| The Hardest Part Is the Night | |
| Cover: | Hardest Part of the Night.jpg |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Bon Jovi |
| B-Side: | Always Run to You |
| Released: | August 21, 1985[1] |
| Studio: | The Warehouse, Philadelphia |
| Genre: | Glam metal |
| Length: | 4:25 |
| Label: | PolyGram |
| Producer: | Lance Quinn |
| Prev Title: | In and Out of Love |
| Prev Year: | 1985 |
| Next Title: | Silent Night |
| Next Year: | 1985 |
"The Hardest Part Is the Night" is a single by American rock band Bon Jovi released exclusively in the UK. It is taken from their second album, . It is notable for being the first Bon Jovi single to reach the top 100 in the UK, where it charted at number 68.[2]
Among Bon Jovi's early songs, "The Hardest Part is the Night" is the one that expresses most clearly Jon Bon Jovi's concerns with working class issues and the struggles of the underdog, a theme that would later bring success to the band with "Livin' on a Prayer". The song makes vague references to a young man battling against the odds to succeed in life, though he knows that he is ultimately "going down".
The promotional video was an excerpt from a live performance in Japan and was directed by Sadao Matsunago for Spirit Entertainment, Ltd.