Billy Squier wrote “Lonely Is the Night” in 1980–1981, drawing inspiration from his personal experiences with isolation and the fear of solitude rather than the excesses of rock stardom. Squier described the song as capturing the feeling of being alone in a room, “scared to death of having to go out and find something,” emphasizing universal emotional vulnerability over typical rock clichés.
The track was recorded at The Power Station in New York and Musicland Studios in Munich, with production co-handled by Squier and Reinhold Mack, known for his work with Queen. Mack’s involvement refined the song’s hard rock sound, adding a polished, arena-ready pop appeal while maintaining its driving rhythm and heavy guitar riffs.
Released in 1981 on Squier’s triple-platinum album Don’t Say No, the song served as the opening track on side two. Although it was not released as a commercial single in the US and lacked a music video, it became a major rock radio hit, peaking at number 28 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. It remains a concert staple and is frequently noted for its Led Zeppelin-esque musical style.
[Verse 1]
Lonely is the night when you find yourself alone
Your demons come to light and your mind is not your own
Lonely is the night when there’s no one left to call
You feel the time is right, say, the writing’s on the wall, yeah
[Verse 2]
And it’s a high time to fight when the walls are closing in
A-call it what you like, it’s time you got to win
Lonely, lonely, lonely, your spirit’s sinking down
You find you’re not the only stranger in this town
[Chorus 1]
Red lights, green lights, stop and go jive
Headlines, deadlines jamming your mind
You been stealing shots from the side
Let your feelings go for a ride
[Verse 3]
There’s danger out tonight, the man is on the prowl
Get the dynamite, the boys are set to prowl
Lonely is the night when you hear the voices call
Are you ready for a fight? Do you wanna take it all?
[Chorus 2]
Slowdown, showdown, waiting on line
Showtime, no time, changing your mind
Streets are ringing, march to the sound
Let your secrets follow you down
[Bridge]
Somebody’s watching you, baby, so much you can do
Nobody’s stopping you, baby, from making it too
One glimpse’ll show you now, baby, what the music can do
One kiss’ll show you now, baby, it can happen to you
[Guitar Solo]
[Chorus 3]
No more sleeping, wasting our time
Midnight creeping’s first on our mind
No more lazing around the TV
You’ll go crazy, come out with me
[Outro]
Say you’re lonely?
Come out
Lonely is the night
A-you don’t have to be lonely
Come out
Lonely is the night
