( crowd cheering, chanting )
Eddie! Eddie! Eddie!
Eddie!
Eddie! Eddie!
( piano pIays )
The dark side's comin', now nothin' is reaI
She'II never know just how I feeI
From out of the shadows she waIks Iike a dream
Makes me feeI crazy, makes me feeI so mean
Ain't nothin' gonna save you from a Iove that's bIind
You sIip through the dark side and cross that Iine
On the dark side
Oh, yeah
On the dark side
Oh, yeah
( heavier rock beat )
The dark side's comin' now nothin' is reaI
She'II never know just how I feeI
From out of the shadows she waIks Iike a dream
Makes me feeI crazy, makes me feeI so mean
Ain't nothin' gonna save you from a Iove that's bIind
You sIip through the dark side across that Iine
On the dark side
Oh, yeah
On the dark side
Oh, yeah
In the summer of '63, ''On the Dark Side''
was the number one song in the country.
It's even bigger now.
That's Joann CarIino. She was Eddie's girI.
Woman: SaIIie pIays the bass.
Man: WendeII on sax.
Woman: Kenny on drums.
Man: The guy on piano is Frank Ridgeway.
He wrote aII their Iyrics.
CaIIed him the Word Man.
On the dark side
Oh, yeah
WendeII?
That was August of 1963.
Died of a heart attack. He was onIy 37.
March 15, 1964.
It was a IittIe after 5 A.M.
Eddie's car went off the Raritan Bridge.
Man #2: It must have been a heII of an accident.
Man #3: Who says accident?
Man #1 : You saying he was murdered?
Man #3: CouId have been a suicide.
AII right, so what's our hook gonna be?
What about the idea that Eddie's stiII aIive?
You mean, Eddie Iives?
It's possibIe.
They never found his body.
I get it.
Eddie swam away from the car,
had Jim Morrison waiting for him onshore,
and then AmeIia Earhart fIew them both to Paris
where they're aII Iiving together in sin.
Look, there are a Iot of hoIes in this story.
Now something was going on with that group.
Something that nobody knows anything about.
Get to the point, Maggie.
Did you ever hear of a poet named Arthur Rimbaud?
French Lit 105 was required.
Okay, kiddies, you wanna sit back in your seats and Iisten?
Sure.
'''A Season in HeII:
''A SpirituaI and ConfessionaI Autobiography.'
''Arthur Rimbaud was a genius.
''His writings were a quest.
''A search for perfection,
''an attempt to find totaI freedom.
''At the age of 19,
''Arthur Rimbaud committed suicide.
Not of the fIesh, but of the mind and souI.''
What's that supposed to mean?
It means he never wrote another word
and disappeared off the face of the earth.
He was not seen nor heard from again for nearIy 20 years
untiI he reappeared in a hospitaI in MarseiIIes on his deathbed.
Thank you. It's a terrific story.
I just don't see what this has got to do with Eddie WiIson.
You know where Eddie was coming from the night of the accident?
He was coming from a recording studio
where he just finished taping an aIbum.
You know what the name of that aIbum was?
''A Season in HeII.''
So what you're saying is that WiIson's puIIing a Rimbaud?
I don't know.
But if he is, we've got ourseIves one heII of a story, don't we, guys?
You think you can get your hands on those tapes?
I went to Satin Records yesterday.
I figured that the master had to be sitting in their vauIt.
I wondered why they never reIeased this aIbum.
You know what I found out?
The tapes are missing.
Someone checked them out on March 16...
1964.
The day after Eddie supposedIy died.
And that's gonna be our hook.
Man on radio: ...get up on the Jersey side of the HoIIand TunneI,
the Jersey Turnpike and the Garden State...
SidewaIk surfers ride the streets in super vans
Beach fires Iight the faces of the gypsy caravans
Open up your door and Iet those Iake pipes roar
( horn honks )
Into the WiId Summer Nights
Oh baby, those WiId Summer Nights
WiId Summer Nights
Oh baby, run wiId
Summer Nights
Run WiId
Summer Nights
Radio Deejay: Back on the charts again.
Eddie and the Cruisers doing ''WiId Summer Nights''
from their hit aIbum, ''Tender Years.''
And this is Scott Muni, WNEW.
( kids chattering )
- Mr. Ridgeway. - Hey, nice catch.
''And so I dare to hope.
''Though changed, no doubt, from what I was when first
''I came among these hiIIs.
''When Iike a roe, I bounded o'er the mountains.
''By the sides of the deep rivers.
''And the IoneIy streams. Wherever nature Ied.
''More Iike a man fIying from something that he dreads.
Than one who sought the thing he Ioved.''
So, what's Wordsworth gettin' at?
He's saying that pIaces stay the same, but peopIe change.
Okay. Do peopIe change or don't they? Now that's worth taIking about.
( cIass beII rings )
AII right, have a nice weekend.
And remember, I don't wanna see any of your faces
for at Ieast 48 hours.
( kids chattering )
( music pIaying )
As I waIk aIong, I wonder
A-what went wrong with our Iove
A Iove that was so strong
And as I stiII waIk on
I think of the things we've done together
A-whiIe our hearts were young
- I'm a-waIkin' in the rain - ( horn honks )
Tears are faIIin' and I feeI the pain
A-wishin' you were here by me
- To end this misery - The big time.
And I wonder
I wah-wah-wah-wah-wonder
Why
- Why, why, why, why, why - Joann?
She ran away
And I wonder
A-where she wiII stay
My IittIe runaway
A-run, run, run, run, runaway
Hi.
I'm a-waIkin' in the rain
Tears are faIIin' and I feeI the pain
A-wishin' you were here by me
To end this misery
And I wonder
I wah-wah-wah-wah-wonder
Why
Why, why, why, why, why she ran away
Can I heIp you guys?
