Living After Midnight
{{short description|1980 single by Judas Priest}}
{{for|their compilation album|The Best of Judas Priest: Living After Midnight}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2014}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2014}}
{{More citations needed|date=December 2009}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Living After Midnight
| cover = Living After Midnight.jpg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Judas Priest
| album = British Steel
| released = 21 March 1980
| recorded = * January–February 1980
- Startling Studios
- Ascot, Berkshire
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = *Heavy metal{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/ex-judas-priest-guitarist-kk-downing-talks-heavy-metal-new-book-jimi-hendrix-728477/|title=Ex–Judas Priest Guitarist K.K. Downing on Helping to Define Heavy Metal|last=Grow|first=Kory|date=25 September 2018|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=8 August 2019}}
- pop metal{{Cite book|last=Popoff|first=Martin|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=86QALKyWGHQC|title=The Top 500 Heavy Metal Songs of All Time|date=2003|publisher=ECW Press|isbn=978-1-55022-530-3|language=en|pages=95}}
| length = 3:31
| label = Columbia
| writer = * Rob Halford
| producer = Tom Allom
| prev_title = Evening Star
| prev_year = 1979
| next_title = Breaking the Law
| next_year = 1980
| misc = {{External music video|{{YouTube|9VVFNgbsDC4|"Living After Midnight"}}}}
}}
"Living After Midnight" is a song by English heavy metal band Judas Priest.{{cite book|editor-last=Bayer|editor-first=Gerd |title=Heavy metal music in Britain|url=https://archive.org/details/heavymetalmusicb00baye|url-access=limited|year=2009|publisher=Ashgate|location=Farnham, England|isbn=9780754664239|pages=[https://archive.org/details/heavymetalmusicb00baye/page/n35 23]}} It was originally featured on their 1980 album British Steel,{{cite book|editor= Vladimir Bogdanov|title=All music guide to rock : the definitive guide to rock, pop, and soul|year=2002|publisher=Backbeat Books|location=San Francisco, CA|isbn=978-0879306533|pages=605|edition=3.}} which was their first gold album in the United States selling more than 500,000 copies (and eventually went platinum for selling at least one million).{{cite book|last=Bowe|first=Brian J.|title=Judas Priest: metal gods|year=2009|publisher=Enslow|location=Berkeley Heights, NJ|isbn=978-0766036215}} The song speaks to the hedonistic, rebellious spirit of the late 1970s and early 1980s, and is among the band's most popular songs.
Background
The song title came about when Glenn Tipton awakened Rob Halford with his loud guitar playing at 4 AM, during the band's stay at Tittenhurst Park to record British Steel in 1980. Halford commented to Tipton that he was "really living after midnight", and Tipton replied that Halford's comment was a great title for the song he was working on.{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/living-after-midnight-judas-priest |title=Living After Midnight |last=Prato |first=Greg |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=2012-06-12 |access-date=2018-05-30}}
Video
The music video, directed by Julien Temple and shot live at the Sheffield City Hall, begins with drummer Dave Holland playing an invisible drum kit. During the guitar solo, fans on the front row play along with their cardboard guitars (which were the prominent fan symbols of the new wave of British heavy metal movement).
Reception
PopMatters said, "'Living After Midnight' still sticks in the craws of some fuddy-duddy metal old-timers, but as trite as this little party anthem is, its hook is irresistible and glorious, the sound of a band learning that it never hurts to have a little fun once in a while. The song is oddly clean-cut, hedonism rendered a little innocent, and kind of sweet."{{cite magazine| magazine= PopMatters | title=THE 15 BEST JUDAS PRIEST SONGS|author=Adrien Begrand| url=https://www.popmatters.com/15-best-judas-priest-songs}} BBC agreed it, "epitomised the new breed of radio friendly metal".{{cite web| work= BBC| title=Judas Priest British Steel Review|author=Sid Smith| url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/2z25/}}
In 2012, Loudwire ranked the song number five on its list of the 10 greatest Judas Priest songs, calling it, "Perhaps the greatest Judas Priest song to sing along with,"{{cite web|url=https://loudwire.com/best-judas-priest-songs/|title=10 Best Judas Priest Songs|first=Graham|last=Hartmann|work=Loudwire|date=24 August 2012|accessdate=27 February 2022}} and in 2019, Louder Sound ranked the song number three on its list of the 50 greatest Judas Priest songs.{{cite web|url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/the-50-greatest-judas-priest-songs-ever/2|title=The 50 Greatest Judas Priest songs EVER|first1=Christ|last1=Chantler|first2=Dom|last2=Lawson|work=Louder Sound|date=8 October 2019|accessdate=27 February 2022}}
Cover versions
This song has been covered by The Donnas on their album The Donnas Turn 21 (2001), by Saul Blanch on the tribute album Acero Argentino: Tributo a Judas Priest (2006), by L.A. Guns on Hell Bent Forever: A Tribute to Judas Priest (2008) and by Iron Savior as a bonus track on the Japanese release of their Condition Red (2002) album.
It was covered by Disturbed on the Tribute to British Steel (2010) CD by Metal Hammer UK music magazine, incorporating the opening drum salvo from Judas Priest's 1990 song "Painkiller". It also appears as one of the bonus songs available with some distributions of Disturbed's album Asylum (2010), and also features on their B-sides compilation album The Lost Children (2011).
In 1981, Italian rock singer Vasco Rossi adapted the riff of "Living After Midnight" for his song "Dimentichiamoci questa città", included in his fourth studio album Siamo solo noi; the song became a success in Italy and Rossi used it for his first promotional video.{{Cite web |last=Redazione Rockol |first= |title=Vasco Rossi: "Le somiglianze con i Judas Priest? Vero: prendemmo il loro riff" |url=https://www.rockol.it/news-723072/vasco-rossi-judas-priest-somiglianze-riff-fonico-siamo-solo-noi |access-date=2024-11-17 |website=Rockol |language=it}}{{Cite web |last=Giordano |first=Paolo |date=2018-02-22 |title=Gli ultimi eroi del metal. "Il nostro è rock duro ma non ispira violenza" |url=https://www.ilgiornale.it/news/spettacoli/ultimi-eroi-metal-nostro-rock-duro-non-ispira-violenza-1497150.html |access-date=2024-11-17 |website=ilGiornale.it |language=it}}
Charts
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
!Chart (1980) !Peak |
| scope="row"| Australian Singles (Kent Music Report){{cite book|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|edition=illustrated|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6}}
| align="center"| 91 |
|---|
| {{single chart|UK|12|date=19800406|rowheader=true|access-date=20 September 2022}} |
Personnel
- Rob Halford – vocals
- Glenn Tipton – lead guitar
- K. K. Downing – rhythm guitar
- Ian Hill – bass
- Dave Holland – drums
{{Judas Priest}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{authority control}}
Category:Songs written by Rob Halford
Category:Songs written by Glenn Tipton
Category:Songs written by K. K. Downing