"Sunglasses at Night" is sung by Canadian pop-rock artist Corey Hart. The song was released in 1984 as the lead single from his debut album *First Offense* on Aquarius Records. Hart wrote the song himself, and it became a defining track of the decade, reaching #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 in Canada.
If you landed here because you heard the song somewhere and couldn't place the artist, or you're trying to settle a debate — the answer is Corey Hart, not Timbuk3, not Corey Feldman, and not any of the artists who later covered it.
Key Takeaways
– Artist: Corey Hart (Canadian singer-songwriter)
– Song title: "Sunglasses at Night" (often misquoted as "I Wear My Sunglasses at Night")
– Released: 1984, from the album *First Offense*
– Peak chart position: #7 Billboard Hot 100, #1 in Canada
– Written by: Corey Hart
– Inspired by: A pair of Ray-Ban Wayfarers and a late-night drive
– Notable covers: Tiga (2001 electronic remix), The Local Band featuring Alexi Laiho (2015)
– Music video: Widely circulated on MTV during the height of the MTV era
Corey Hart: The Man Behind the Shades
Corey Hart was born in Montreal, Quebec, and grew up partly in the Bahamas and Mexico before returning to Canada. He signed with Aquarius Records and released *First Offense* in 1984. The album's title itself signals the rebellious, slightly dangerous tone Hart was going for — and "Sunglasses at Night" delivered exactly that.
Hart has described the song's creation as instinctive. In interviews with American Songwriter, he explained that he never considered failure an option when writing it: *"I suppose this part of the formula actually played in my favor because I never factored in failure as a viable option."*
That confidence translated directly into the song's attitude. Hart wore his Wayfarers in the music video, and the image stuck — the guy in shades became his visual signature.
What the Song Is Actually About
The lyrics are more layered than the hook suggests. On the surface, it's about a man who refuses to take off his sunglasses at night — a defiant, almost absurdist image. But Hart has pointed to deeper themes:
– Surveillance and control: The narrator wears sunglasses to shield himself from being watched, tracked, or manipulated.
– Emotional armor: The shades function as a barrier against a woman who uses her looks to control him ("she got eyes that cut you like a knife").
– Rebellion against conformity: Wearing sunglasses at night is a deliberate refusal to comply with social norms.
The full lyrics at Genius show a narrator who is hyperaware of being observed and chooses opacity as his defense. It's a Cold War-era anxiety dressed up in new wave pop.
How "Sunglasses at Night" Performed on the Charts
The song's chart run was strong and sustained, not just a one-week spike.
The single chart performance helped *First Offense* go platinum in Canada and gold in the United States. For a debut album from a relatively unknown Canadian artist, that was a significant commercial result.
What most SERP pages skip: the song's longevity on radio. It wasn't just a chart hit — it became a staple of '80s radio programming and has remained in rotation on classic hits stations for four decades. That staying power is what keeps people searching for it today.
The Music Video and MTV's Role
The official music video was a product of its era — moody, cinematic, and built around Hart's image as the blade guy in shades. MTV was at peak cultural influence in 1984, and the video received heavy rotation.
The visual of Hart in sunglasses at night became so iconic that it outlasted the song's chart run. It's the kind of image that gets referenced in pop culture retrospectives, Halloween costumes, and "best of the '80s" lists without needing explanation.
The music video also helped cement the song's identity as a night wear anthem — the aesthetic of sunglasses after dark, which had previously been associated mainly with celebrities avoiding paparazzi, became a mainstream style statement.
Covers, Samples, and Media Appearances
"Sunglasses at Night" has had a long second life through covers and licensing.
Tiga's 2001 Electronic Cover
Montreal DJ Tiga released an electronic/dance version in 2001 that introduced the song to a new generation. It charted in several European countries and became a fixture in clubs, proving the hook was strong enough to survive a complete genre transplant.
The Local Band (2015)
In 2015, the Finnish hard rock supergroup The Local Band released a cover featuring Alexi Laiho — best known as the guitarist and vocalist of Children of Bodom. This is the cover that surprises most people: a Finnish metal act covering a Canadian new wave pop song. It works because the song's defiant energy translates across genres. Laiho's involvement gave it credibility in the hard rock world, and it introduced Hart's original to listeners who had never encountered the 1984 version.
