#3: Boy In The Box by Corey Hart

City: Montreal, PQ
Radio Station: CKGM
Peak Month: October 1985
Peak Position in Montreal ~ #1
Peak position in Vancouver ~ #7
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ #26
YouTube: “Boy In The Box”
Lyrics: “Boy In The Box”

Corey Hart was born in 1962 in Montreal, Quebec. He is best known for his international Top Ten hits “Sunglasses at Night” (#7 Billboard Hot 100) and “Never Surrender” (#3 Billboard Hot 100). Hart is known as one of Canada’s most successful singer-songwriters. He’s sold over 16 million records worldwide. On the Billboard Hot 100 Hart scored 9 consecutive Top 40 Hits. Back in Canada he succeeded in charting 30 top 40 singles (including 11 Top 10 singles during his career). Hart is a Grammy Nominated, ASCAP & multiple Juno and ADISQ award winner. He has also written and produced several songs for fellow Quebec recording star Celine Dion.

Though he was born in Montreal, Hart grew up variously in Key Biscayne, Florida, Mexico City and Spain. During his childhood he became fluent in English, French and Spanish. His first time as a performer was in front of UK singer Tom Jones, when eleven year-old Hart sang the Michael Jackson tune “Ben”. In 1980 Hart was one of Canada’s entries at the World Popular Song Festival in Tokyo. While there he met fellow Canadian entry, Dan Hill, along with American recording artist Christopher Cross (“Sailing”).

In 1981, Corey Hart heard Billy Joel in concert in Montreal and contacted Joel. Joel was impressed with Hart’s virtuosity on drums, guitar, vocals, piano and as well as a songwriter. Hart went to Long Island to record some demos at Joel’s recording studio in Oyster Bay. In 1982 Hart recorded his debut album, First Offense, in the UK. Hart had the humbling experience of Canadian listeners only being interested in his music if he could break into the US record market.

In 1984 “Sunglasses At Night” peaked at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100. It only climbed to #24 on the Canadian RPM charts, #11 in Montreal, #13 in Toronto and got airplay, but no chart run, in Vancouver. (The latter was a big surprise to this writer). The song became a Top 20 hit in Australia, New Zealand and Germany. With international fame, Canadians warmed up to Hart as one of their own. Suddenly, things changed and Hart was a pop star. He later recalled:

“In retrospect, I was totally unprepared for the fan adulation. I really couldn’t go out anywhere without being mobbed or chased by my fans. The transformation from unknown artist to rock star was surreal and overwhelming. The power of video certainly played a key role. It was the same for many artists of that decade like Cyndi Lauper, Madonna and George Michael to name but a few.”

In 1984 Corey Hart was nominated for Best Male Vocalist of the Year, Composer of the Year (“Sunglasses At Night”), Single of the Year (“Sunglasses At Night”), and won a Juno for Best Video (“Sunglasses At Night”).

On August 6, 1985, Corey Hart gave a concert in Vancouver at the Pacific Coliseum.

Hart’s second album was titled Boy in the Box. His first single release from the album was “Never Surrender.” The next single release from the album was “Boy in the Box”.

Corey Hart wrote “Boy in the Box”. Hart wrote “Boy in the Box” about James Dean, and what it must have been like living in the public eye as if he were being observed in a box. The lyrics ask “Was the giant sleeping?,” a reference to James Dean’s final role, cast as lead actor in the film Giant. James Dean was born in Marion, Indiana, in 1931. His mother died of cancer when he was nine, and he moved to his aunt’s farm in Fairmount (IN) and was raised in a Quaker household. He was influenced by a local Methodist pastor who had an intimate relationship with James Dean. He later confided in Elizabeth Taylor that he had been abused by the pastor when he was eleven years old. James Dean developed an interest in bullfighting, car racing and theater. Picked in out of 350 in an audition the role of Malcolm in UCLA fall 1950 production of Macbeth, he pursued acting professionally in 1951.

Between 1952 and 1954, James Dean appeared in three Off-Broadway plays and two Broadway plays. One of these, The Immoralist, Dean took the role of Bachir, a young Arab who ends up having an affair with a married archeologist with homosexual instincts (Louis Jordan). In 1954, this was quite risqué. He also appeared in the Off-Broadway production of the Greek tragedy Women of Trachis. As well, James Dean was cast in small roles in five films. In 1955, he was cast in a lead role in East of Eden as a wayward young man who, while seeking his own identity, vies for the affection of his deeply religious father against his favored brother. The film was a loose retelling the story of the Biblical tale of Cain and Abel, (the sons of Adam and Eve, the Biblical first couple who were cast out of the Garden of Eden). The film was released across the USA and Canada on April 10, 1955.

James Dean as Caleb Trask in East of Eden

Dean received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor, losing out to Ernest Borgnine (Marty).

In Rebel Without A Cause, James Dean played teenaged Jim Stark. In Los Angeles during the mid-1950s, teenager Jim Stark is arrested and taken to the juvenile division of a police station for public intoxication. At the station he crosses paths with John “Plato” Crawford, who was brought in for killing a litter of puppies, and Judy, who was brought in for curfew violation. The three separately reveal their innermost frustrations to the officers; all three of them suffer from problems at home. Jim feels anguished by his constantly bickering parents, and later gets caught up in a knife fight and a dangerous game of chicken in a drag race.

James Dean as Jim Stark in Rebel Without A Cause

The film was released on October 27, 1955. Dean was nominated at the British Academy of Film Awards in the Best Foreign Actor category. But he lost to François Périer (France) in the Emile Zola-inspired film Gervaise.

