Benny Mardones’ “Into the Night” Lyrics Meaning
“Into the Night” is a tune about a “16-years old” girl named Heidi whom Benny Mardones was friends with. Yes, the lyrics definitely have a romantic undertone. This was likely the result of the influence of the song’s other co-writer, Robert Tepper. But the subject of the song was an actual neighbor of Benny’s. And to make a long story short, the reason he was so sympathetic towards her is because she came from a dysfunctional family.
Thus in the second verse when he is talking about “watching it all fall apart” and the like, Benny is not speaking in reference to their relationship. Rather he is talking about her unfavorable family situation, where it seems her father deserted the rest of them after he made it big. At some point, Benny actually took care of her and members of her family.
However, when Robert Tepper unexpectedly met Heidi, he was apparently taken aback by her beauty. Or stated differently, he didn’t have the same relationship with her and her family as Mr. Mardones had. And Robert was introduced to her while he and Benny were writing this song. Therefore his contributions to the lyrics can be viewed as coming from a more-carnal level.
So the singer’s desire to take this young lady “into the night” and to ‘show her a love like she’s never ever seen’ can be viewed as both a paternalistic and romantic statement. First and foremost it is based on the singer’s desire to take her away from the challenging hand life has dealt her. But secondly, himself being a man, the insinuation is that his longing to do so is also influenced by a physical attraction to her.
Facts about “Into the Night”
This song accomplished the very-rare feat of reaching the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100 twice. In fact it was the only song to do so in the 1980s that was released both times, with no revisions, by the same artist.
The first time was in 1980, the same year Polydor Records originally released “Into the Night” as part of Benny Mardones’ album “Never Run, Never Hide”. The second time was on his self-titled 1989 album, albeit the song was re-recorded for that occasion.
Moreover in 2002 Mardones featured two new version of “Into the Night”, one an acoustic, on his album “A Journey Through Time”.
Other countries besides the United States in which “Into the Night” charted in 1980 are Canada and New Zealand.
When this song was originally released, Mardones found himself the victim of something like reverse-racism. It was receiving rotation on Black radio stations because the DJs themselves thought he was Black. So when they found out he wasn’t, they stopped playing it.
Then even after that Polydor Records had to literally send letters out to radio stations explaining to them that this song is not about dating an underaged girl before they would play it. FYI, some actually thought dating an underage girl was the central theme of this song!
“Into the Night” is considered to be Benny Mardones’ signature song, as he never dropped another hit. Part of the logical reason for such is that once “Into the Night” did blow-up, he developed a drug and alcohol habit which made his relationship with Polydor Records sour.
The writers of “Into the Night” are Mardones and Tepper. And the producer is Barry Mraz.
Thanks for these explanations !
How old was the girl in his video of “Into the Night:?
I know the backstory, but that doesn’t have anything to do with the young girl he’s actually
he’s making out with
How retarded can you actually be? Dumb bi-ch 😒
Its not a stupid question. These days normally actresses are of age if there is kissing or romantic scenes, but back then its possible she was under 18. I don’t know the answer in this case but i bet a google search would list who was in the video.
Possible how? There were still laws
Wow you’re pleasant 😳
Great article, thank you for the facts. I had always wondered what the inspiration for this song was. I have one thing that bothered me though. The term “reverse racism”. No such thing. Racism is racism no matter what color it comes from. Having more numbers or less numbers in a certain demographic makes no difference. Here’s an example. Say there are 2 ethnic peoples in say, Romania. One who has superior numbers and wealth dislikes the other. The “underdog” of the two also hates the one with more numbers and more wealth just as bad and does everything they can to exclude them. The peoples I speak of are the Romani (Gypsies) and those who consider themselves Romanians, native to those lands and superior racially. Now, don’t get me wrong, not all Romani hate Romanians and vise versa. Just as in the US not all whites hate blacks and not all blacks hate whites by any measure. So, my question is: Who receives the “reverse racism”? The Romani just because they lack numbers? I won’t address what is termed “systemic racism”. I don’t know enough about what that means as there is ambiguity to the statement and not everyone agrees on the meaning. One thing I am sure of, racism is racism, hate is hate and it’s all ugly. Funny how music can unite us, I wish more people saw everything that “We” have in common. Be well.
Well written.
This is wayyyyyyyy off-topic, but… you’re off-base on this.
“The term “reverse racism”. No such thing.”
