My wife and I have two children; thus, many of our friends are people with kids, too. About two weeks ago, I was talking to one of these friends. He has a two year old daughter. He said to me, “So, you and my daughter have something in common.” Really? What’s that? “You both like Cinderella.”
I didn’t know what to do at first. I don’t watch that movie. Oh, sure, we’ve got the deluxe version of it and all but that’s because my wife and my daughter like it. What’s that got to do with me? Then it dawned on me. There’s Cinderella of the glass slippers and there’s Cinderella of the big hair.
Once I understood the joke, I had to agree. 
rocks.
So let’s talk about their first record, Night Songs. It was released in 1986. The first single I remember from it was “Nobody’s Fool.” That song ruled in ‘86! Fine, it didn’t rule, there were way too many other awesome songs. Like anything from Metallica’s Master of Puppets. Slippery When Wet had been released, too, providing some tough competition. Still, “Nobody’s Fool” brought notice to Fred Coury, Eric Brittingham, Tom Keifer and Jeff Labar.
- “Night Songs“ - A boring and forgettable tune and not a very wise choice for the opener. They would have been much better off starting the record out with the second track.
- “Shake Me“ - It’s a solid song with one of those choruses you just want to shout out.
- “Nobody’s Fool” – Shall we say the quintessential Cinderella song? It’s a lumbering giant of a song, with nonsensical lyrics here and there but it’s arranged well and the video was cool.
- “Nothin’ For Nothin’” – Good sound, easy lyrics. An overlooked track, I think. It rocks.
- “Once Around the Ride” – Okay but forgettable
- “Hell on Wheels” – Unfortunately, this one’s not forgettable. In fact, it’s embarassing and should have been stricken from the record.
- “Somebody Save Me” – While the second track is classic, this song may very well be the best on the record. Great hard rock feel, angry lyrics.
- “In From the Outside” – This one showed the band’s leaning toward bluesy rock. It’s definitely got rythym.
- “Push, Push” – A fun, average rocker.
- “Back Home Again” – The crunchy guitars showcased here approach really good metal. I kinda wish they’d continued with this sound. Cool song.
I think Long Cold Winter was a better record but Night Songs is still worth a listen now and again. If you buy tickets for Rocklahoma this summer you’ll get a chance to see Cinderella rock again.
