The Epic Track: “Night Moves”

Editor’s Note: There are certain tracks that are, well, “epic” — memorable, larger than life, carved into music history. In this series, we look at one of them.

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Bob Seger’s brand of high-energy, old-school rock and roll garnered him a loyal following in his native Detroit throughout the 1960s. Along with his band, the Bob Seger System, he scored a national hit in late 1968 with the single “Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man.”

Seger continued to write, record, and perform throughout the early 1970s, but it was a song about the evening pursuit of carnal delights that catapulted him into the rock and roll stratosphere and initiated his long run as a consistent hitmaker and Midwestern rock and roll hero. When “Night Moves,”  the title track of Seger’s ninth record, was released as a single in 1976, it was an immediate hit. The Night Moves album, along with the release earlier that same year of Live Bullet, a superb concert disc featuring some of Seger’s best material up to that point, including “Turn The Page” and “Beautiful Loser,” helped cement his reputation as a music superstar.

“Night Moves” is a sensual tale about finding passion and pleasure wherever you can; in this case, in the back seat of a 1960 Chevy. The song is largely autobiographical, inspired by an affair from Seger’s younger days. He was also influenced by American Graffiti, George Lucas’ 1973 film about rock and roll, girls, and cool cars. The evocative lyrics perfectly capture that longing we’ve all felt for a certain someone at one point in our lives. The memorable intro, featuring acoustic guitar and Seger’s raspy vocals, effectively sets the stage for the reflective tone of this atmospheric story of lust and desire. After hearing the completed tune, one of the promotion men at Capitol, Seger’s record company, reportedly told him, “You’re going to be singing this song for the rest of your career,” a prediction which turned out to be true.

Released as a single in November of 1976, “Night Moves” struck an immediate chord with listeners and cruised all the way to number four on the charts. The album spawned two additional singles, “Mainstreet” and “Rock and Roll Never Forgets,” and was the first disc credited to Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band.

Night Moves was the beginning of a long run of hit albums for Seger, including Stranger In Town, Against The Wind, and The Distance.  He became one of the most successful artists of the classic rock era and was justly celebrated for his incredible live performances. Along with artists like Tom Petty, John Mellencamp, and Bruce Springsteen, Seger’s music was part of the soundtrack of a generation, and “Night Moves” went on to become one of his most beloved songs.

Seger continued to write music, record, and tour until his retirement in 2019. “Night Moves” has been used in a number of television shows, including How I Met Your Mother and Supernatural. The song was also featured in the penultimate scene of the 1981 film American Pop, animator Ralph Bakshi’s tribute to 20th-century music. Rolling Stone included the tune at number 301 on their list of the “500 Greatest Songs of All Time,” and The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame named it one of the “500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll.” Few songs evoke their era, or capture the essence of their songwriter and performer, better than “Night Moves,” a song which can truly be considered “epic.” Turn it up!

-John Visconti

Photo: Getty Images