Still Of The Night (Whitesnake) - day 24
On day 34 I spoke about my disdain for the heavy metal hairbands of the eighties with the exceptions of two very specific songs. One could argue that today’s song should be lumped into that disdain, as the music of Whitesnake was, in general, considered as much hairband as any of those other acts. However, the first time I ever heard Still Of The Night, I was blindsided by how much it reminded me of the classic rock of the seventies, specifically that of Led Zepplin. As the DJs and VJs were trying to sell Whitesnake as heavy metal, anyone with taste and ears knew the difference. This was music, not anything like the crap being jammed down our throats by Poison or Mötley Crüe.
Still Of The Night was the first song released from the band’s self-titled album during the time of my life when I lived in Aurora’s basement watching VH1 on an uninterrupted loop. The video was almost like concert footage and the sound was alluring and magnetic. That cello break at the center of the song was fucking monumental. I hadn’t heard anything like this song, and I was immediately engrossed.
To speak about Whitesnake, though, is to address the flame-haired bombshell in the room. Her name was Tawny Kitaen. She was an actress who enjoyed moderate fame around that time, known for such roles as Tom Hanks’ fiancée in Bachelor Party and the female lead in a horror/suspense film called Witchboard. My gaytardedness was so confusing that I was obsessed with her, making sure everyone knew I thought she was the most beautiful woman alive. Well, apparently Whitesnake front man David Coverdale agreed, and she eventually became not just his wife but also that perfect sex symbol writhing and wriggling on the hood of expensive cars in his band’s videos. I remember seeing the way she was filmed for this video in particular, and there I was, hanging by a thread to any shred of a possibility that somewhere inside there might be a straight guy trapped. Alas, no.
Doesn’t stop me from remembering how simply magnificent Tawny Kitaen was back then, or how magnificently enthralling this song remains.