In Giant James Dean played a ranch hand who becomes a powerful oilman. The film was released in November 1956. When Giant was in post-production, James Dean died in a car crash in Cholame, California, when he ran into a 1950 Ford Tudor Sedan. The crash happened on September 30, 1955. He was 24-years-old.

James Dean as Jett Rink in Giant

Posthumously, Dean received his second Best Actor nomination at the 1956 Academy Awards for his role in Giant. He was posthumously given a Special Achievement Award for Best Dramatic Actor from the Golden Globes. In 1956, Dean was awarded a Jussi Award (Finland) for Best Foreign Actor. In 1957, James Dean was awarded a Best Actor at the Bravo Otto ceremonies in West Germany. And in February 1957, Dean posthumously received a Henrietta Award (World Film Favorite) at the Golden Globes. In 1976 a play about a 20-year reunion of a Jimmy Dean all-girl fan club debuted titled Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean. It appeared in 1981 on Broadway, and was made into a film starring Cher in 1982.

The lyrics to “Boy in the Box” ask “What did the rebel say?” (a reference to Dean’s rebellious role as a troubled teen in Rebel Without A Cause). Corey Hart often felt overwhelmed by the attention of the media. Hart presumes, given all the ink spilled by the press since the film icon died 70 years ago, that James Dean was hounded by the press like Marilyn Monroe. However, James Dean’s star burned bright only briefly. He became a household name in April 1955 with the release of East of Eden. Dean died at the end of September 1955, before Rebel Without A Cause was released in October 1955. And before Giant was released in November 1956. James Dean had less than six months of heightened media attention before he died. Even this was limited, given Dean was in movie shoots for both Rebel Without A Cause (March 28 to May 26, 1955) and Giant (filming from May 21 to October 11, 1955 – James Dean was finished his filming for Giant before his fatal crash on September 30, 1955).

However, since James Dean died on September 30, 1955, much had been discussed in the press about his impact on youth culture, sexuality and masculinity.

“Boy in the Box” climbed to #1 in Montreal, #2 in Regina (SK), #4 in Calgary, #5 in Toronto, and Washington DC, #6 in Medicine Hat (AB), #7 in Vancouver (BC), #8 in Ottawa, and Seattle, #9 in Sherbrooke (PQ), #11 in Hamilton (ON), and Baltimore (MD), and #12 in Minneapolis/St. Paul.

A third release from Boy in the Box was “Everything In My Heart”. Hart’s fourth single release from the album was “Eurasian Eyes“, a track that made it’s way onto the Soundtrack to the 1986 film 9 1/2 Weeks, starring Kim Basinger and Mickey Rourke.

That year Hart released his studio album Fields of Fire. The lead single was titled “I Am By Your Side”.

In 1987 Hart was up for more Juno nominations: Best Male Vocalist of the Year, Best Album Graphics (Erika Gagnon for Fields Of Fire), and Single of the Year (“Can’t Help Falling in Love”). Next Hart also released his third album, Fields Of Fire. In the midst of these releases came a non-album synth-pop single titled “2 Good 2 Be Enough”.

Corey Hart had several more big hits in the next ten years. His next single release was “In Your Soul”, a track on his 1988 album Young Man Running.

His subsequent hits of note include “A Little Love” in 1990 from his album Bang!, “Baby When I Call Your Name” in 1992 from his album Attitude & Virtue, “Black Cloud Rain” in 1996 from his self-titled album, and from his 2018 album Dreaming Time Again Hart had a #9 hit on the Canadian singles chart with “Another December”. He kept receiving Juno Award nominations in the 1990s and the 2000s. These included nominations for Best Male Vocalist of the Year in 1993, 1997 and 1999; Best Producer in 1997 and 1998; And a Juno nomination in 2003 for Dance Recording of the Year.

Hart moved with his spouse Julie Masse, and their four children, to the Bahamas in 1999. Between 1998 and 2014 Hart didn’t release any new solo singles or albums. In 2003, Hart became involved in a joint venture record label business which he named Siena Records. It was headed by Seymour Stein, the CEO of Sire Records, and Steve Kane, Warner Music Canada’s President.

On June 3, 2014, after a 12 year break from live performance, Corey Hart took to the stage playing before a sold out audience at the Montreal Bell Centre Arena. It was billed as “One Night – Three Decades Of Music.” Hart also released his autobiography entitled Chasing The Sun the same night.

July 28, 2025
Ray McGinnis

References:
Corey Hart bio, Corey Hart.com
Karen Bliss, “Corey Hart On Crying At His Retirement Concert He Quit and What He’ll Do Next,” Huffington Post, June 16, 2014.
Marisa T. Cohen, PhD, “Resilience and Relationships: Supportive relationships help people to overcome adversity and thrive,” Psychology Today, January 30, 2020.
Corey Hart, Chasing The Sun – My Life In Music, (Warner Books, 2014).
“Corey Hart Concerts – Canada,” setlist.fm.
“Pepsi Commercial featuring James Dean,” 1950.
Brian Corey, “September 30, 1955 – James Dead dies driving Porche 550 Spyder, This Day in Automotive History,” September 30, 2022.
Aiden Luke, “The Continued Relevance of Rebel Without A Cause,” Medium, February 3, 2021.
“James Dean and Anna Maria Pierangeli’s Tragic Love Story,” Jamesdean.com, February 10, 2024.

CKGM 980-AM Montreal Top Ten | October 16, 1985