Half a century after England Dan & John Ford Coley had their first major hit with “I’d Really Love to See You Tonight," the soft rock duo is often remembered as a one-hit wonder...but in fact, the pair had four Top 10 singles in the same number of years, and it's another one of the act's chart-toppers that might be their most heartbreaking.
Released as the second single from their album Nights Are Forever, "Nights Are Forever Without You" didn't climb quite as high on the charts as "I'd Really Love to See You Tonight," which peaked at #1 on the US. Billboard Adult Contemporary Charts and #2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. "Nights Are Forever Without You" did, however, make it all the way to #10 on the Hot 100 and #6 on the Adult Contemporary Charts, according to Classic Rock History, and with good reason. Anybody who's ever spent a long, sleepless night missing someone they love can relate to these lyrics:
"Lying in bed with the radio on / Moonlight falls like rain / Soft summer nights spent thinking of you / When will I see you again?"
Written by Nashville songwriter Parker McGee, the song goes on to detail the heartache of lost romance:
"Thinking 'bout you / I didn't know it would be so strong / Waiting and wondering about you / I didn't know it would last so long / Nights are forever without you"
The sad, sentimental tune helped to solidify England Dan & John Ford Coley's status as '70s soft rock icons, with the pair telling the Los Angeles Times in 1979 that the popularity of "Nights Are Forever Without You" made them feel more secure in their success following the rapid rise of "I'd Really Love to See You Tonight."
Just a couple of years later, singer Buck Owens covered "Nights Are Forever Without You." His version was a country hit, peaking at #27 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in 1978.
John Ford Coley trained as a classical pianist
Interestingly enough, Coley didn't set out to be a soft rock star...or any other kind of star, though he trained as a classical pianist.
"I thought I was probably going to go into law or construction, whichever job opportunity came up first. That, or a cowboy," he explained in a 2024 interview with InFocusVisions Music & Arts Magazine.
"So, when the music thing happened…I’ll tell you a story…the thing that really spurred me on," Coley continued. "We were playing in the band in high school and in college. So, I’m in college and I don’t have a piano up there. I’m not really practicing the way I should so when I came in for rehearsal the band told me I was about to be fired because I wasn’t progressing the way I needed to be. I was pretty upset by it."
"So, the next morning I’m going to school and I’m pretty upset," he recalled. "And, I’ve heard audible voices in my life three times. That was the first time. I dang near drove off the road it scared me so bad. I think I’m going crazy. What I heard was, 'I gave you the gift. What you do with the gift is up to you but if you don’t use the gift I will take it from you and I will give it to someone who will.' At that point I became excessively driven and very serious about music. It saved me from being a bag boy at a grocery store. I became very serious about it and I’ve continued to be ever since."
Related: 1983 Soft Rock Hit That Became a Timeless Ode to Lost Love Is Based on a True Story
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