As a true child of the ’80s, part of our culture was magazines. Most of the magazines back then came with pinups and posters. One of the first posters I remember getting was CINDERELLA. It was the cover of their debut album, Night Songs. It was maybe 24” x 36”, the standard magazine poster from back then. A gift from my brother Mark, it hung with precision on the wall. Along with the poster was a 45-minute Memorex tape with “Night Songs” scribbled on it and the track listing written on the cover.
With this being the third and final 1986 album review, this one is going to be a little longer than the others. What makes Cinderella’s Night Songs so enduring is its ability to evoke feelings that words often struggle to capture. Whether it’s the gentle arrangements, the heartfelt performances, or the dreamlike mood that runs through the album, each song feels like a familiar companion returning after years apart. A song like “Somebody Save Me,” where Tom Keifer wrote lyrics like:
“Well, everybody’s got opinions
But nobody’s got the answers
And that shit you ate for breakfast
Well, it’ll only give you cancer”
Revisiting the album now, it’s impossible not to feel a sense of gratitude. Time has changed the listener as much as the music, yet these songs still resonate with the same blue-collar sincerity. They don’t simply recall the past, they reconnect us with the emotions we experienced while living it.
Cinderella, straight off the streets of soulful Philadelphia, PA, was famously discovered by Jon Bon Jovi, who also provided guest backing vocals on the tracks “Nothin’ for Nothin’” and “In from the Outside.” Jon also discovered another band that would become a powerhouse, Skid Row, from his home state of New Jersey.
“Shake Me” was the lead single from the album. While it initially failed to chart upon release, it became an MTV staple and a glam-metal classic. Thankfully, back in the mid-’80s, if one or two people liked you at MTV or the right rock radio station, you’d get endless airplay. “Shake Me” was one of those videos. The innovative story, playing off the Disney story of Cinderella with the evil sisters bragging to the youngest sister about going to see Cinderella while she had to stay home and clean, was perfect.
Mercury Records put some money into this video, as it looked better than the music videos of other, more established bands at the time. Jon Bon Jovi was a key factor in getting the band signed to Mercury, as his own career and band were starting to take off with the massive Slippery When Wet album.
Tom Keifer, the raspy-voiced, bluesy singer, wrote all the lyrics and 90% of the music on Night Songs. Bands and artists like The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, and Rod Stewart heavily influenced his approach to songwriting, vocal delivery, and dynamic stage presence.
Eric Brittingham was a childhood friend of Tom’s who joined as the bass-playing, bottom-end anchor and key background vocalist. Jeff LaBar, an energy bomb on the level of C.C. DeVille, had the onstage flash and acrobatics, swinging and throwing his guitar behind his back with the kind of showmanship David Lee Roth or Steve Whiteman from Kix would be proud of. Jody Cortez was the studio drummer who played drums on Night Songs before Fred Coury was later hired as the band’s permanent drummer.
The band spent from the fall of 1985 until the spring of 1986 recording the songs that would make up Night Songs. They used at least four different studios in New York and Pennsylvania to record, while all the mixing was done in California. What a time the world was in 1985-1986, when a band was given a real chance to record albums and actually given at least three albums to make an impact. That’s something record companies started moving away from around 1989, when if your debut didn’t hit immediately, you could be dropped.
Night Songs is truly a magic album with elements of blues, glam, and swagger that the band never really recaptured.
Cinderella changed their style on later albums Long Cold Winter and Heartbreak Station, with a few songs staying true to that bluesy feel. Opening with the tolling of a church bell and spooky wind blowing, it sets the mood for both the album and a song called “Night Songs.”
“Working this job ain’t paying the bills
Sick and tired of the rat race stealing my thrills”
Whether it’s 1986 or 2026, who can’t relate to that?!? While I love a good album or song about excess, sun, girls, and nightlife, the grounded, real-life lyrics of this incredible album also appeal to me. Stripped down, honest, bluesy, but still infectiously melodic with amazing sing-along choruses, Cinderella came out with all guns blazing on this debut.
Getting the opening slot on Bon Jovi’s Slippery When Wet tour didn’t hurt either. They were playing sold-out shows, introducing Cinderella to millions of fans around the country.
We all know that when it comes to albums, sometimes there are two, three, or four great songs and then maybe five or six filler songs. Night Songs is not one of those albums!
Songs like “Push, Push,” “Once Around the Ride,” and “Hell on Wheels” hold just as much fire as “Shake Me” or “Somebody Save Me.”
Now we get to the power ballad that pretty much sealed the commercial deal for Cinderella. “Nobody’s Fool” catapulted this band to the next level at a time when power ballads were all the rage. “Home Sweet Home” is truly the first big ’80s ballad, but “Nobody’s Fool” is the second. Performing it each night in front of 15,000-20,000 fans on the Slippery tour helped keep Cinderella on MTV and the radio airwaves and no doubt pleased the label executives at Mercury Records.
“Shake Me” is one of those songs that became a classic live track with “call and response” lyrics from the stage to the audience.
I was lucky enough to see Cinderella five times between 2000 and 2012. In July 2000, I would see the band for the first time when they toured with Poison. Five of the 12 songs were from the Night Songs album, and the one-two punch openers were “Night Songs” and “Push, Push.” This show was July 4th, 2000, at an outdoor venue with tropical and patriotic vibes. The sun was still up when Cinderella took the stage after Dokken and Slaughter.
