''Big Life'' is the fourth studio album by

Night Ranger Night Ranger is an American hard rock band from San Francisco formed in 1979 that gained popularity during the 1980s with a series of albums and singles. Guitarist Brad Gillis and drummer Kelly Keagy have been the band's only constant members, ...

, released in 1987. It featured the single " The Secret of My Success", which was written for the 1987 film of the same name starring

Michael J. Fox Michael Andrew Fox (born June 9, 1961), known professionally as Michael J. Fox, is a Canadian-American retired actor. Beginning his career in the 1970s, he rose to prominence portraying Alex P. Keaton on the NBC sitcom ''Family Ties'' (1 ...

. The single flopped, stalling outside the Top 40, peaking at No. 64. It was a top twenty hit on the

Mainstream Rock Chart Mainstream Rock is a music chart in '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations in the United States, a category that combines the formats of active rock and heritage rock. The chart was launched i ...

though, hitting number 12 and was one of the most played videos in the spring of 1987 on

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

. "Hearts Away" was the second single/video and peaked at No. 90 on the Hot 100 chart. The third single/video, "Color of Your Smile" failed to chart in the U.S. at all. This album would be the last to feature soon-to-depart original keyboardist

Alan Fitzgerald Francis Alan Fitzgerald (born July 16, 1949) is an American musician. A multi-instrumentalist, he is best known as the second bassist of Montrose and as keyboardist for Night Ranger. He has also performed with Gamma, and former Montrose bandmat ...

until his return to the band a decade later for the ''

Neverland Neverland is a fictional island featured in the works of J. M. Barrie and those based on them. It is an imaginary faraway place where Peter Pan, Tinker Bell, Captain Hook, the Lost Boys, and some other imaginary beings and creatures live. Altho ...

'' album.

Track listing

Personnel

;Night Ranger *

Jack Blades Jack Martin Blades (born April 24, 1954) is an American rock musician. He has worked in the bands Rubicon, Night Ranger (as bassist and one of the lead vocalists), and Damn Yankees (as one of the founding members). He has also recorded with To ...

– bass, lead and backing vocals *

Brad Gillis Bradley Frank Gillis (born 15 June 1957) is a guitarist most famous for playing with the band Night Ranger. He was in the band Rubicon during the 1970s before Night Ranger. Since forming in 1979, Gillis and drummer Kelly Keagy are the only membe ...

– guitars, backing vocals * Jeff Watson – guitars *

– keyboards *

Kelly Keagy Kelly Dean Keagy (born September 15, 1952) is an American drummer and co-lead vocalist, best known for his work with Night Ranger. Keagy sang lead vocals on several of their hits, such as "Sister Christian", "Sing Me Away", and "Sentimental Stre ...

– drums, percussion, lead and backing vocals ;Additional musicians *

David Foster David Walter Foster (born November 1, 1949) is a Canadian musician, composer, arranger, record producer and music executive who chaired Verve Records from 2012 to 2016. He has won 16 Grammy Awards from 47 nominations. His music career spans mor ...

– additional keyboards on "The Secret of My Success" *

Kevin Chalfant Kevin Chalfant is an American singer and a native of Streator, Illinois. He obtained a BMI award for co-writing and singing on one of the most frequently aired rock radio hits of 1992 and 1993, "I've Got a Lot to Learn About Love", by The St ...

– additional backing vocals *

Bill Champlin William Bradford Champlin (born May 21, 1947) is an American singer, musician, arranger, producer, and songwriter. He formed the band Sons of Champlin in 1965, which still performs today, and was a member of the band Chicago from 1981–2009. H ...

– additional backing vocals on "The Secret of My Success" ;Production *Kevin Elson – producer, engineer, mixing *David Foster - producer/arranger on "Secret of My Success" *Wally Buck – engineer *Rick Hulbrook, Tom Size – additional engineering on "The Secret of My Success" *David Thoener – mixing *Frank Pekoc – mixing assistant

Charts

Album

Singles

Certifications

References

{{Authority control Night Ranger albums 1987 albums MCA Records albums Albums produced by Kevin Elson