Quick Hit
Sister Christian, Night Ranger (1984)
I had this 45 (rpm record) in 1978 with the song “I'm Gonna Take Care of Everything”. It was by a band called “Rubicon” and I thought it was very cool. A bit old school sexist, but none-the-less, cool.
The band Rubicon was lead by Jerry Martini, who had cut his teeth in ‘Sly and the Family Stone”. After Rubicon called it quits in 1979, Jack Blades, bassist, and former band mates Kelly Keagy and Brad Gillis, talked off-stage keyboard player for Van Halen, Alan Fitzgerald to join them in a new heavier band.
When Kelly Keagy, who wrote “Sister Christian” was “motoring” or probably just crusting for chicks, in Eugene, Oregon, he was probably thinking of getting out of town. He did eventually – he went to San Francisco and ended up as the drummer in ‘Night Ranger’.
This song was supposedly about Keagy’s younger sister, and how she seemed to grow up fast, when he went back to visit her. He was clearly protective of her and had probably learned a few life lessons of his own by that point.
This song was about change and taking the world by the tail and giving it a whirl. Taken very literally it seems to be about Sister’s virginity; ie: “Don’t give it up so fast” because “There’s so much in life”, so “Don’t give it up before your time is due”. I don’t think it should quite be interpreted so literally as it seems to be more about life choices we make and what a huge impact they have on us. On the other hand if we never take a risk, life will pass us by all the same.
Although Night Ranger put out several albums, no song ever did as well as “Sister Christian”
At the beginning of the MTV era it was just about the end of the 45 rpm record era. This ‘power ballad’ was one of the last 45 singles I think I bought. The CD, although it had been invented in 1965, was starting to surface as the mainstream medium for music. Some people put away their turntables forever – and some did not!
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