Songoftheday 8/21/17 - Why be afraid if I'm not alone, life is never easy the rest is unknown...

"Coming Out Of The Dark" - Gloria Estefan
from the album Into The Light (1991)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 (two weeks)
Weeks in the Top-40: 14

Today's song of the day comes from Cuban-American singer/songwriter Gloria Estefan, whose first solo-billed album Cuts Both Ways had landed her five pop hits on the Hot 100, including three that made the top-40 with "Here We Are", "Get On Your Feet", and the #1 single "Don't Wanna Lose You". However, when she was touring behind the album, her bus was hit by a truck, sending Gloria into the hospital in critical condition, requiring surgery and left her with two metal rods in her back. After almost a year in therapy, she re-emerged, not only to continue her tour, but with a new album, Into The Light, in the winter of 1991. The first single was an inspirational anthem that drew strength from her struggle to recover from the accident. "Coming Out Of The Dark", written by Gloria with husband Emilio and backup singer Jon Secada (who would have his own solo career come to pass in short time), was dramatic but not maudlin, and proved to be one of her "signature" songs...

"Coming Out Of The Dark" became Gloria's third (and so far most recent) #1 pop hit in the U.S. in March of 1991. The single also topped Billboard's Adult Contemporary (or "easy listening") radio chart for two weeks, and was her fourth and final single to cross over to their R&B chart at #60. Internationally, the song went to #1 in Canada for a week, and reached the top-40 in Belgium (#10), the Netherlands (#11), Ireland (#16), the UK (#25), New Zealand (#26), and Switzerland (#28). The "B-Side" of the single, the Spanish version "Desde la Oscuridad", climbed to #4 on Billboard's Latin Songs chart.

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Here's Gloria's triumphant return to the stage at the American Music Awards in January of 1991 to debut the song...