This is the version that often surfaces in lyric contest discussions and various artists compilations focused on '80s covers.
Film and TV Licensing
The song has appeared in multiple films and television shows, most notably *Deadpool* (2016), where it was used to comic effect. That placement alone drove a significant spike in streams and searches — which is likely why you're here if you're under 35.
Why People Misquote the Title
The actual title is "Sunglasses at Night." The phrase "I wear my sunglasses at night" comes from the chorus lyric, not the official title. This is a common pattern with '80s songs — people remember the hook, not the title card.
Other frequently misattributed versions:
– "I Wear My Sunglasses at Night" — the lyric, not the title
– Attributed to Timbuk3 — wrong artist (Timbuk3 did "The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades," a different sunglasses song from the same era)
– Attributed to various artists on streaming playlists — cover versions sometimes appear without clear attribution
If you're searching for the original, look for Corey Hart on the *First Offense* album (1984).
What Makes "Sunglasses at Night" Stand Out From Other '80s Songs
The '80s produced dozens of songs with a similar new wave pop structure. What separates this one:
The hook is genuinely strange. Wearing sunglasses at night is not aspirational in any conventional sense. It's odd. That oddness is memorable in a way that straightforward love songs aren't.
The production holds up. The synth arrangement doesn't sound as dated as many contemporaries. It has enough guitar texture to avoid being purely synthetic.
The image is portable. Unlike songs tied to a specific cultural moment (think "Safety Dance" by Men Without Hats, which is inseparable from its video), "Sunglasses at Night" can be stripped of its '80s context and still function as a song about defiance and self-protection.
It crossed genre lines repeatedly. From new wave to electronic to hard rock — few songs from 1984 have been covered across that range.
FAQ
Is "Sunglasses at Night" the same as "The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades"?
No. These are two different songs by two different artists. "The Future's So Bright" is by Timbuk3 (1986). "Sunglasses at Night" is by Corey Hart (1984). Both involve sunglasses, which is why they get confused, but they have nothing else in common musically or thematically.
Did Corey Hart write "Sunglasses at Night" himself?
Yes. Hart wrote the song entirely on his own. It appeared on his debut album *First Offense*, released on Aquarius Records in 1984.
Why does the Deadpool movie use "Sunglasses at Night"?
The 2016 *Deadpool* film used the song during a scene that played on the absurdity of wearing sunglasses in an inappropriate context — which matched the song's original spirit. The placement introduced the track to a much younger audience and drove a measurable increase in streams.
Who is Alexi Laiho and why did he cover this song?
Alexi Laiho was the guitarist and vocalist of the Finnish metal band Children of Bodom. In 2015, he participated in The Local Band, a Finnish hard rock supergroup that released a cover of "Sunglasses at Night." The cover was notable because of the genre contrast — metal musicians covering a new wave pop song — and because Laiho was a respected figure in the hard rock world. Laiho passed away in December 2020.
Where can I read the full lyrics?
The complete lyrics are available at AZLyrics and Genius, both of which include annotations explaining the song's themes.
Has Corey Hart continued making music?
Hart stepped back from the music industry in the 1990s to focus on family life. He returned to touring and recording in the 2010s, releasing new material and performing the classic catalog. "Sunglasses at Night" remains the centerpiece of his live shows.
Conclusion
The answer to "who sings I wear my sunglasses at night" is Corey Hart, a Canadian artist who released the song in 1984 as the lead single from *First Offense*. The song reached #7 in the US and #1 in Canada, became an MTV staple, and has since been covered across genres from electronic to hard rock.
If you're deciding which version to listen to: start with the official music video for the original experience, then check out Tiga's 2001 remix if you want the electronic take. The Local Band's 2015 version with Alexi Laiho is worth hearing if you come from a rock background — it's the most surprising cover and the one that reveals how durable the song's core actually is.
The song has outlasted its era because the image at its center — a person who refuses to let the world see their eyes — is not specific to 1984. It's a posture that makes sense in any decade.