In The Dark

Billy Squier is criminally underrated and this is my personal favorite out of all of his music. This really is a great song both musically and lyrically, just like meaningmasta said. It gets me literally every time I listen to it and it NEVER gets old.

Seriously, Billy Squier is possibly THE most underrated musician of all time. Listening to this and plenty of other songs, it boggles my mind that he never hit it way bigger than he did. Sure, I wouldn't expect him to be ranked up there with bands like Led Zeppelin but I think he at least deserves to be as popular as bands like Def Leppard or Motley Crue, as he's honestly a much better artist than either of them.

This song seems to be about a lover who keeps their relationship a secret. They are taking a "risk" by being involved in a "habit that's hard to break". I'm going to theorize that the relationship probably involves both sex and drugs.

They seem to fear an unpleasant scene more than they do a life of loneliness as their life is "singular". However, when "down in the hole" (possibly the "rabbit hole", a reference to "Alice in Wonderland" and thus a drug reference) they have a hard time suppressing those things within themselves that they try to keep hidden from others, like their loneliness and lust. The altered state is causing them to lose a little control and become less inhibited. The possible drug reference is further reinforced by the suggestion of hallucination "You're never sure if the illusion is real, You pinch yourself".

If my theory about the drug reference has any validity to it, then it seems that the subject, being such a guarded person, would probably want to avoid others knowing about what they're doing and WHO they are doing it with. They would be embarrassed to be associated with them publicly. Meanwhile, the artist seems to point out constant facade the subject puts on around others with the lines "You take no interest, no opinion's too dear, You make the rounds and you try to be so sincere."

The artist asks the subject do they need someone they can trust ("who would tell you no lies"), can they stop making up excuses why they can't ("alibis"), "Will you love me in the dark?".

The line "will you face the fire when you see me there, will you feel the fire" seems to be more of a reference to passion/lust than it is to pain/persecution. So I think the artist is asking the subject if they will succumb to their desires if no one will know but them.

I'm afraid.

Best song of Billy Squier's, and no comments?

great song, musically and lyrically. billy squier had some great songs, talented, but he is underrated these days.

yes he is underrated and it piss me off ,fuck them he's very great

I've heard this song many times over the years, but I listened to it recently and was really amazed by the depth of it. Like so much of good art, it is meant to be perceived in different ways. In one sense, it really touches the heart of existential isloation, a compelling invitation to leave the tragic world of human avoidance and find something real in the unknown and uncertain. Just beautiful, the passion and desperation in his voice, really good stuff.

In the dark...with dark meaning "secret". This is about a proposition of some sort and it's secret. But someone is guarded, timid or scared and has secrets and is afraid or fearful of being exposed. So they will continue even if they have to "trade it all to avoid an unpleasant scene"?

Being challenged to do something in the dark (secret)? Will they do it and face the fire?

It's pretty deep....will come back to this one.

He could come out with this now and it be 100 X's better than the crap out today. Awesome vocals and lyrics...

Recently rediscovered this gem after growing up in the 80s. Billy is way underrated. My take on this, my fave song of his: it's about the dual nature in all of us, the light side that we try to present versus the dark. There's a dark side that we all have, but we try to keep it in the dark.

after years of hearing this,and the emotion he puts in it, aligned with his image and other songs, I consider that it might mean he's gay. In the DARK?(closet) and this is not judgmental, for I have my own 'in the dark' encounters from time to time