Left in the Dark
| "Left in the Dark" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Jim Steinman | |
| from the album Bad for Good | |
| Released | April 1981 |
| Recorded | August 1980 – March 1981 |
| Genre | Wagnerian rock |
| Length | 7:58 |
| Label | Epic |
| Songwriter(s) | Jim Steinman |
| Producer(s) | John Jansen, Todd Rundgren, Jim Steinman, Jimmy Iovine |
| "Left in the Dark" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Barbra Streisand | ||||
| from the album Emotion | ||||
| B-side | "Here We Are at Last" | |||
| Released | September 1984 | |||
| Genre | Pop[1] | |||
| Length | 7:12 (album version) | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Jim Steinman | |||
| Producer(s) | Jim Steinman | |||
| Barbra Streisand singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Left in the Dark" is a song by Jim Steinman from his only solo album Bad for Good.
The song gained more notice performed by Barbra Streisand when it was released as the lead single from her album Emotion in autumn 1984. It was also recorded by Meat Loaf on the album Welcome to the Neighbourhood in 1995.
Barbra Streisand version
[edit]Streisand's rendition of the song is a power ballad which tells about experiences of a woman who finds out her partner has been cheating on her. "Left in the Dark" met with moderate commercial success internationally. The percussive synth sound in the intro is taken from Billy Squier's song "All Night Long", a track which was also produced by Steinman in 1984.
Music video
[edit]The music video for the song was Barbra's first video intended for MTV. Filmed within three days in Los Angeles in September 1984, it was directed by Jonathan Kaplan and included an appearance from Kris Kristofferson. The six-minute video portrays Barbra as a lounge singer entangled in a love triangle, with Kristofferson playing her partner.[2]
Track listings
[edit]- 7" Single[3]
- A1. "Intro" – 0:44
- A2. "Left in the Dark" – 6:12
- B. "Here We Are at Last" – 3:18
- 7" Promotional Single[4]
- A. "Left in the Dark" (without spoken intro) – 4:58
- B. "Left in the Dark" (with spoken intro) – 5:42
Chart performance
[edit]| Chart (1984) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[5] | 27 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[6] | 27 |
| Canada Top Singles (RPM)[7] | 87 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[8] | 20 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[9] | 85 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[10] | 50 |
| US Cash Box Top 100 Singles[11] | 37 |
Other cover versions
[edit]In 1995, Swedish singer Cecilia Vennersten released a version of the song translated into Swedish by Nanne Grönvall on her self-titled debut solo album. Meatloaf also covered the song on his 1995 album "Welcome To The Neighborhood". [12]
References
[edit]- ^ Molanphy, Chris (February 10, 2024). "The Hello Gorgeous Edition". Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia (Podcast). Slate. Retrieved February 27, 2024.
- ^ "Left in the Dark 1984 Music Video". barbra-archives.com. Archived from the original on 2013-09-21. Retrieved 2013-09-21.
- ^ "Barbra Streisand - Left In The Dark (Vinyl) at Discogs". www.discogs.com. Retrieved 2013-09-21.
- ^ "Barbra Streisand - Left In The Dark (Vinyl) at Discogs". www.discogs.com. Retrieved 2013-09-21.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "Discografie Barbra Streisand" (in Dutch). www.ultratop.be. Retrieved 2013-09-21.
- ^ "RPM Top 100 Singles - November 3, 1984" (PDF).
- ^ "Discografie Barbra Streisand" (in Dutch). dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 2013-09-21.
- ^ "Song artist 211 - Barbra Streisand". tsort.info. Retrieved 2013-09-21.
- ^ "Barbra Streisand Awards". www.allmusic.com. Retrieved 2013-09-21.
- ^ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles - Week Ending November 3, 1984". Cash Box. Archived from the original on 30 September 2012. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
- ^ "Cecilia Vennersten - Svensk mediedatabas (SMDB)" (in Swedish). Retrieved 2024-03-08.
