Twilight Zone (Golden Earring song)

"Twilight Zone" is a 1982 hit by Dutch band Golden Earring. It was written by the band's guitarist George Kooymans, who got the inspiration from a book by Robert Ludlum, The Bourne Identity. "Twilight Zone" appears on their 1982 album Cut and pays tribute to the 1960s television series The Twilight Zone. It spent more than half a year (27 weeks) on the U.S. Pop charts. It was the group's sole Top 10 Pop single on the US Billboard Hot 100 (the song reached #16 on the Cashbox chart) and hit No. 1 on the Billboard Top Album Tracks chart, the band's only No. 1 hit in America.[2]

"Twilight Zone"
Single by Golden Earring
from the album Cut
B-side"King Dark"
ReleasedNovember 1982 (U.S.)
10 July 1982 (International)
Recorded1982
GenreRock, new wave
Length7:58 (album version)[1]
4:49 (single)
Label21/Polygram
Songwriter(s)George Kooymans
Producer(s)Schell Schellekens
Audio sample
"Twilight Zone"
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Lead vocals are divided between Kooymans and Barry Hay. Each sings lead for one half of the first verse (first Kooymans, then Hay), and Hay sings lead for the second verse with backing by Kooymans and provides the spoken lines in the introduction and first verse. Kooymans sings lead on the choruses, backed by Hay.

In the 1990s, the song was included on a volume of Rhino Records' New Wave Hits of the '80s series. The music video was featured on Volume One of the VHS companion compilation.

Music video

The music video, directed by Dick Maas, features a storyline with lead singer Barry Hay as an espionage agent who is apprehended by three henchmen (played by the other members of the band).

The music video was one of the first to feature a cinematic storyline and dance choreography and was a hit on the fledgling MTV network, helping the song to become the second international hit for the band.[3] Golden Earring followed the success with an extensive tour of the USA, Canada and Europe. MTV commissioned the band to shoot a movie of the final 'homecoming' concert of the tour in the Netherlands. The concert film, also directed by Dick Maas, included a brief introductory segment which was an extension of the Twilight Zone video; one writer described it as a "sharp looking video skit about spies or something", but criticized the actually 16mm concert footage as "grainy" and "washy yellow."[4] The concert was released in 1984 as Live from The Twilight Zone along with an album of the concert titled Something Heavy Going Down: Live From The Twilight Zone, it aired on MTV and was published as video on VHS, Beta and Laserdisc.

The Cut album cover's image of the jack of diamonds playing card being shredded by a bullet is used in the video and represents the life of the rogue agent.

A synthesized version of the song's guitar solo was used as the main theme in the Twilight Zone pinball game, which was based on the classic TV series. The pinball's brief Jackpot tune is a synthesized version of the chorus of Golden Earring's song.[5]

Track listing
7" single
Side A
No.TitleLength
1."Twilight Zone" (video edit)4:49
Side B
No.TitleLength
1."King Dark"3:35
12" single
Side A
No.TitleLength
1."Twilight Zone" (album version)7:58
Side B
No.TitleLength
1."King Dark"3:35

Chart performance

Cover versions

William Shatner covered the song on his 2011 album, Seeking Major Tom.

Scoti*Slate included a cover on their album Good Fight in 2013.[12]

See also

References
  1. This song length refers to the full album version. The edited single version was 4:49.
  2. Whitburn, Joel (2010). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits',' 9th Edition (Billboard Publications), page 259.
  3. Luhrssen, David; Larson, Michael. Encyclopedia of Classic Rock. ABC-CLIO. p. 146. ISBN 978-1-4408-3514-8.
  4. Pratt, Douglas. The Laser Video Disc Companion: A Guide to the Best (and Worst) Laser Video Discs. Zoetrope. p. 29. ISBN 978-0-918432-86-5. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  5. "Internet Pinball Machine Database: Midway Twilight Zone". Retrieved 2008-10-14.
  6. "De Nederlandse Top 40, week 37, 1982". Retrieved 2008-02-18.
  7. Golden Earring Billboard Singles Charts Performance at AllMusic
  8. "CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending April 9, 1983". Archived from the original on 13 September 2012. Retrieved 2017-12-23.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)Cash Box magazine.
  9. "Top Singles - Volume 39, No. 17, December 24 1983". Collectionscanada.gc.ca.
  10. "De Nederlandse Top 40, week 37, 1982". Retrieved 2008-02-18.
  11. Musicoutfitters.com
  12. Albano, Karyn. "Good Fight by Scoti*Slate". Modern Rock Review. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
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