Agreed, but…
“Racism is racism no matter what color it comes from.“
…not for that reason. I was going to point out that racism is systemic, but later on you wrote:
“I won’t address what is termed ‘systemic racism.’ I don’t know enough about what that means…”
Well, racism (as opposed to bigotry, which is probably what you’re thinking of) works systemically, so that’s part and parcel of it. Racism in America (specifically for the purpose of this topic, since it‘s about an American artist and American radio) is always in favor of White people, so yes, “reverse-racism” can’t exist, but it’s not because “racism is racism,” rather because the systemic nature of racism in America can’t be reversed on White people. In the piece, I can deal with it as shorthand for “the racial tables were turned.”
Yes reverse racism does exist & Benny Mardones was a victim of it, from a Black radio station!! How in the world can you say that reverse racism doesn’t exist?! 😡
Because that is like saying that racism can only come from white people. If “reverse racism” is only committed on a white person. Obviously, this is not true. Hence, racism is racism.
I love so much Into the night. Thanks Benny!
Awwww thank you Benny for your great contribution to the music industry! What a awesome song I loved it back than and love it even more now RIP Benny. Mardones sleep with the angeles!
It is a beautiful, emotion triggering song. I turn it up when it comes on
when this song came out burn in hell you kid toucher
Agreed! As a survivor of child sexual abuse, this song is very triggering!
You have no idea a the meaning
Lol This is all bulls**t. He is clearly in love with the girl and at the end of the video he literally makes out with the little girl.
Clear as a bell.
He didn’t direct the video did he?So he didn’t decide the direction of the video that’s why…Also to the other comment the word”trigger” triggers me….
Well times was different back then and also depends on where this is because not all countries are the same when it comes to age
Yeah… such a good song ruined by one line “16 years old…” dude was in his 30s… didn’t age well…
Yup! That part is what gets me… the teen aspect..
The explanation seemed to make sense until HE STARTS MAKING OUT WITH HER AT THE END!!!
Did it occur to you that it was an adult actress? Or did you really think they hired the actual girl they referred to in the song?
Did it occur to you that it’s creepy to kiss someone you paid to act 16? Obviously not the girl, that’s besides the point it’s the idea.
Well, honestly, because people are shallow and because people do not understand anything on a deeper, more spiritual, more emotional level, back when the song came out or now, it disgusts me that people perverted the meaning of his song. I grew up in an abusive family and one that was extremely dysfunctional and where I was physically, emotionally and sexually abused. I remember hearing it in a Pizza Hut and had to run into the bathroom and cry as I KNEW he was singing it to someone he loved who was abused. Like, the way he sang it so deeply and with his deep heart and soul, “IT’S LIKE HAVING A DREAM, WHERE NOBODY HAS A HEART! IT’S LIKE HAVING IT ALL AND WATCHING IT FALL APART!” And I KNEW what it was really about. I LOVE BENNY MARDONES AND JUST FOUND OUT HE PASSED AND I AM BROKEN HEARTED.
This is one of the most thrilling performances of all times. Such a shame that Benny did not generate more hits. The fact that it still gets a lot of play at this time says a lot about the love for Benny and the beauty of the song.
He was, only, trying to help this young girl from her many dysfunctions….nothing more. Ppl wish to read into it more as they’re ignorant/sick/perverted themselves
👍🏻
I guess but the way he is kissing her in the video says a lot more just saying
If Benny were the hero in this so called beautiful song he would have been the one telling the supposed abusive father to leave the child alone. But it’s the father telling Benny to leave his daughter alone. And even though he’s told to leave the girl alone he doesn’t listen to the girls father he instead rolls his eyes and runs to a payphone to call the young girl.
This song is clearly about a child predator who’s zoned in on an underaged girl who he sees as an easy target perhaps because he suspects that she is being abused already.
Besides the fact that Benny is clearly pursuing a girl who’s too young to consent to his advances, he forces himself on the young girl because he is insane, obsessed and blatantly out of control.
The producers of this song were probably associated with NAMBLA.
AND THIS SONG IS PROMOTING CHILD RAPE THE SAME WAY BLACK HOLE SON (SUN) DOES
AND THOSE WHO ADHERE TO EITHER SONG NEED TO BE FORCED TO WEAR A SCARLET LETTER LETTING THE WORLD BE WARNED THAT THEY ARE FULL OF BAD INTENTIONS.
Wow! This is interesting
How is Black Hole Sun promoting child r-pe? I’ve read the lyrics. I’m very curious.
You’re schizophrenic.