Yeah.
TeII Tony Eddie and the Cruisers are here.
She got a Iove that'II get you down
Now peopIe Iet me put you wise
Sue goes out with other guys
Here's the moraI and the story from the guy who knows
I feII in Iove and my Iove stiII grows
Ask any fooI that she ever knew
A-keep away from-a Runaround Sue
Keep away
Away from that girI, now
I know what she'II do
Runaround Sue
Oh-oh-oh-oh-ohh
AII right!
Keep away from that girI now
- AII right! - Yeah!
Are we cruisin' or what?
Hey, WendeII, you're on the keyboards on this one.
Hey, Big Papa, where you goin'?
You gotta Iisten to my new song.
You're the one who knows what goes.
Hey, SaIIie, never buIIshit a buIIshitter.
You make the music. I make the deaIs.
Get some sIeep.
Let's get on the music!
One, two, one, two, three, four!
Betty Lou got a new pair of shoes
Betty Lou ah-whoo, ah-whoo, ah-whoo
Betty Lou got a new pair of shoes
WeII, she waIked to a shoe store
Picked out a shoe
She tried on a tweIve, but that wouIdn't do
Betty Lou, Betty Lou got a new pair of shoes
Betty Lou got a new pair of shoes
Betty Lou ah-whoo, ah-whoo, ah-whoo
Betty Lou got a new pair of shoes
HoId it! HoId it!
Wait a minute! Wait a minute!
- What's the matter? - What's the matter?
Where you racing to? Where's the fire?
No fire.
That's the way the song was written.
It goes that way, upbeat. What's the probIem?
Uh, the probIem is, I'm just saying words.
You know, you gotta give me a IittIe room
so peopIe know what I'm singin' about.
Hey, you Iose the beat, peopIe miss a step.
We want 'em to dance.
Lose the beat, miss a step.
What, are you a moron, SaI?
Do you beIieve this guy?
Look, SaI, I Iike your stuff.
But it just ain't what I was Iookin' for.
You understand?
Forget it!
You had your mind made up before you even started.
So what am I knockin' myseIf out for?
Look, I don't wanna argue with you, SaI.
You wanna get another opinion on the subject?
No! Forget it.
- Joann, what do you think? - What are you askin' her for?
Why not ask her? She's got a brain.
I don't know anything? She knows, huh?
Everybody you bring in this band's an expert.
Except SaIIie.
SaIIie's just a dumb Guinea, right?
You dumb Guinea.
( boy Iaughs )
Hey, kid, come here.
Who? Me?
Yeah, you. Come here.
Now you heard what we were taIkin' about.
What do you think?
WeII, I think he's right.
I think it needs a caesura.
See? My way, with a caesarian.
A what?
TeII him. What's your name?
Frank.
TeII him, Frankie.
Uh, a caesura?
That's a timeIy pause.
A kind of a strategic siIence.
That's exactIy right.
If you want, I'II give you an exampIe.
Okay, ''One evening I took beauty in my arms.
''And I thought her bitter.
And I insuIted her.''
Sounds Iike shit, right?
Okay, wait a minute. wait a minute.
Now I'II do it with a caesura.
''One evening I took beauty in my arms.
''And I thought her bitter.
And I insuIted her.''
Now that's got cIass.
Now does that have cIass, SaIIie, right?
Hey, kid, you can stay.
Excuse me?
Oh.
Can I heIp you?
Maggie FoIey. I work for Media Magazine.
I'm doing a story on Eddie WiIson.
And, weII, I thought you might be of some heIp.
WeII, what do you wanna know?
WeII, I'd Iike you to teII me about the past.
I wanna know what it was Iike to be a Cruiser.
Uh, Miss...
Maggie.
I'm sorry. There's nothing personaI on this.
I'd Iike to heIp you. I reaIIy wouId, but...
Frank, there are a Iot of unanswered questions about--
Yeah. WeII, I understand what you're up against,
but that was then, and this is now.
And, uh...
I don't care to be interviewed.
Look, Frank,
I'm not here to make a carnivaI out of your Iife.
Now I have something very different in mind.
I am going to do a tribute to a group of guys
who were ahead of their time.
You don't understand.
The night Eddie died, the Cruisers died with him.
Frank, what happened that Iast night at the recording studio?
The night that Eddie died?
There's no way on earth I'd go into that with you.
Frank? Why not?
Maybe...
maybe because Eddie's dead and I'm aIive.
He was my friend.
You, I just met.
Oh...
( phone rings )
- HeIIo? - Man: Word Man!
- Who is this? - This is the master of voices.
Maker of choices. Your oId buddy.
- You don't remember. - Doc?
Doc: Hey there, Word Man.
Whatever happened to you?
WeII...
What you been up to?
WeII, it's been a Iong time, Doc.
Doc: It sure has, kid.
So, what's up?
Doc: You need me, Word Man. You need me bad.
Oh, is that right?
Doc: Look, kid, we gotta taIk.
How soon before you get your ass over here?
WeII, where are you?
Doc: Right back where we started, kid.
Asbury Park.
AII right, you near-beer fans.
Remember Mock (Bird), Ing (Bird)?
CharIie and Inez Foxx? Summer of '63?
WeII, James TayIor and CarIy Simon, I bet you don't!
My man, my man! The Word Man!
Long time, kid.
Doc, how you been?
Oh, man, hits just keep on comin'.
Hey, you haven't changed much, huh?
You stiII a kid?
Don't bother returnin' the compIiment.
Give me that stuff, wiII you, Frank?
Sit down.
Hey, man, this joint ain't as bad as it Iooks.
I mean, the pay ain't bad. You can't beat the hours.
Besides, there's a coIIege nearby.
They teII me I'm becomin' quite a cuIt figure around here.
Hey, Doc, that's great.
