Quick: who had the highest charting success with Bruce Springsteen and Patti Smith’s “Because the Night?”
If you answered either Bruce or Patti, you’re wrong (in the U.S., at least).
The honor goes to 10,000 Maniacs, who took the song to #11 in 1994, two notches higher than Patti Smith’s 1978 original.
10,000 Maniacs recorded the song live during their MTV Unplugged performance in 1993, just before Natalie Merchant left the band to go solo. To this day, it remains their greatest hit.
But what do you do when your greatest hit comes right at the moment when your lead singer quits?
You go on, of course. The band hired Mary Ramsey to replace Natalie Merchant, and while the band never again achieved the level of popularity they had with Merchant, they still command a loyal following to this day.
In fact, 10,000 Maniacs released a second official release of “Because the Night,” this time with Ramsey on lead vocals and viola, and it’s pretty great. In fact, I like it even better than Merchant’s version.
10,000 Maniac still performs “Because the Night” in concert, and it’s become a highlight of their shows. I’ll leave you with a great video from one of their most recent shows, at Mohegan Sun Casino on February 6, 2020.
