a loaner car but it didn’t have XM, so I had to try out this wacky thing called a “radio”. I found a classic rock station and they played this song. The rest is Earworm history.

Go ahead. Let’s hear it.

Warning. BOOBS!

So about the song…

I remember when this song came out in the early 80’s. It was very popular. At least I think it was very popular. It was played on the popular music station of the time, so that made it popular in my mind. Data backs me up on this, though. The song hit #1 on on the Billboard Top Album Tracks, and #10 on Billboard’s Hot 100. I have no idea what those mean. The only one that matters to me is it hit #10 on American Top 40 hosted by Kasey Kasem.

The song is by “Golden Earring”, who I hadn’t heard of before, and never heard from afterwards. Actually, I had heard them before, as they sing the song “Radar Love”, which itself was very popular. I just didn’t know it. That song came out about 8 years before “Twilight Zone”. I guess they really wanted to spread out the hits. Mission accomplished.

Golden Earring is Dutch. Did you know that? I did not know that. I should have known they were European from the video. You could always tell the Euro-bands on MTV in the early 80s because their videos looked like movies, not something shot with your Dad’s camcorder. This video pulled out all the stops: exotic locales, elaborate sets, fancy cars, a story…and boobs! Only in Europe.

More fun facts I bet you didn’t know. The song was inspired by the Robert Ludlum book The Bourne Identity. WHAAAAA? Yes! I didn’t know the book was that old. That explains the spy theme in the video, and some of the lyrics.

Speaking of the lyrics, I have always had a difficult time understanding them. Instead of making up my own, I would just grunt and mumble. It worked pretty well. Nowadays they have these fancy lyric sites and you can just Google it. I think it kinda takes the fun out of it, but it does keep you from sounding like an idiot.

“Soon you will come to know… When the bullet hits the bone.“

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