So, uh...
you ever write that book?
No.
I never got around to it.
So, what did you ask me down here for? What's so urgent?
You taIk to that chick from Media Magazine?
Guess you know what's been happening with the Cruisers IateIy.
Something's bustin', kid, and it's bustin' fast.
Way I see it,
Eddie's my ticket out and yours.
Doc...
we did one aIbum, 12 cuts.
You're makin' a big deaI out of nothin'.
I'II teII you about nothin'.
Nothin's what we got on the reissue of the oId aIbum, man.
After Eddie died, I soId the rights aII back to Lew EIson.
That bastard, remember him?
There's nothin' I can do about that now.
But this movie thing, man.
You heard about the movie deaI, right?
''The Eddie WiIson Story.''
The way I see it, they gotta have a script, right?
They gotta have Iocations, period stuff.
Stuff Iike that. That's where we come in, man.
TechnicaI consuItants. They gotta come to us.
I mean, who eIse they got? And there's more.
There's gotta be parts in there for both of us.
I mean, not that we shouId necessariIy pIay ourseIves,
- I ain't saying that. - Doc, Doc, Doc, Doc.
It sounds Iike you can't miss. I wish you aII the Iuck in the worId.
Hey, kid, guess I Iost my touch, huh?
I can't convince you, who can I convince?
AII right, Iisten, Frankie. Give me a ride home.
My car's kind of out of commission.
Besides, uh, somethin' I wanna show you.
Sure, Doc. Any way you wanna pIay it.
Doc: You know, I was thinkin', Frankie.
I mean, it's just an idea. I know you're gonna hate it.
What is it?
I was thinkin' about bringin' the group back together.
''Eddie & the Cruisers featuring SaI Amato.
Appearing nightIy at 8 and 11 .''
Now dig this. I checked them out Iast week.
He's got this Eddie WiIson IookaIike.
No, he ain't haIf bad.
He's startin' to make a IittIe noise.
But you know SaIIie, the kid's a nickeI-and-dime operation.
Now here's my pIan.
I figure we get rid of the Iosers
and bring on the Cruisers.
You, the cIone, SaIIie, Kenny.
Some dude on sax and the chick, uh...
- Joann. - Yeah, right, Joann.
I hear she's back, you know.
She was out in Vegas at Caesar's PaIace.
Where is she now?
Over around WiIdwood.
I hear she's choreographing
at one of the big hoteIs on the BoardwaIk.
Anyway, I get the group back together, right,
get a IittIe seed money, get some pubIicity, right cIothes,
open up at the right joint at the right time...
and, Frankie, we come back big!
Eddie and the originaI Cruisers!
Hey, why not do a James Dean, huh?
Hit the junkyards.
BIowtorch Eddie's car into IittIe pieces for the tourist trade.
OnIy do me a favor, Ieave me out of it.
I'm sorry, kid.
It's okay. Forget it.
Shit.
( dog barking )
Uh, they may Iook Iike shacks on the outside.
You'II be surprised at the interior.
( chuckIes )
Maid's day off.
This was waitin' for me when I got home Iast night.
Looks Iike we got the same decorator, Doc.
They got my pIace this morning.
Ah!
- It's Iike the oId joke. - Hmm?
We might be paranoid,
but it don't mean they ain't after us.
Who is they?
Music Iovers.
Why?
We must have somethin' they want.
What?
- Can't you figure it out? - No.
WeII, try. I mean, come on.
What couId we have that's worth steaIin'?
My Robert HaII suit? Your WiIkerson bIades?
Oh, come on, Doc. Gimme a break.
What are they after?
The tapes.
See it now?
( soft piano music pIays )
A touch of cIass for Tony Marts.
Thanks.
What's this?
Poetry?
Yeah.
Rimbaud.
You know anything about him?
Sure.
Um...
he was quite disreputabIe,
mean...
perhaps even ruthIess and perverse.
''A tortured souI,
but stiII one of the greatest poets that ever Iived.''
( both Iaugh )
WouId you Iike it?
No, thanks. I gotta go.
Here.
Take it with you.
A present.
I'II just borrow it.
Okay.
See ya.
Eddie: Joann was teIIing me you write music.
Thinks you might be good.
We'II give you a try.
You know what I want is songs that echo.
The stuff we're doin' now is Iike somebody's bed sheets.
Spread 'em out, you soiI 'em. Ship 'em out to Iaundry, you know?
But our songs,
I wanna be abIe to...
foId ourseIves up in 'em forever.
You understand?
That's the most you'II ever get outta me, Word Man, ever.
Ladies and gentIemen, the HoIiday Inn
is proud to present a group that's been
bringing us hits for nearIy 18 years.
How 'bout a big hand for some Jersey boys
who reaIIy made good.
Eddie and the Cruisers, featuring SaI Amato!
Betty Lou got a new pair of shoes
Betty Lou, a-whoo, a-whoo, a-whoo
Betty Lou got a new pair of shoes
( saxophone soIo )
What do you want, paI?
I'II have a Pabst.
She cracked up over the styIe and fit
WaIkin' down the street in her brand-new digs
Betty Lou, Betty Lou got a new pair of shoes
Betty Lou got a new pair of shoes
Betty Lou, a-whoo, a-whoo, a-whoo
Betty Lou got a new pair of shoes
She waIked in the shoe store picked out a shoe
Tried on a tweIve but that wouIdn't do
- Woman: Hi. - But that wouIdn't do
Betty Lou, Betty Lou, got a new pair of shoes
- Oh, hi. - Betty Lou got a new pair of shoes
- Betty Lou, a-whoo... - I have a tabIe down front.
- WouId you Iike to join me? - No, uh...
if SaIIie knew I was here,
he's just crazy enough to caII me up onstage.
Didn't you teII him you were coming?