TRUTH: 3 Teen age siblings knew him from living in his Bldg. Benny was up all night trying to write a song. The 3 children knocked on his door crying. Their Father just left them. Period. Benny promised he would help them. When he opened the door that morning the sun light hit him the eyes.(Into the Light) He took care of the 3 children. BUT, by noon he had the lyrics to this song. The 16 year old girl met a wealthy builder in South FL and became wealthy and 3 children had a good life. They still send him cards and gifts thanking him. It is about a dead beat Father who Benny put his children under his wing. God made that song that morning. Source- benny on Professor of Rock Interview.
Thank you for this
People are so damn mean spirited even after he explains the meaning of the song they are dissing the guy for kissing the girl in the video. Grow the hell up people it’s a song it’s a beautiful song and learning the background makes it even more beautiful. Stop finding a freaking monster behind every song. If you find evil intentions behind everything then you need to Look in the mirror maybe you are the monster!
There’s no such thing as “reverse racism.” That’s what you call “racism” boys and girls.
Face it. He was a pedophile.
FFS. Did you not read the article?!
Loooook, we all know what this song is about whether you want to admit it or not. “Separated by fools who don’t know what love is yet”. That says it all. “She’s just 16 years old leave her alone THEY say”. He didn’t say “I say”. They are telling HIM to leave her alone. Yea, they ran and tried to clean it up because they wanted it played on radio stations-and their excuses on ways to deter the radio stations from not playing their song is ridiculous. They think that we don’t have a brain and so many of you are falling for it-including the author of this writing . This girl MAY have been from a dysfunctional family but that dude was clearly in love with her. My two aforementioned lines of the song say it all.
So all of of this “OMG the song is about abuse-shows that you have fallen for their masquerade of what this song means. We knew it when we first heard it and we know it now. As one person said, we didn’t have a second thought about it then-but now in a much more strict society in protecting those under 18-it is now not appropriate. So now, more than ever, followers of this singer are trying to save his reputation. Its not a bad song as if he is targeting a 10 year old-she is almost a woman (18)-and how many of you men, who are yelling “Pedophile”, has had a sideways glance at a girl 16 years old? I don’t mean that you love her or would seek to date her-but you have to admit that there is an attraction if she is built like a woman. Do not lie.
Things were different back then and although it was frowned upon-pedophilia and a16 year usually were not in the same sentence. Who remembers in the late 90’s on that episode of Seinfeld where they were looking down the shirt of the daughter of the NBC executive-and she was only 15. She was built like a woman-and they were attracted-so even in the 90’s that wasn’t such a topic that would hang you. Today, we dare not even mention this on tv-unless it is a criminal show.
These are our societal rules but do not tell me that when a girl is 17-men are not attracted-but the next day, when she is 18-suddenly it is no longer pedophilia. If you are even attracted to a 16 or 17 year old girl-then that should be pedophilia right? But, again, how many of you yelling pedophile would have that same attraction as any other man.
Would I want to date a 16 year old girl-definitely not-I am at an age where I would not even date a 25 year old-I feel that she would be too young for me. But come on, if I saw a teenaged girl (16) who is built like a woman, by being a man, I am going to get a charge out of it-that is just a man’s nature-but it would just be in passing.
This song is EXACTLY what we thought it was at the very beginning when we heard it when we were younger. They have tried to “Clean it Up”-but that is BS. Do not allow them to sucker you into seeing this song as about “abuse and friendship”. That dude was into that girl (whether this was fiction or non) and we all know this. Some of us do not want to believe it because of our society’ ever more strict rules on such.
He just needed to wait 2 more years for it to be legal.
How hard would it have been to have said, “She’s just 19 years old”…. I hear the official explanation, and maybe some of that was true, but it SOUNDS like the creeper pedo that everyone was down with at the time.
That would significantly change the song, wouldn’t it? Despite the attempts to deflect, the song comes off as a man who is inappropriately attracted to a teenage girl and is fantasizing about the relationship that can never be.
Well Well Well….He was 33 when he released the song and it’s about a 16 year old girl….Figure it out! It screams PEDO!
Creep lyrics. Though by this explaination it seems like Benny had less to do with taking them in that direction.
Though the video doesn’t do much to dissuade people from the creepy interpretation.
Things were different back then we dated older guys. I was a high school junior when I dated a guy in college
Blows my mind how pedophilia, sexualization and obsession with children is so easily accepted by America. Enablers and groomers, that’s what I see in the comments. I don’t care what explanation Mardones gave, he had to do damage control. And you retards saying “it was different back then”, do Roman Polanski butt fucking a drugged teen girl was acceptable because it was way back then? Pedo enablers.