Sister Christian

"Sister Christian" is a power ballad[5][6][7][8] 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 No. 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 No. 1 in Canada. The song is used in several films, including Boogie Nights (1997), Superstar (1999), Friday the 13th (2009) and Ben Affleck's 2023 film Air (2023).

"Sister Christian"
Single by Night Ranger
from the album Midnight Madness
B-side"Chippin' Away"
ReleasedMarch 1984 (U.S.)
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)
Music video
"Sister Christian" on YouTube

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 by how fast his teenaged sister, 10 years younger than he was, was growing up.[9]

"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."[9]

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[10] 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 never on the single.[11]

Music video

The music video (which uses the shorter single version) was filmed within 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.[12] 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. The poultry company Foster Farms covered the song with singing chickens.[13] Jensen Ackles covered the song at VegasCon 2015 Salute to Supernatural Las Vegas 2015, with the band Louden Swain, and Rob Benedict.[14][15]

Personnel
Night Ranger[16]
Production
  • Pat Glasser – producer
  • John Van Nest – engineer
  • Brian Gardner – mastering

Chart performance
Chart (1984-1985) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report) 99
Canada (RPM)[17] 1
Germany (Media Control Charts)[18] 67
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[19] 5
U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks[20] 2
Year-end chart (1984)Rank
US Top Pop Singles (Billboard)[21] 40

References
  1. Martoccio, Angie (August 23, 2019). "Flashback: Night Ranger's Hair Metal Masterpiece 'Sister Christian'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
  2. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Best of 80's Metal, Vol. 2 - Various Artists | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  3. Bernstein, Scott (January 4, 2007). "THE B List: Favorite Hair-Metal Power Ballads". Glide Magazine. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
  4. VH1: The Big 80's - Various Artists | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic, retrieved 2021-06-20
  5. Boogie Nights [Original Soundtrack] - Original Soundtrack | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic, retrieved 2021-06-20
  6. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Vol. 3: Emotion 98.3 - Original Soundtrack | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic, retrieved 2021-06-20
  7. Rock Heroes - Various Artists | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic, retrieved 2021-06-20
  8. Icons of Rock - Various Artists | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic, retrieved 2021-06-20
  9. Jones, Carolyn (November 11, 2005). "Night Rangers revisit 'Sister Christian' and San Rafael". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved May 9, 2008. 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.
  10. "True Spin: Our Lips Are Sealed, Sister Christian, and More". VH1. Archived from the original on February 24, 2009. Retrieved May 8, 2008.
  11. Video on YouTube
  12. "Hole in the Sun". Night Ranger. Archived from the original on July 14, 2012. Retrieved October 24, 2011.
  13. Nudd, Tim (September 30, 2013). "Ad of the Day: Foster Farms Chicken Doesn't Just Taste Good. It Also Sings Hits of the '80s". Adweek.
  14. "Jensen Ackles sings Seven Bridges Road and Sister Christian". March 15, 2015. Archived from the original on 2021-12-19. Retrieved October 13, 2020 – via YouTube.
  15. Roschke, Ryan (June 30, 2015). "Watch Jensen Ackles Sing the Hell Out of Some Classic Rock Songs". Popsugar.
  16. Night Ranger - Sister Christian (Official Music Video), retrieved 2022-03-19
  17. Canadian peak Archived June 17, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
  18. "German peak". Officialcharts.de. Archived from the original on January 9, 2015. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
  19. "Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-03-23.
  20. "Mainstream rock". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-03-23.
  21. "Talent Almanac 1985: Top Pop Singles". Billboard. Vol. 96, no. 51. December 22, 1984. p. TA-19.
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