Crazy In The Night (Barking At Airplanes)

Crazy in the Night (Barking at Airplanes): Kim Carnes and the Restless Summer of 1985

Four years after Bette Davis Eyes turned her into one of the biggest names in pop, Kim Carnes was still very much in the game, and the summer of 1985 found her climbing the charts again with a song that built on everything that had made her famous: that extraordinary raspy voice, a production that leaned into synthesizers and big reverb, and lyrics that captured a specific emotional electricity. Crazy in the Night (Barking at Airplanes) was proof that the connection she had made with her audience in 1981 was not a one-time accident.

Where Carnes Stood in 1985

The mid-1980s were competitive terrain for artists who had broken through in the new wave era. MTV had changed everything; your image was now as much of a factor as your voice, and the synthesizer-heavy production that had felt fresh in 1981 was beginning to feel expected. Carnes navigated this with a sound that remained recognizably hers while keeping pace with the production evolution happening around her. Crazy in the Night arrived from the album Barking at Airplanes, which itself carried a title with a certain wild, nocturnal energy.

The Sound and the Title

The full title is deliberate in its imagery. Barking at airplanes is a thing dogs do: they respond to something large and distant and impossible to reach with noise and urgency, compelled by instinct even when the gesture seems futile. That image of restless, slightly absurd yearning runs through the song's emotional core. The production leans on the synthesizer textures common to mid-1980s pop while leaving room for the gritty quality of Carnes's vocal, which sits in sharp and interesting contrast to the glossy arrangement around it.

The Chart Climb

The song debuted at number 65 on May 11, 1985, and proceeded to climb steadily over the following weeks, peaking at number 15 on July 13, 1985. The total chart run of 16 weeks was substantial, the kind of extended presence that suggests a song finding new audiences through radio rotation long after its initial moment of attention. Sixteen weeks on the Hot 100 during the competitive summer of 1985, one of the most crowded pop seasons of the decade, is a genuine achievement that goes beyond the peak position alone.

The Summer 1985 Context

The summer of 1985 was extraordinary by any measure. We Are the World was still in heavy rotation, the Live Aid concerts were redefining what pop could do philanthropically, and the charts were packed with artists at the absolute top of their powers. For Carnes to place a single at number 15 in that environment, and to sustain it for four months, speaks to both the quality of the record and the loyalty of her audience. Her peak of 15 came in mid-July, right in the thick of summer's most competitive period.

Legacy and the Carnes Catalog

In the broader sweep of Kim Carnes's career, Crazy in the Night deserves more credit than it typically receives. It is not Bette Davis Eyes, nothing could be, but it is a complete, fully realized pop single from an artist working at a high level with a distinctive aesthetic. The voice remains startling, the production captures its moment well, and the emotional image of barking at airplanes has a staying power that most chart fodder from 1985 cannot claim. Put it on loud and let Carnes remind you what a great rock-pop voice sounds like.

“Crazy in the Night (Barking at Airplanes)” — Kim Carnes's singular moment on the 1980s charts.