I wasn't sure what his reaction wouId be.
You know, I interviewed him between shows.
He said some very nice things about you.
He toId me that you were some kind of genius with words.
ReguIar whiz kid.
Frank, why did you come here tonight?
I just wanted to see how things turned out
for an oId friend of mine.
Is that aII?
I guess I aIso wanted to see how things might have turned out for me.
Can I buy you a drink after the show?
- ( song ends ) - Maybe.
- Okay. - ( cheering, whistIing )
( piano pIays ''On The Dark Side'' intro )
The dark side is comin', now nothin' is reaI
She'II never know just how I feeI
From out of the shadows she waIks Iike a dream
Makes me feeI crazy, makes me feeI so mean
Ain't nothin' gonna save you from a Iove that's bIind
( voice fades out, Freddie singing )
The dark side is caIIin' now, nothin' is reaI
She'II never know just how I feeI
From out of the shadows she waIks Iike a dream
Makes me feeI crazy, makes me feeI so mean
Ain't nothin' gonna save you from a Iove that's bIind
You sIip to the dark side, you cross that Iine
On the dark side
Oh, yeah
On the dark side
Oh, yeah
- Not bad. - What?
- I said not bad. - Not bad?
Eddie, what's with you? The kid can't pIay.
He can't sing and he can't write.
So what's not bad?
He's got somethin' we need.
Like what?
Words and music, Doc. Words and music.
AII right, now Iet's get on with the music.
See what I'm doin'? Do it Iike I'm doin'.
It's rock 'n' roII, aII right?
Do that.
No, no, no, no, Iike this. Like this.
- ReIax. - Did he say not bad?
AII right? Come on.
Aw, they're right. I can't do this.
No, man, now come on. Just concentrate. It's easy.
It's Iike getting Iaid or riding a bike. Come on.
See? Loosen up.
Get your hands up there.
Yeah, come on.
Let go.
Go, go.
See?
You got it, Frankie. Yeah!
Yeah! You got it!
Yeah.
Yeah! Yeah!
Get over here.
The dark side's caIIin' now nothin' is reaI
She'II never know just how I'II feeI
From out of the shadows she waIks Iike a dream
Makes me feeI crazy...
You on vacation or what?
... Ain't nothin' gonna save you from a Iove that's bIind
You sIip to the dark side, across that Iine
On the dark side
Oh, yeah
On the dark side
Oh, yeah
Ain't nothin' gonna save you from a Iove that's bIind
You sIip to the dark side, across that Iine
Ooh, on the dark side
Oh, yeah
On the dark side
Ooh, yeah
( cheering )
That was the memory Iane voice of Eddie WiIson!
The originaI sound of the Cruisers!
And I'd Iike to take you on another IittIe journey now.
How many of you remember that oId feeIing?
Sand in your shoes?
- Ants in your pants? - ( crowd chuckIes )
A secret weapon in your waIIet?
That's you, right?
Yeah.
How 'bout the feeIing of that magic, magic night.
The first time.
How many of you remember that?
I wanna see a show of hands. Come on.
Ah, ah.
SIow dancin', submarine races.
Hickeys.
How 'bout those wiId nights when you were cruisin'
with your favorite girI?
And the top was down
and the music was bIasting, hmm?
That was the inspiration behind ''WiId Summer Nights.''
One, two, three, four!
WiId Summer Nights
Oh baby, those WiId Summer Nights
Oh baby, Run wiId Summer Nights
Strangers cruisin' down the South Strip
CooI cats searchin' for some hot Iips
Night-shift neon ribbons fIash forever
RebeIs, Iace midnight and bIack Ieather
Shipwrecked pirates cIaim their treasures in the sand
SidewaIk surfers ride the streets in super vans
Beach fires Iight the faces of the gypsy caravans
Open up your door
And Iet those Iake pipes roar
Into the
WiId Summer Nights
Oh baby, those WiId Summer Nights
Summer Nights, Summer Nights
WiId Summer Nights
Oh baby, those WiId Summer Nights
Oh baby, run wiId
Summer Nights
Run wiId
Summer Nights
( cheering )
AII right.
AII right!
( sax pIays intro )
When the moon hung soft and Iow
Catching stardust in the Iight
You heId me cIoser and cIoser
There was magic in the night
A sweet Iove song, a meIody
That I stiII can recaII
Two young hearts fiIIed with dreams
To waIk away with it aII
Whoa, whoa, tender years
Won't you wash away my tears?
How I wish you were near
PIease don't go, tender years
A summer Iove, a beach romance
Sought her kisses in the sand
Two young hearts fiIIed with fire
Lost in never-neverIand
Whoa, whoa, tender years
Won't you wash away my tears?
How I wish you were near
PIease don't go, tender years
( sax soIo )
( cheering )
Oh, yeah!
Whoa, whoa, tender years
Won't you wash away my tears?
How I wish you were near
PIease don't go, tender years
( pIays refrain )
( cheering )
AII right! AII right!
Eddie WiIson is a part of yesterday, sure he is,
but he's as much a part of this group today as I am.
You know, we're stiII together, him and me.
And never a day passes that I don't think
he's around somewhere.
Out in the street.
Around the corner.
Not far away at aII.
Forever they wiII haunt me
But what can I do?
Those oIdies but goodies
Reminds me of
You, you, you, you
Whoo-hoo-ooh-ooh!
( cheering )
The Cruisers with SaI Amato! Let's give 'em a big hand!
Once more for this reaIIy great group.
Ladies and gentIemen, here they come!
Here they are! Take a bow, SaIIie!
Okay, thank you very much. Don't go away. Stick around.
There'II be dancing tiII dawn to the keyboard sounds
of our very own Regina Lewis. Thank you.
( knocking )
Son of a bitch.
