ROCK MOMENT – .38 Special ‘Rockin’ Into The Night’
In the late 1970s, .38 Special was a Southern rock band on the rise, led buy Donnie Van Zandt and guitarist Don Barnes. But even with talent and drive, they hadn’t quite cracked the national spotlight. That changed — thanks to a song that wasn’t even written for them.
The story begins with Survivor, the band best known for their later hit ‘Eye of the Tiger.’ Back in 1979, Survivor was a brand-new act trying to find their sound. Their guitarist Jim Peterik and keyboardist Frankie Sullivan were working on a tune that blended hard rock energy with a pop melody– a track called ‘Rockin’ Into The Night.’
Survivor recorded a demo of the song, but their label didn’t like it. They felt the track didn’t fit Survivor’s image and shelved it. Peterik later recalled being frustrated, but the label had other ideas — instead of discarding the song, they passed it on to a band that they thought could use it.
That band was .38 Special.
At the time, .38 Special had just finished their second album, ‘Special Delivery,’ which hadn’t made much of a commercial splash. When they heard ‘Rockin’ Into the Night,’ they were hooked. The driving riff, anthemic chorus, and infectious energy felt like a perfect match for their evolving blend of Southern rock and arena-ready melodies.
.38 Special reworked the arrangement slightly, making it edgier and more guitar -driven, and recorded it for their third album, also titled ‘Rockin’ Into the Night.’ When the single was released in 1980, it became the band’s first big it, peaking at #43 on the Billboard Hot 100 and propelling the alum into the national charts.
Jim Peterik was thrilled the song found a home. He went on to write or co-write many hits for both Survivor and other artists, but he often pointed to ‘Rockin’ Into the Night’ as a special moment — a rejected song that lit the fuse for two bands’ careers in different ways.
