"Four in the Morning (I Can't Take It Anymore)" by Night Ranger

Song#:  2435
Date:  08/24/1985
Debut:  66
Peak:  19
Weeks:  13
Genre:  Rock



Pop Bits:  Night Ranger got their second Top 10 Pop hit with the big ballad "Sentimental Street," the first single from their album 7 Wishes. For a follow-up, this more upbeat track was selected for release. It would do well at Rock getting to #13 while becoming the band's fourth Top 20 Pop entry. The hit would help the album continue to sell and by November it would be certified platinum.

ReduxReview:  While not an excessively strong song, this one was a pretty good choice to follow up "Street." Originally seen as just "Four in the Morning" on the album, the subtitle was added for single release most likely because that chorus line was more recognizable than the actual title. It was a tactic used to help DJs, radio listeners, and record buyers remember and request the song and it seemed to work. The song leans a little towards the pop/rock style of 38 Special, but maybe not quite as catchy. I originally thought it was lower Top 40 material so it surprised me when it got to #19.

ReduxRating:  6/10

Trivia: This song was written and sung by band member Jack Blades. Inspiration for the title came when Blades suddenly woke up at four in the morning with a song idea in his head. The chorus, which starts "I can't take anymore," immediately came to him and he though it was pretty good. However, he didn't want to title the song after that first line of the chorus and started to think about a better title. That's when his inspirational wake up time of four in the morning came to mind and he used that as the title and the opening line of the song. This isn't the first song that was titled after the time of its inspiration and/or writing and its not the most famous one either. That would most likely be Chicago's 1970 #4 hit "25 or 6 to 4." Robert Lamm's ode to writing a song in the middle of the night got its chorus-ending title when he checked his watch at one point during the writing of the song and it was around 25 or 26 minutes to 4 in the morning.  Hmmm...four a.m. seems to be a good time to write a hit song for some folks!

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