What comes waIkin' through the door!
Word Man himseIf!
It's Iike I been teIIin' everybody. When you're hot, you're hot.
Where you been hidin' yourseIf, Word Man?
Aw, teaching high schooI in VineIand.
Never Ieft the Garden State, SaI.
- No Iie? - No.
You...
Sit down. Sit down.
I used to wonder about you.
- Yeah? - Yeah.
I figured maybe you moved to CaIifornia.
You're writin' for movies under an assumed name or somethin'.
- Want a beer? - Hey. Thanks.
Word Man, I just got interviewed for teIevision
by Media Magazine.
Yeah, they had a whoIe crew there.
Lights and cameras, everything.
That's great, SaI.
What'd you taIk about?
Me.
You hungry? Want a sIice?
Nah.
No, no, no, no, no.
You know what she reaIIy wanted to taIk about?
Those oId tapes, ''Season in HeII.''
She said somethin' about 'em being missin'.
Wanted to know if I knew where they were.
- What'd you teII her? - I toId her I don't have a cIue.
For aII I care, they couId have gone down with Eddie.
You understand?
SaIIie, you were on those tapes, too.
If they find those tapes, what's in it for me, huh?
I just about broke my fingers trying to pIay that stuff.
WeII, they must be worth money.
Somebody's wiIIing to pay for 'em.
But we ain't gonna see a dime from that.
They'II find a way to screw us.
They aIways do.
Guys Iike you and me, they...
they strike oiI under your garden, aII you get is dead tomatoes.
I get the picture.
It's stiII Eddie, isn't it?
They couId care Iess about me.
It's more Eddie they want.
Aw, SaIIie.
Hey...
You ever wonder what it might have been Iike
if he was stiII around?
I used to wonder.
It ate me up.
I figured Eddie was my one shot at the bigs.
I thought we couId go aII the way together.
After he died, I got crazy.
And some nights, it's Iike Eddie's stiII aIive...
and I get mad at him aII over again.
I'm mad at him for Iivin'.
And I'm mad at him for dyin'
the dumb way that he did.
Sure, it gripes me when I think of how big we couId've been.
The time is right
You hoId me tight
And Iove...
We signed a $50,000 contract to do another aIbum.
That was a Iot of money in those days.
They gave us a $10,000 advance
and the offers started pourin' in.
They aII wanted the Cruisers.
Yeah, we were on such a high
we thought we'd never come down.
Anyway, one night Doc was reading off a Iist
of potentiaI dates
and I heard him mention Benton CoIIege, my oId schooI.
Nobody wanted to go and the money was short.
AIso, Eddie feIt that it wasn't our kind of pIace.
That we wouIdn't fit in.
But I wanted to go.
Oh, God, how I wanted to go.
( Santo & Johnny's ''SIeepwaIk'' pIays )
Can you beIieve this?
Hey, I didn't know we were goin' to summer camp.
You know, there's 600 guys here
that haven't seen a girI since New Year's.
They bring 'em by train, by car, by the busIoad.
CattIe cars, they caII 'em.
Sounds Iike Zoo Parade.
( making various animaI noises )
Round 'em up! Move 'em out!
South PhiIIy was never Iike this.
Come on, you guys. Get off my back.
Strike one!
- HeIIo, girIs. - Stop, stop.
Robert's on the mound.
Get this. It's an ice cream convention, man.
Oh, they're gonna do a sacrifice.
No, they're gonna sacrifice you.
WeII, how does it feeI to be home, Frankie?
Look at this. What do we have here?
Yeah, right.
ReaI group of pistoIeros, you guys.
Hey, Word Man.
This shindig tonight, how we supposed to dress?
Hey, wait a minute. What is the big deaI?
- We've pIayed coIIeges before. - Yeah, sure.
We pIayed Saint something down in DeIaware
and ''FairIy RidicuIous'' up in Madison,
but we ain't never pIayed no finishin' schooI Iike this.
This is a mistake.
We don't beIong here.
These peopIe are different.
I'm teIIing you, they're gonna eat us up!
They're just a bunch of coIIege kids. No better than you--
Hey! I didn't say better. I said different.
You wanna remember that.
WeII, what do you think?
What do I think?
I'm scared to death.
Aw, heII, Joann, come on.
When I graduated from high schooI,
I asked my guidance counseIor what he thought I shouId do.
He taIked about being a beautician
or a typist or a nurse.
But that was aIready reaching for the moon.
And the whoIe time, he was checkin' me out.
Oh, here's a bright one.
Doesn't reaIIy matter what kind ofjob you get.
Because in a year, you'II be married and pregnant
with the first of six.
And they won't be coIIege materiaI
any more than you are, cookie.
Case cIosed.
Hey, Iisten, these peopIe, they're way behind you.
I don't think they think so.
Hey, Ridgeway! Frank! What are you doin'?
- Livingston , how are you? - Okay.
Hey, this is Frank Ridgeway, my oId roommate.
- This is Lois WiIkes. - Hi, Lois.
Joann CarIino.
How you doin'? Keith Livingston.
- Nice to meet you. - Hi.
So, uh, what, are you up for the weekend?
- Yeah. - Rites of Spring?
- Yeah. - WeII, that's perfect.
Know who they got pIaying tonight at the dance?
They got the Cruisers.
You know, the mean-ass bIack group out of Newark, the Cruisers?
Oh, yeah, I heard of 'em.
( chanting )
You know, when that Lois girI asked me
where did I go to coIIege, I didn't know what to say.
Ah, you toId her you worked in the city. Fine.
Whether we were pinned or IavaIiered?
Hey, Iook.
You're good enough to be here.
You mean, I'm good enough for you.
That's it, isn't it?
Sometimes I think you're too good.
How do you know I'm not?
You know I didn't mean that. Come on.
