"Sister Christian" is a

power ballad A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romance (love), romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in a poignant but solemn m ...

by the American hard rock band

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, ...

. It was released in March 1984 as the second single from their album '' Midnight Madness''. It was ranked No. 32 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the 1980s. It was written and sung by the band's drummer,

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 Str ...

, for his sister. It was the band's biggest hit, peaking at number five on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and staying on the charts for 24 weeks. It also reached No. 1 in Canada. The song is used in several films, including during the drug deal scene in

Paul Thomas Anderson Paul Thomas Anderson (born June 26, 1970), also known by his initials PTA, is an American filmmaker. He made his feature-film debut with '' Hard Eight'' (1996). He found critical and commercial success with ''Boogie Nights'' (1997) and received ...

's film '' Boogie Nights'', in the 2009 reboot of '' Friday the 13th'', and in the 1999 comedy ''

Superstar A superstar is someone who has great popular appeal and is widely known, prominent, or successful in their field. Celebrities referred to as "superstars" may include individuals who work as actors, musicians, athletes, and other media-based profe ...

'' starring

Molly Shannon Molly Helen Shannon (born September 16, 1964) is an American actress and comedian who was a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1995 to 2001. In 2017, she won the Film Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in ...

Origin and meaning

The song is about Keagy's little sister, Christy. Keagy wrote the song at his apartment, near Divisadero and California Streets in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

, after he had just returned from a visit to his hometown of Eugene, Oregon. He had been struck by how fast his teenaged sister, 10 years younger than he was, was growing up. "After we started playing it a lot, Jack turned to me and said, 'What exactly are you saying? Keagy recalled. "He thought the words were Sister Christian, instead of Sister Christy, so it just stuck." The lyric, "You're motoring. What's your price for flight? In finding Mr. Right?" is the subject of much debate. The band stated in a

VH-1 VH1 (originally an initialism of Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network based in New York City and owned by Paramount Global. It was created by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of Warner Communi ...

Behind the Music ''Behind the Music'' is a documentary television series on VH1. Each episode profiles and interviews a popular musical artist or group. The program examines the beginning of their career, their road to success, and the hardships they may have ...

'' interview that the term "motoring" was synonymous with the term " cruising".

Differences between album version and 7" single version

On the single version, part of the second chorus is omitted. More specifically, the words "You've got him in your sight. And driving through the night," are omitted from the single version. The third chorus is repeated once on the album version, but never on the single.

Music video

The music video (which uses the shorter single version) was filmed within

San Rafael High School San Rafael High School is a public high school located at 150 Third St. in San Rafael, California, United States. The school is part of the San Rafael City Schools school district. Its official nickname is the Bulldog; however, its athletic team ...

Other versions

A newly recorded acoustic version of the song was produced for the band's ninth album, ''Hole in the Sun''. A medley at the beginning of the movie ''

Rock of Ages Rock of Ages may refer to: Films * ''Rock of Ages'' (1918 film), a British silent film by Bertram Phillips * ''Rock of Ages'' (2012 film), a film adaptation of the jukebox musical (see below) Music * ''Rock of Ages'' (musical), a 2006 rock ...

'' starts with a cover of this song. ''

Glee Glee means delight, a form of happiness. Glee may also refer to: * Glee (music), a type of English choral music * ''Glee'' (TV series), an American musical comedy-drama TV series, and related media created by Ryan Murphy * ''Glee'' (Bran Van 30 ...

'' covered the song in its Season Four premiere episode, "

The New Rachel "The New Rachel" is the premiere episode of the fourth season of the American musical television series '' Glee'', and the sixty-seventh episode overall. Written by Ryan Murphy and directed by Brad Falchuk, it aired on Fox in the United States ...

". It was sung by junior student Brody Weston (portrayed by

Dean Geyer Dean Stanley Geyer (born 20 March 1986) is a South African Australian singer-songwriter, actor and martial artist who finished third in the 2006 season of the talent show television series ''Australian Idol'', and has had a notable role in the ...

) in the co-ed bathrooms of NYADA. The poultry company Foster Farms covered the song with singing chickens.

Jensen Ackles Jensen Ross Ackles (born March 1, 1978) is an American actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Dean Winchester in The WB/ CW dark fantasy drama series ''Supernatural'' (2005–2020) and appearing in television series such as NBC's ''Days o ...

covered the song at VegasCon 2015 ''Salute to Supernatural Las Vegas 2015'', with the band Louden Swain, and

Rob Benedict Robert Patrick Benedict (born September 21, 1970) is an American stage, film and television actor and writer. His 25 year career includes more than 70 television and movie credits. He is best known for his work on the television series '' Supe ...

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 ...

– bass-guitar, 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 me ...

– guitars, backing vocals * Jeff Watson – synth *

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 ...

– piano *

– drums, lead vocals ;Production *Pat Glasser – producer *John Van Nest – engineer *

Brian Gardner Brian Knapp Gardner, also known as Brian "Big Bass" Gardner, is an American mastering engineer. He has worked on a number of recordings since the mid-1960s, including classic rock, funk, disco, alternative rock, R&B, hip hop, pop punk and dance- ...

– mastering

Chart performance

References

{{Authority control 1983 songs 1984 singles 1980s ballads Glam metal ballads MCA Records singles Epic Records singles Night Ranger songs RPM Top Singles number-one singles