Music, Vintage Bin

Car Trouble: DeBarge, “Rhythm of the Night”

Posted by: Johnny Loftus on January 11, 2008 at 3:00 pm

debargerhythmofthenight.jpg
The overdubbed engine revs and skidding tires really gives DeBarge’s intro for “Rhythm of the Night” a sense of foreboding. It’ll all lead to a dance party in the street, and everyone will raise their arms to the sky in unison; we know this. But at first it’s like, “Hey, is that dude on the phone about to get whacked by a speeding vehicle?”

As it turns out (at :18 seconds, to be exact), that car is not full of hitmen but DeBarge themselves, that finger-popping family from Grand Rapids, Mich., and they’re driving their way into your life. Watch out! And wait until the chorus, after the guy on the phone has found a friend for the evening. Look at those DeBarge brothers (and sister; don’t forget about Bunny) mug for the camera!

The video devolves into sequences typical of the era — choreographed dances featuring people who are supposed to have been inspired by the silky grooves of DeBarge to give up their humdrum existence and dance the night away; lots of skipping in unison; and the finale, where El DeBarge tries his damndest to make lip-synching an extended high note look cool. He might have succeeded, too, were it not for that outfit. So many belts and scarves; the mind boggles. — Johnny Loftus

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[tags]DeBarge, El DeBarge, Grand Rapids, Rhythm of the Night, Bunny DeBarge[/tags]

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