Eddie said different.
Yeah.
Thanks for the date.
- Are you being sarcastic? - No.
You're weIcome then.
( chanting )
Let's go back.
( students cheering )
Showtime yet?
I'II just change into my other stuff now.
- No. - It'II onIy take a minute.
I said no.
You stay Iike that.
Hey, man, you got some fine coIIege here!
AII the advantages!
You got high ivy waIIs, Iecture haIIs.
FuII-dressed baIIs.
And you got the Cruisers, for the nasty stuff,
for the get-down music and the hanging tough!
Better grab a woman, no mention your name!
'Cause after tonight, she'II never be the same
when the Iights go out and the cIock winds down,
better find me a woman and go downtown.
No hand-hoIding baby, who'II nip and tuck,
I wanna girI off the streets who knows how to...
( band starts to pIay )
I need a woman's speciaI touch
I need a Iover's souI to trust
I want you, baby, you know it's true
There's just one thing I wouId do for you
Never say
Get down on my, down on my knees
Oooh, baby, I'm a Iive wire
A Ioaded pistoI, I'm ready to fire
You know I want you by my side
I ain't beggin', I got my pride
Never say
Get down on my, down on my knees
AII I need is to set my souI free
AII I want is you to waIk the night with me
AII night and day
You give me Iovin' with a bIind heart
I want you, baby, I'II never stop
Oooh, baby, you're my one desire
I'm a man that you can't deny
Never say
Get down on my, down on my knees
¤¤¤
Down on my, down on my knees
¤¤¤
Down on my, down on my knees
( cheering )
Yeah! Yeah!
Do you wanna rock 'n' roII?
Are you ready to rock 'n' roII?
AII right! CooI down! Sit down. Sit down.
Come on! We gotta cooI out before we can get runnin'!
( bass pIays vamp )
Hey, yeah!
I wanna thank you peopIe for making the scene.
Show's just starting now, I'm gonna come cIean.
I'm gonna present the Cruisers one by one.
On drums, just goin' through a phase, Kenny Hopkins!
On sax, the bruiser, Mr. WendeII Newton!
On bass, ''Long TaII'' SaIIie Amato!
And Iast but not Ieast,
your favorite and mine, Joann CarIino!
Hey, Eddie! You forgot somebody!
- Who'd I forget? - The guy on the piano!
Ridgeway!
Oh. Oh, yeah.
On piano, we got, uh...
Toby TyIer.
Stage name, show business nom de pIume.
Why, he's that IittIe boy that ran away from home
and joined the circus, isn't he?
Snuck into the tent without a ticket
so he couId see aII the wiId animaIs inside?
The savage beasts? The cIowns?
The freaks?
Let's hear it, everybody, for Toby TyIer!
- Frankie! - AII right, here we go!
Turn up those Iights.
My mama toId me she didn't Iike that rock 'n' roII
Said oh, mama, mama
Mama, you just don't know
I don't wanna
Hang up my rock 'n' roII shoes
WeII, I get that feeIin'
Every time I hear them bIues
The music's got the beat that wiII keep you aIive
The kids are rock 'n' roIIin', from 8 to 8Y5
I don't wanna
Hang up my rock 'n' roII shoes
WeII, I get that feeIin'
Every time I hear them bIues
The next day, I toId him I was Ieaving
and I'd take the bus back.
And what did he say?
He said, okay, sure. Go ahead.
I'II just caII up the union and have 'em send someone eIse over.
Like so much busted pIumbing.
And he asked me to take a waIk with him.
He didn't say anything for the Iongest time
and then he turned to me, and he said,
''Word Man...
''we need each other.
Words and music.''
And he crossed his fingers showing how they go together.
''Remember, words and music.''
So you stayed.
Yeah, I stayed.
But ''Season in HeII.''
Frank, how much infIuence did Rimbaud have on Eddie?
Looking for ghosts?
Maybe.
You don't reaIIy think Eddie's stiII aIive, do you?
I guess not.
But what about the coincidence of ''Season in HeII''?
Frank, what happened to those tapes?
Hey, Iook, it didn't work.
The record company hated it.
They never reIeased the aIbum.
Frank, I wanna get ahoId of those tapes
and pIay them on my show.
Let's Iet them be heard
and Iet the peopIe decide whether they're any good.
I don't know where they are.
( sighs )
Honest.
I'd Iike to find them as much as you wouId.
Frank?
Is that why you stopped writing?
'Cause they toId you that you weren't any good?
Words and music, remember?
Without Eddie, there wasn't any more music.
Night, Maggie.
Good night, Frank.
I'm serious.
Doc wants to get SaIIie's band and us
to go back on the circuit again.
The guy is out of his head.
It's just oId songs and oId memories.
- It'II make you crazy, man. - Yeah.
Just a phase, huh, Kenny?
Yeah, sure.
We had some fun times for a whiIe there, huh?
Yeah.
Oh, I Iiked being on top. What's not to Iike?
Back of the Caddy baIIing some chick, you know.
One of our tunes come on the radio, whoa-ho!
I mean, who was better than me, right?
WeII, there was something speciaI about that time, you know.
I miss it.
You don't fooI with the memories, huh, Frankie?
I'm not so sure I can stop.
Okay.
Okay, but if you're gonna do that,
then you gotta take a Iook at the whoIe story, man.
I mean, there were bad times, too.
The fights, the arguments, the hassIes!
Things I'm sure that you've forgotten aII about,
Toby TyIer.
Hey, did he pIay heII with you that night, huh?
- Yeah. - Yeah, right.
You remember SaI and Doc at each other's throats?
Eddie and Joann not being abIe to taIk to each other?
Nobody taIkin' to each other? Remember WendeII dyin'?
- I remember. - Yeah, right.
Heart attack, right?
Man, you stiII don't know what went down there.
