Sister Christian

"Sister Christian" is a power ballad by the American hard rock band Night Ranger. It was released in March 1984 as the second single from their album Midnight Madness. It was ranked number 32 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the 1980s. It was written and sung by the band's drummer, Kelly Keagy, for his sister. It was the band's biggest hit, peaking at number five on the Billboard Hot 100, and staying on the charts for 24 weeks. It also reached number one in Canada. The song plays during the drug deal scene in Paul Thomas Anderson's film Boogie Nights.

"Sister Christian"
Single by Night Ranger
from the album Midnight Madness
B-side"Chippin' Away"
ReleasedMarch 10, 1984
Recorded1983
Genre
Length5:02 (album)
4:14 (7" single)
LabelMCA
Epic (Canada)
Songwriter(s)Kelly Keagy
Producer(s)Pat Glasser
Night Ranger singles chronology
"(You Can Still) Rock in America"
(1983)		 "Sister Christian"
(1984)		 "When You Close Your Eyes"
(1984)

Origin and meaning

The song is about Keagy's little sister, Christy. Keagy wrote the song at his apartment, near Divisadero and California streets in San Francisco, after he had just returned from a visit to his hometown of Eugene, Oregon. He had been struck at how fast his teenaged sister, 10 years younger than he was, was growing up.[3]

"After we started playing it a lot, Jack turned to me and said, 'What exactly are you saying?'" Keagy recalled. "He thought the words were Sister Christian, instead of Sister Christy, so it just stuck."[3]

The lyric, "You're motoring. What's your price for flight? In finding Mr. Right?" is the subject of much debate. The band stated in a VH-1 Behind the Music interview[4] that the term "motoring" was synonymous with the term "cruising."

Differences between album version and 7" single version

On the single version, part of the second chorus is omitted. More specifically, the words "You've got him in your sight. And driving through the night," are omitted from the single version. The third chorus is repeated once on the album version, but not on the single.[5]

Music video

The music video (which uses the shorter single version) was filmed in San Rafael High School.

Other versions

A newly recorded acoustic version of the song was produced for the band's ninth album, Hole in the Sun.[6] A medley at the beginning of the movie Rock of Ages starts with a cover of this song.

Glee covered the song in its Season Four premiere episode, "The New Rachel." It was sung by junior student Brody Weston (portrayed by Dean Geyer) in the co-ed bathrooms of NYADA. Foster Farms covered the song with singing chickens.[7] Jensen Ackles covered the song at VegasCon 2015 Salute to Supernatural Las Vegas 2015, with the band Louden Swain, and Rob Benedict.[8][9]

Chart performance
Chart (1984-1985) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report) 99
Canada (RPM)[10] 1
Germany (Media Control Charts)[11] 67
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 5
U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks 2
Year-end chart (1984)Rank
US Top Pop Singles (Billboard)[12] 40
gollark: > Real pros use EL84Real pros amplify sound by hand by spinning potentiometers very fast.
gollark: The sound quality is bad there because there are people shouting and non-optimal audio setups and whatnot.
gollark: Lots of people?
gollark: (of course, digital radio is cooler™)
gollark: They transmit it at VHF because it uses a lot more than AM.

References
  1. Martoccio, Angie. "Flashback: Night Ranger's Hair Metal Masterpiece 'Sister Christian'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
  2. "https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/100-best-singles-of-1984-pops-greatest-year-163322/night-ranger-sister-christian-170747/". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2020-07-18. External link in |title= (help)
  3. Jones, Carolyn (2005-11-11). "Night Rangers revisit 'Sister Christian' and San Rafael". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2008-05-09. Specifically, the song is about Keagy's little sister, Christy. Keagy wrote the song at his apartment, near Divisadero and California streets in San Francisco, after he had just returned from a visit to his hometown in rural Oregon. He had been struck at how fast his teenage sister, 10 years younger than he was, was growing up.
  4. "VH1 -- True Spin : Our Lips Are Sealed, Sister Christian, And More". Retrieved 2008-05-08.
  5. Video on YouTube
  6. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-07-14. Retrieved 2011-10-24.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. "Ad of the Day: Foster Farms Chicken Doesn't Just Taste Good. It Also Sings Hits of the '80s".
  8. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5tYnJTDaAI
  9. http://www.popsugar.com/celebrity/Jensen-Ackles-Singing-Sister-Christian-Video-37094733
  10. Canadian peak Archived 2015-06-17 at the Wayback Machine
  11. German peak
  12. "Talent Almanac 1985: Top Pop Singles". Billboard. Vol. 96 no. 51. December 22, 1984. p. TA-19.
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