Before he was Tom Cody in Streets of Fire, Michael Paré was Eddie Wilson, the lead singer of Eddie and The Cruisers in the 1983 movie of the same name. The fictional band had a real hit in 1984 with “On the Dark Side” off the movie’s soundtrack. The movie follows a reporter, played by Ellen Barkin, who is investigating the disappearance of Eddie Wilson, who was believed to have been killed in an automobile accident following the news that The Cruiser’s ambitious but dark second album won’t be released by their record company. John Cafferty and The Beaver Brown Band were the real-life Eddie and The Cruisers, recording the songs for the movie’s soundtrack, trying to mimic Bruce Springsteen’s style. While the movie wasn’t a theatrical hit in 1983, it gained a following via HBO, and the soundtrack for the movie was re-released in 1984, and the song “On the Dark Side” reached #7 on the Billboard charts while the album itself went quadruple platinum. Another song off the soundtrack, “Tender Years”, reached #31 on the Billboard charts. A music video that was basically the scene from the movie where “On the Dark Side” was performed was released, and you can check it out below.