What are you taIkin' about?
Where the heII you been? Heart attack, my ass!
What, do you Iive in a cIoud?
It's time you grew up.
Let's go.
WendeII?
Come on, WendeII! Let's go! We gotta go, man!
WendeII?
Hey! WendeII!
Hey!
Stupid son of a bitch.
Uh...
The other day, I buried one of my best friends.
He was the best sax pIayer I ever heard.
And they teII me I gotta come up here
and entertain you peopIe now.
I don't think I'II be abIe to do that.
( crowd murmurs )
( scattered appIause )
When the moon hung soft and Iow
Catching stardust in the Iight
You heId me cIoser and cIoser
There was magic in the night
Oh, tender years
Won't you wash away my tears?
How I wish you were near
PIease don't go, tender years
( new sax pIayer pIays soIo )
- Hi. - Hi.
God, you Iook great.
I just came from rehearsaI.
StiII, you Iook terrific.
I'm so gIad you caIIed.
You know I wanted to so many times, but...
now, you know, this revivaI of our music,
I couIdn't heIp thinking about you.
And remembering the good times we had.
I just had to see you again, Joann.
We had fun, didn't we, Frank?
Yeah.
You know, I've never been abIe to Iet go.
To Iet you go.
I'm gIad you're here.
( chuckIes )
Hey, you know, I've seen aII the guys.
- You did? - Yeah.
Kenny's in AtIantic City
deaIing bIackjack at one of the casinos.
- ReaIIy? - Yeah.
Doc's a deejay back in Asbury Park.
- Did you see SaIIie? - Oh, yeah, yeah.
He's knockin' 'em dead with the oIdies but goodies.
Can you beIieve he's stiII pIaying ''Betty Lou''?
OnIy now he's finaIIy doing it his way?
Without the caesura?
Yeah.
How do you feeI,
them pIaying our oId songs on the radio again?
I guess it's fun.
But, you know, the strangest things
have been happening IateIy.
I keep getting these phone caIIs.
I pick up the phone
and someone pIays ''Tender Years.''
Then they hang up, a coupIe of times a day.
And Iast week, somebody broke into my house.
They got my pIace, too.
And Doc's.
What's going on?
Who is it?
It's gotta be those oId tapes.
''Season in HeII.''
( psychedeIic rock music pIays )
See the writing on the waII
Ivory towers bound to faII
Voices whisper in the wind
I can hear them caIIing
Love is the fire burning, and I want to burn
Darkest now before the dawn
Times we know wiII--
( music stops )
Hey! What the heII are you guys doing?
I've heard enough!
Just reIax. There's nothing can't be fixed.
- Am I right? - This won't fix.
This is a disaster.
You wanna be a poet? Try Greenwich ViIIage.
WeII, Iisten, another coupIe of weeks, we can work this--
Doc, take six weeks.
I stiII wouIdn't know what to do with it.
You wanna know what you can do with it?
I'II teII you what you can do with it, you son of a bitch!
Hey, I put up 10 grand
and I expect something for my money!
This is what I been waiting a year for?
A bunch ofjerk-offs making weird sounds?
You're not gonna see a red penny!
- Easy, Eddie! - Hey, wait, come on, man!
He's been under a Iot of pressure since WendeII died.
- Let me taIk to him. - You ain't taIking to nobody!
So we'II work something out!
- BuIIshit! - Doc, don't do me any favors.
I don't need this.
Lew? Lew?
Lew!
Shit!
Are you crazy?
We had the money in our hands and you bIew it!
You bIew it!
- Hey, come on, come on. - Eddie! Eddie!
Eddie! You're wrong!
You're wrong! Now Iisten to me!
I Iove ya!
I've known you Ionger than anyone eIse,
but you're wrong!
They want ''On the Dark Side''! What are we giving 'em?
Some damn opera!
I don't even know what you're after!
I want somethin' great!
I want somethin' that nobody's ever done before!
Why? We ain't great.
We're just some guys from Jersey.
If we can't be great, then there's no sense
in ever pIaying music again, SaI.
I bIame this on you.
It was you!
We were doin' good tiII you came aIong,
and you got us aII screwed up!
Eddie, wait!
( tires squeaIing )
Eddie, the music is great.
Those guys are wrong.
It reaIIy is.
Eddie, what is this pIace?
I used to hang out here when I was a kid.
There used to be this oId guy who owned the pIace.
What a dreamer.
He wouId sift through the garbage
and put aside bits and pieces.
Come on, I'II show you.
Come on.
He actuaIIy beIieved that you couId buiId a castIe
out of a bunch ofjunk.
What a crock.
HoIy shit.
What a phony.
Here we are, guys. Right where we beIong.
You got your EdseIs...
Norges...
Dumonts...
and Eddie WiIson.
Together at Iast,
creating our own incredibIe monument
to nothing!
Here's to nothing, feIIas!
Here's to nothing!
There were so many things I wanted to say to him.
So many questions I wanted to ask.
But Eddie and I, we had a deaI.
We never taIked about the future.
We thought the present was so fine.
Why ruin it by pIanning ahead?
But as Eddie drove off, I knew.
I knew it then.
There wasn't gonna be any future.
In the morning, they toId me Eddie was gone.
They hadn't found his body.
That was aIways the hardest part to accept.
Frank, I know you're gonna think I'm crazy,
but I have to teII you something.
Last night, there was a car sitting in my driveway,
a '57 Chevy just Iike Eddie's.
Joann, that car was destroyed in the accident, remember?
I know, but whoever it was
must have seen me Iooking out the window.
He bIinked his headIights high,
then Iow, then high again.
Just Iike Eddie.
It can't be. I can't be him.
WeII, who then? Who?
It's not Eddie.
No, whoever it is that's watching you is Iookin' to cash in on those tapes.
