Born Eugene Booker McDaniels, a name he used in later life, in Kansas City … Read Full Bio ↴Born Eugene Booker McDaniels, a name he used in later life, in Kansas City on February 12, 1935, Gene was a former gospel singer, signed to Liberty Records in the early 1960's where he scored American hits with original version of "Tower Of Strength" (covered successfully in the UK by Frankie Vaughan) and "A Hundred Pounds Of Clay", a UK hit for Craig Douglas. However, his influence on UK copyists brought him on a nationwide cinema tour with Gary U.S. Bonds and Johnny Burnette as well as an appearance in "It's Trad Dad", one of a series of pop-based movies of the time. His classy voice should have served him a lifetime of success, and songs like the above mentioned, plus "Point Of No Return", "Chip Chip" and "Another Tear Falls" stand the test of time. He re-emerged in the 1970's with a rock/funk album, "Outlaw", on Atlantic as Eugene McDaniels, and moved to record production. He died on July 29, 2011, but it was not national news till four days later.

Strange Neighborhood
Gene McDaniels Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Strangers in the night,
Exchanging glances
Wandering the night,
What were the chances
We'd be sharing love
Before the night was through

Something in your eyes

Was so inviting
Something in your smile
Was so exciting
Something in my heart
Told me I must have you

Strangers in the night
Two lonely people
We were strangers in the night
Up to the moment
When we said our first hello
Little did we know
Love was just a glance away
A warm embracing dance away

And ever since that night
We've been together
Lovers at first sight
In love forever
It turned out so right

Strangers in the night
Two lonely people
We were strangers in the night
Up to the moment
When we said our first hello

Little did we know
Love was just a glance away
A warm embracing dance away
For strangers in the night.

Overall Meaning

Gene McDaniels’s song “Strange Neighborhood” is an emotional piece about two strangers who meet in the night and strike a connection that leads to love. In the first stanza, the two strangers exchange glances, and find themselves walking around the night. Little did they know, they would be sharing love before the night was over. In the second stanza, the singer reveals the moment in which he knew he must have the other person. There was something in their eyes, smile, and his heart that tugged at him – leading to an undeniable connection.

Continuing on, the two strangers find themselves falling in love even though they began as lonely people. They shared their first hello, not knowing that love was just a glance away, a warm dance away. They continued to dance through life together as they fell in love at first sight - a fitting metaphor for the fleeting nature of life and the feeling of finding serendipitous love. “Strange Neighborhood” underscores the transformative power of love, which can transform two strangers and a strange neighborhood into a place of warmth and happiness.

Line by Line Meaning

Strangers in the night,
Two people who do not know each other met at night

Exchanging glances
Looking at each other for a brief moment

Wandering the night,
Walking around aimlessly at night

What were the chances
What was the likelihood or probability of our encounter?

We'd be sharing love
We would end up falling in love with each other

Before the night was through
Before the night ended

Something in your eyes
I noticed something in your eyes

Was so inviting
It was very appealing

Something in your smile
I noticed something in your smile

Was so exciting
It was very thrilling

Something in my heart
I felt something in my heart