The second time I saw them was on the 2002 Poison summer tour with Winger and Faster Pussycat. In 2005, they headlined a tour with Ratt, FireHouse, and Quiet Riot. The last two times I saw Cinderella, in 2011 and 2012, felt more authentic. It was at Rams Head Live in Baltimore.
When I say it felt more authentic, the pink, blue, and purple lights, fog, as well as the smaller but still roomy club stage, created a much more atmospheric experience. Both shows had the same setlist, and both were heavy on songs from Night Songs. “Once Around the Ride” opened both shows, going right into “Shake Me.”
No matter if it was 1986 or 2011, Jeff LaBar still attacked that stage, running side to side, jumping, and throwing his guitar around his back. After seeing the band on outdoor stages and arena stages, those last two shows in a club are how I like to remember them.
Song #3 that night was “Somebody Save Me,” and then… the eerie church bell, the wind, the purple lights, the fog, and out struts Tom Keifer in a top hat and black leather jacket with arm tassels, à la the Night Songs era.
By the end of the fourth song, “Night Songs,” I had long since blown out my voice singing along.
For both shows, I paid a little extra for what Rams Head called a “Rock Star Entrance,” which got you into the show a little early. That led me to the front row, center, for both shows. Money well spent, as I was able to interact with the band members all night.
As if my waxing poetic and nostalgic review here isn’t enough, the Night Songs album has another diehard fan out in the rock world: none other than Lzzy Hale from Halestorm.
Way back in 2003, 2004, and 2005, when Halestorm was still a “local” indie rock band, I got to know them very well.
One night at a show in Seaford, DE, the band was doing their soundcheck when Lzzy and Joe were checking levels on their guitars. Joe started the opening chords of “Nobody’s Fool,” and Lzzy joined in for about 30 seconds. Later, after the show, I mentioned it to her, and that’s when she told me her dad, Roger, introduced her to that album as well as Kix when she was young.
Roger Hale Sr., growing up in Central PA, knew all too well how important and dynamic Cinderella was to music. Years later, as Lzzy and Halestorm took over the world, they started doing a cover of “Nobody’s Fool” live.
Tom Keifer, on his solo albums, did a remake of “Nobody’s Fool” with Lzzy Hale, which adds a whole new dimension to the song.
I have seen the Tom Keifer Band twice, and to no surprise, most of the setlist was from Night Songs. The second time I saw Tom Keifer live, he mentioned that he had gotten older and battled multiple vocal cord injuries over the years.
Tom added that even though he has had to slow down the songs a little to be able to sing them 35-40 years later, in his head, back in 1985, he imagined them being played this way: more bluesy, more jamming, instead of the straight-ahead glam rock they became.
I can tell you firsthand, hearing a song like “Night Songs” or “Shake Me” with a little more blues guitar, a little more slide guitar, and a little more soul made them even more amazing.
There are days I still wish I had that poster. It was my very first band poster that I ever owned, but it wasn’t the last.
I consider myself very fortunate to have seen Cinderella live five times before the death of guitarist Jeff LaBar in 2021. Whether in front of 20,000 people at Nissan Pavilion/Jiffy Lube Live in Virginia or 1,600 at Rams Head Live, Cinderella was a sonically pleasing band that controlled the stage.
If the Tom Keifer Band is playing near you and you are able to go, please don’t miss out on the chance to see him.
This wraps up the trilogy of 1986 album reviews. So many great ’80s rock/glam albums came out in 1986 as that genre was really starting to take shape.
Some other honorable mentions that I love from 1986 are:
- Ratt — Dancing Undercover
- Europe — The Final Countdown
- Van Halen — 5150
- Queensrÿche — Rage for Order
- W.A.S.P. — Inside the Electric Circus
- Stryper — To Hell with the Devil
- Various Artists — Transformers: The Movie Soundtrack
Editor’s Note: No look back at Cinderella’s iconic body of work would be complete without mentioning their legendary local advertisement for Pat’s Chili Dogs in Philadelphia. Adding to the lore, original guitarist Michael Schermickel was reportedly a vegetarian at the time, so while the rest of the band dug into the goods, he famously took a bite out of an empty bun. The commercial resurfaced online years later and has since become a beloved little slice of Philly rock ‘n’ roll history. Check out the spot below and enjoy the hard-rockin’ goodness!
One of the proudest Gen Xers you’ll ever meet, John is a dedicated professional who expertly balances his corporate career with the equally demanding full-time job of preserving an impressive collection of 1980s pop culture.
A true product of the Reagan era, his formative years were fueled by mall culture, blockbuster movies, “Star Wars,” the unmistakable genius of Prince, and the glorious rise of 8-bit home video games. He remains on a lifelong mission to ensure the golden age of 1980s glam metal never fades into obscurity and firmly believes every great playlist has room for both KISS and “Purple Rain.”
When he isn’t defending the greatest decade of all time, John is an avid traveler, devoted family man, and the undisputed grill master at every large family gathering. He’s just as likely to quote a classic mob movie as he is an ’80s action flick, proving that a well-timed line from “Goodfellas” can solve almost any conversation.
John proudly passed his legendary taste in music and movies down to his children, who returned the favor by introducing him to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Although he’ll happily debate lightsabers versus superheroes, he will always insist that Han shot first.
Grounded, dependable, and happily living with one foot planted firmly in the 1980s, John approaches life with humor, loyalty, and a healthy dose of nostalgia. His personal philosophy says it all:
“Gene Simmons, Gene Lovell, and G.I. Joe taught me everything I need to know.”
