Hollywood Nights


"Hollywood Nights" is a song written and recorded by American rock artist Bob Seger. It was released in 1978 as the second single from his album, Stranger in Town. The single edit reached No. 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. In the UK, the full five-minute version was released as a single on black and silver vinyl, and gave him his chart debut at No. 42. A live version from the in-concert album Nine Tonight in 1981 was issued in the UK as a single and charted at No. 49, while a reissue of the original version in 1995 charted at No. 52.

Background

Seger said "The chorus just came into my head; I was driving around in the Hollywood Hills, and I started singing 'Hollywood nights/Hollywood hills/Above all the lights/Hollywood nights.' I went back to my rented house, and there was a Time with Cheryl Tiegs on the cover...I said 'Let's write a song about a guy from the Midwest who runs into someone like this and gets caught up in the whole bizarro thing.'"

Reception

Billboard Magazine described "Hollywood Nights" as "a gut crunching rocker with all the stops pulled out" and described Seger's vocal performance as "absolutely demonic."

In popular culture

The song was one of many California related songs played throughout "Sunshine Plaza" in the original Disney California Adventure.
The song appeared in the rhythm game Guitar Hero World Tour.
The song was also used in The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show 2014 in segment 1.
Along with Night Moves, the song appeared on the classic rock radio station Los Santos Rock Radio in Grand Theft Auto V.