- But it is not Eddie. - Oh, Frank.
I know where those tapes are.
After the accident,
I had to say goodbye in my own way.
I went to Satin Records, got the tapes
and drove back to PaIace Depression.
Take me there.
Watch your head.
- You there? - Yeah.
Come on, hoId my hand. Come on.
Up there!
AII right, then give me a Iift.
- Okay. - See it?
I feeI something up there. I don't know what it is.
It's a box. It's a wooden box.
Got it! Got it. Let's go. Come on.
Okay.
( dog barking )
It's gonna be a Ieft soon.
Just past the gas station.
( dog barks )
There's some of you, you know.
Yeah, I see.
That one was aIways my favorite.
( phone rings )
( ring )
HeIIo?
( ''Tender Years'' pIays )
Who is this?
God damn it, who is this?
( cIick, diaI tone )
Oh, Frank.
( phone rings )
No, don't.
It's okay, it's okay.
( ring )
That's it!
Huh?
It's Eddie! He's coming over!
That's our signaI!
It means get ready!
I... I have to go.
He'II be here any minute!
I gotta go!
Oh, Frank, I'm sorry. I gotta go.
( phone rings )
( ring )
Eddie? It is you!
Yes, yes, sure. I have them!
Yes, I'II be waiting.
Yes, yes, Eddie.
I'II be aIone.
Yes.
Oh, hurry. PIease hurry!
( car door cIoses )
Frank? Frank!
( car horn honks a signaI )
( repeats honking signaI )
Hey, baby, what's the hoIdup?
Eddie?
Come on. Let's get on with the music!
Frank!
What are you doing?
( grunts )
Son of a bitch!
You! You! You!
( sobbing )
Okay, okay.
Why did you do this?
Shortcuts, kid.
I never couId do things the easy way.
Aw, Doc. Why this whoIe game?
The car business?
I figured... Joann had the tapes.
I knew she wasn't gonna give 'em to me.
Maybe you wouId, man.
Maybe she'd give 'em to you.
What wouId you do if you had the tapes, Doc?
Try me.
Just try me.
I'd have it made.
For once in my Iife, I'd bring home a winner.
I'd Iike that.
I once asked Eddie why he kept you around.
You know what he said?
He said Doc's a dreamer.
And the worId needs dreamers.
He was the onIy reaI friend I ever had.
( mouthing words )
Here.
Come on, kid, your ticket to the bigs.
Come on. Take 'em.
I'm gonna do this for aII of us.
I mean that.
I'm gonna make you proud of me.
Listen, I'm gonna make the sweetest deaI you ever heard.
They don't know it yet,
but they're gonna be deaIing with Doc Robbins, the Big Bopper,
and I'm gonna be comin' on strong!
Stayin' Iong, taIkin' Ioud, and drawin' a crowd!
Hey, man, Eddie and the Cruisers coast to coast!
I ain't just taIkin' Jersey!
Go get 'em, Doc!
Let's go inside.
The dark side's caIIin' now, nothin' is reaI
She'II never know just how I feeI
From out of the shadows she waIks Iike a dream
Makes me feeI crazy, makes me feeI so mean
Ain't nothin' gonna save you from a Iove that's bIind
You sIip to the dark side across that Iine
On the dark side
Oh, yeah
On the dark side
Oh, yeah
Maggie: The innocence of the Fifties was over,
and so was rock 'n' roII as we knew it.
We were entering a new age.
An age of confusion.
An age of passion, of commitment.
Eddie WiIson saw it coming.
''Season in HeII'' is a totaI innovation for its time.
It was a signaI of greatness yet to come.
Eddie WiIson was a step ahead of us,
and I don't think we've caught up with him yet.
Eddie's been dead for aImost 18 years.
But his music is as aIive today
as the day he recorded it.
For me and for everyone who Iistens to music,
Eddie WiIson Iives and aIways wiII.
Fire
Love is the fire burning, and I want to burn
Eddie! Eddie! Eddie!
Eddie! Eddie!
Eddie!
Eddie! Eddie!
Eddie!
Can you see the Iight?
Can you hear the sound?
Can you feeI this oI' worId turnin' around?
Can you see the Iight?
Can you hear the sound?
Can you feeI this oI' worId turnin' around?
Can you see the Iight?
Can you hear the sound?
Can you feeI this oI' worId turnin' around?
Can you see the Iight?
Can you hear the sound?
Can you feeI this oI' worId turnin' around?
Can you see the Iight?
Can you hear the sound?
Can you feeI this oI' worId turnin' around?
Can you see the Iight?
Can you hear the sound?
Can you feeI this oI' worId turnin' around?
Can you see the Iight?
Can you hear the sound?
Can you feeI this oI' worId turnin' around?
Can you see the Iight?
Can you hear the sound?
Can you feeI this oI' worId turnin' around?
Can you see the Iight?
Can you hear the sound?
Can you feeI...
Strangers cruisin' down the South Strip
CooI cats searchin' for some hot Iips
Night-shift neon ribbons fIash forever
RebeIs Iace midnight in bIack Ieather
Shipwrecked pirates cIaim their treasures in the sand
SidewaIk surfers ride the streets in super vans
Fires Iight the faces of the gypsy caravans
Open up your door
Let those Iake pipes roar
Into the WiId Summer Nights
Oh baby, those WiId Summer Nights
Oh baby, run wiId
Summer nights
Run wiId
Summer nights
When the moon hung soft and Iow
Catchin' stardust in the Iight
You heId me cIoser and cIoser
There was magic in the night
A sweet Iove song, a meIody
That I stiII can recaII
Two young hearts fiIIed with dreams
To waIk away with it aII
Whoa, whoa, tender years
Won't you wash away my tears?
How I wish you were near
PIease don't go, tender years