Still Of The Night – Whitesnake | Top 40 Chart Performance, Story and Song Meaning
Chart Performance: Pop (#79) & Mainstream Rock (#18); 1987
Story Behind The Song By Ed Osborne
In 1973 David Coverdale was brought on board as the vocalist de jour for Deep Purple. Unfortunately, guitarist Ritchie Blackmore and Coverdale hated each other, and Blackmore bailed out in ’75, essentially spelling the end for DP.
When the end did come in mid-summer 1976, Coverdale went solo, and dubbed his band “Whitesnake.” Two albums later, Coverdale brought in a new line-up, also called Whitesnake. After a debut EP, Whitesnake reeled off a series of UK Top 10 albums, yet, failed to break through in America.
Along the way, former Deep Purple bandmates, keyboardist Jon Lord and drummer Ian Paice, came and went. This musical chairs of members continued into the mid-1980’s, yet, didn’t sidetrack Whitesnake, which finally cracked the American market in 1984 with Slide It In.
A recording break ensued after Lord returned to Deep Purple, then a rejuvenated Whitesnake roared back in 1987, fueled by the Led Zeppelin-esque Still Of The Night.
This content and all Song Meaning articles were created and written by Top 40 Contributing Editor Ed Osborne. © 2024 Ed Osborne. All Rights Reserved. In addition to these song meaning articles, Ed has written our “Year in Music 1960s-1990s” articles.
Produced by:
- Mike Stone
- Keith Olsen
Lyrics Written by:
- David Coverdale
- John Sykes
Ed Osborne
Hi. I got my first record at age two and never looked back, spending a decades-long career in radio and the music business. Even after years of reading about and listening to all types of music, I am still fascinated by it. Apart from that, I’m endlessly intrigued by art, nature, and the inner lives of people (and dogs).