Night Ranger Songs Ranked
Night Ranger is an American rock band from San Francisco formed in 1979 that gained popularity during the 1980s with a series of albums and singles. The band’s first five albums sold more than 10 million copies worldwide and have sold 17 million albums total. The quintet is best known for the power ballad “Sister Christian”, which peaked at No. 5 in June 1984. After their success waned in the late 1980s, the band split up in 1989 and its members pursued other musical endeavors, including group and solo efforts. Brad Gillis and Kelly Keagy teamed up with bassist Gary Moon and released an album without the other original band members in 1995, but the band soon reunited to release two new albums in the latter half of the decade. Here are all of Night Ranger songs ranked.
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14. Growin’ Up In California (Somewhere in California, 2011)
“A lot of 80’s bands try to recapture what they had 30 yrs ago and it doesn’t work. They are too old to really make it work. Night Ranger with this song was able to blend their style of the 80’s and make it still sound relevant with today’s style of music. Very nice track.”
13. Chippin Away (Midnight Madness, 1983)
“Chippin’ Away” continues along in this vein, not really jumping out of second gear, when it could really have been a guitar-driven hard rock song. Instead it is a serviceable song in the mood of this album.”
12. Eddie’s Comin’ Out Tonight (Dawn Patrol, 1982)
“Guitars on Eddie’s Comin’ Out Tonight trade off nifty riffs with the church organ keys with flair and fun. Night Ranger seem to fit perfectly into one of my preferred genre’s of music.
11. Goodbye (7 Wishes, 1985)
“Three singles deep into this album, and they finally put out something really worth hearing. Yeah, it’s a midtempo ballad with not much rock in it, and the semi-whispered “goodbye” just before the fake ending is cheesy. But the acoustic guitar work is great, and the harmonies are really good, too.”
See more: Night Ranger Albums Ranked
10. High Road (High Road, 2014)
“Every time Night Ranger releases an album i have no fear its going to be a great listen and this is no exception. High Road is one of my favorite Night Ranger songs and this album is another example of classic rock at its best.”
9. Four In the Morning (7 Wishes, 1985)
“This one popped up on the iPod yesterday as I was cleaning the house. I couldn’t see the screen, so I played “guess the song”. I nailed the year immediately (1985) but then was stumped trying to name the band. I had half-heartedly guessed Honeymoon Suite when the “I can’t take it no more” part came on, enabling me to figure it out. To sum up, it sounds like a lot like 1985.”
8. Night Ranger (Dawn Patrol, 1982)
“Bands like Night Ranger were ten-a-penny in the States during the early eighties and had been for a number of years. The market for AOR must have been completely saturated yet in this country it went largely unnoticed.”
7. Sentimental Street (7 Wishes, 1985)
“I remember listening to this song ages ago, and I loved it then and I still love it now. It’s a timeless classic. “Sentimental Street” is a very fine melodic power ballad and the band’s only other top 10 hit besides the more-famous “Sister Christian”.
See more: Damn Yankees Albums Ranked
6. (You Can Still) Rock In America (Midnight Madness, 1983)
“Thank God Night Ranger gave me permission to Rock In America! Before this time I was sitting around waiting for someone to make this declaration to the world. I was betting it would be Sammy Hagar. This is at least a couple of steps ahead of Sammy’s fake, flag waving song “VOA (Voice Of America), but not by a lot. Take your testosterone shots and pump your fists in the air like Dee Snider! Because “YOU” and “ME” can still rock in America. Something countless rockers have laid down their beer for. Now if only someone would fight for my right to party! Wait, someone covered that for us all.”
5. Rumours In the Air (Midnight Madness, 1983)
“Rumours in the Air” is a softer, slower song than I would have expected in following up this opener. I never really understand what leads some bands to think that jumping between fast and slow songs on a album won’t affect the ‘listening pleasure’ of those that buy the album. Having jumped into the album with a great hard rock number, this holds everything back again.”
4. Sing Me Away (Dawn Patrol, 1982)
“This is probably my favorite Night Ranger song. The message I’m getting is that this guy has fallen in love with this girl and like with most high school relationships got really attached to her. When he is alone he can still remember and believe that she will always be there and needs to secure that memory in a song, probably like one he used to sing to her or vise versa. So anytime he needs inspiration or happiness he can sing that song and remember his sweetheart.”
3. When You Close Your Eyes (Midnight Madness, 1983)
“You just cannot go wrong with music from the 80’s. If you love reliving the 80’s this is the one to get. It wasnt a chart topper but priceless nonetheless.”
2. Don’t Tell Me You Love Me (Dawn Patrol, 1982)
“Boy, that keyboard player always looked like he wandered in from another band, didn’t he? That said, this may be NR’s best marriage of synth and leaning-harder AOR. Solo piles on solo, with guitars and keyboards and backing vocals filling the song to capacity without crowding anything out. The excellent ending, too.”
1. Sister Christian (Midnight Madness, 1983)
“”Sister Christian” wins the battle for most people asking me who performed this song. It doesn’t matter where this gets played, on the radio at work, at a function, everytime….”I forget who sings this, I love/hate this song”. In either event I like the song, and it reminds me of _Boogie Nights_ which is one of my favorite movies. I also love the build up to the “motoring” part. This song takes so many turns most people should be able to find at least one part of the song they enjoy! It is one heck of a camp fest.”
