DESTINATION UNKNOWN

Our friend Jim Adams over at “Song Lyric Sunday” has given us a new challenge. This week the theme is to find a song by an artist or group that has a color in their name.

My choice is a song I found visually interesting and musically appealing right off the bat. It’s unusual (in a good way) and bold and still delivers a great song with an intriguing spy story video attached.

My song of choice today is “Twilight Zone” by Golden Earring.

The Dutch band Golden Earring had a hit in 1982 with their song “Twilight Zone”. It was written by the band’s guitarist George Kooymans who drew inspiration from the book, “The Bourne Identity”. The song spent 27 weeks on the US Pop charts and was the group’s sole Top 10 Pop single on the US Billboard Hot 100. It hit No. 1 on the Billboard Top Album Tracks chart, the band’s only No. 1 hit single in the US. Lead vocals are divided between Kooymans and Golden Earring frontman, Barry Hay

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. Golden Earring followed their success on MTV with an extensive tour of the US, Canada and Europe. MTV commissioned the band to shoot a movie of the final “homecoming” concert of the tour in the Netherlands. 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 a video on VHS, Beta and Laserdisc.

Golden Earring’s ”Cut” album cover image of the Jack of diamonds playing card being shredded by a bullet is used in the video and represents the life of a rogue secret agent.

Thanks for another great challenge today, Jim! Always fun!

NAR © 2023

Power of Color

Now here’s the video of Golden Earring’s “Twilight Zone”.

LYRICS

Somewhere in a lonely hotel room there’s a guy
Starting to realize that eternal fate has turned its back on him
It’s two A.M.

It’s two A.M. (It’s two A.M.)
Fear is gone (fear is gone)
I’m sitting here waiting
The Gun still warm (the gun still warm)
Maybe my connection is tired of taking chances

Yeah, there’s a storm on the loose
Sirens in my head
Wrapped up in silence, all circuits are dead
Cannot decode, my whole life spins into a frenzy

Help, I’m steppin’ into the twilight zone
Place is a madhouse, feels like being cold
My beacon’s been moved under moon and star
Where am I to go now that I’ve gone too far? (Oh oh oh)

Help, I’m steppin’ into the twilight zone
Place is a madhouse, feels like being alone
My beacon’s been moved under moon and star
Where am I to go now that I’ve gone too far?

So you will come to know
When the bullet hits the bone
So you will come to know
When the bullet hits the bone

I’m fallin’ down a spiral, destination unknown
Double crossed messenger, all alone
Can’t get no connection, can’t get through
Where are you?

Well the night weighs heavy on his guilty mind
This far from the borderline
When the hitman comes
He knows damn well he has been cheated

And he says
Help, I’m steppin’ into the twilight zone
Place is a madhouse, feels like being cold
My beacon’s been moved under moon and star
Where am I to go now that I’ve gone too far? (Oh oh oh)

Help, I’m steppin’ into the twilight zone
Place is a madhouse, feels like being alone
My beacon’s been moved under moon and star
Where am I to go now that I’ve gone too far?

So you will come to know
When the bullet hits the bone
So you will come to know
When the bullet hits the bone
When the bullet hits the bone

Help, I’m steppin’ into the twilight zone
Place is a madhouse, feels like being cold
My beacon’s been moved under moon and star
Where am I to go now that I’ve gone too far? (Oh oh oh)

Help, I’m steppin’ into the twilight zone
Place is a madhouse, feels like being alone
My beacon’s been moved under moon and star
Where am I to go now that I’ve gone too far?

So you will come to know
When the bullet hits the bone
So you will come to know
When the bullet hits the bone
So you will come to know
When the bullet hits the bone
So you will come to know
When the bullet hits the bone
When the bullet hits the bone
When the bullet hits the bone
When the bullet hits the bone
When the bullet hits the bone
When the bullet hits the bone
When the bullet hits the bone
When the bullet hits the bone
When the bullet hits the bone

Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: George Kooymans
Twilight Zone lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

Twilight Zone”
Single by Golden Earring
from the album Cut
B-side	“King Dark”
Released	23 August 1982 (NL)
Recorded	1982
Genre	Rock, new wave
Length	7:58 (album version) 4:47 (single version)
Label	21/Polygram
Songwriter(s)	George Kooymans
Producer(s)	Schell Schellekens