Billy Squier had already put in his dues with the band Piper before setting off on his own solo career. His debut album, The Tale of the Tape, was a solid collection of pop tunes and memorable guitar riffs but it failed to make the connection with the audiences who embraced Squier with his second album, Don’t Say No, which featured the same bulletproof formula. Hits such as “The Stroke” and “My Kinda Lover” made the radio a better place in the early ‘80s and set the tone for much of the glam metal that would take Squier’s place within a few years. AOR also put “In the Dark,” “Lonely Is the Night” and “Whadda You Want From Me” into heavy rotation. However, even the lesser known tunes, “Nobody Knows,” a ballad in memory of John Lennon, who had just been killed, and “I Need You” express deeply moving sentiments that should’ve led Squier to a longer, much more varied career.