Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright)

For other songs of that title, see Tonight's the Night.

"Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright)" is a song written by Rod Stewart, and recorded at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Sheffield, Alabama for his 1976 album A Night on the Town. The song, controversial at the time of release, proved to be a massive commercial success and became his second US chart topper on the Billboard Hot 100. It made its debut at number 81 on 2 October 1976 and rose quickly, climbing from number eight to the top of the chart on 13 November 1976, and remained on top for eight consecutive weeks until 8 January 1977. It was the longest stay of any song during 1976, the longest run at the top for a single in the US in over eight years (since the Beatles’ "Hey Jude" in November 1968), and the longest stay at number one for Rod Stewart in his entire recording career, and the final number one of that year. The song also peaked at No. 5 in the UK, No. 1 for six weeks in Canada, No. 3 in Australia and charted well in other parts of the world. It was the number 1 song on both Billboard's 1977 year-end chart and the year-end Canadian singles chart. It became the best-selling single of 1977 in the United States. As of 2018, it is the 19th-most popular song in the history of the chart.^[3]

"Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright)"
Single by Rod Stewart
from the album A Night on the Town
B-side	"The Ball Trap" (UK) "Fool for You" (US)
Released	May 1976 (International) September 1976 (US)
Recorded	December 1975
Genre	Soft rock[1] pop[2]
Length	3:56 (album version) 3:34 (edit)
Label	Riva (UK); Warner Bros. (US)
Songwriter(s)	Rod Stewart
Producer(s)	Tom Dowd
Rod Stewart singles chronology
"This Old Heart of Mine" (1976) "Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright)" (1976) "The Killing of Georgie (Part I and II)" (1976)
Music video
"Tonight's The Night (Gonna Be Alright)" on YouTube

Background and lyrics

According to Dan Peek of America, Stewart's inspiration for "Tonight's the Night" was America's Top 30 hit "Today's the Day": Peek recalls that one evening when he and Stewart were playing together in Peek's home recording studio: "I played 'Today's the Day', the song I had been working on. Rod said that he liked it and that it gave him an idea for a song. Of course after his recording of 'Tonight's the Night' came out I laughed when I remembered what he'd said. I'm sure I probably smacked my forehead and said: 'Why didn't I think of that?'"^[4]

The song features a French spoken part from Britt Ekland who was Stewart's girlfriend at the time.^[5] While primarily recorded at Muscle Shoals, the final vocal was recorded at Caribou Ranch studios, where Stewart, Ekland and producer Tom Dowd spent several days. The high-altitude result was a vocal an octave higher than "sea-based" versions. The saxophone solo is by Jerry Jumonville.^[6]

The song was originally banned by the BBC and protested by Reverend Jesse Jackson, due to its suggestive lyric: "C'mon angel, my heart's on fire/Don't deny your man's desire/You'd be a fool to stop this tide/Spread your wings and let me come inside."^[7] Some radio stations play edits of the song, shortening the coda, as well as the whispers, because they were deemed to be too suggestive for airplay, where the songs could be banned from being played on the air.^[7]

Record World said that "Here Stewart's as relaxed and moving as he can be."^[8]

Chart performance

Weekly charts Chart (1976–1977) Peak position Australia (Kent Music Report)[9] 3 Canada RPM Top Singles[10] 1 Canada RPM Adult Contemporary[11] 44 Germany 26 Ireland 2 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[12] 7 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[13] 5 New Zealand 2 Sweden 7 UK 5 US Billboard Hot 100[14] 1 US Billboard Easy Listening[15] 42

Year-end charts Chart (1976) Rank Australia (Kent Music Report)[9] 11 Canada[16] 1 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[17] 92 New Zealand[18] 19 Chart (1977) Rank US Billboard Hot 100 1 All-time charts Chart (1958–2018) Position US Billboard Hot 100[19] 19

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[20]	Gold	75,000^
United States (RIAA)[21]	Gold	1,000,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Cover versions

In 1993, Stewart recorded a live version of the song during his session for MTV Unplugged. This version was included on the album Unplugged...and Seated.

The song has been remade by such artists as: Linda Clifford, Nicky Moore, and sung by Anthony Kavanagh, Terry Steele, who reached number forty-four on the R&B singles chart,^[22] and Alison Crawford on Grease is the Word.^{[citation needed]}

A version by Roy Head reached the top 30 in the USA (#28) and Canada (#17)^[23] Country charts in 1978.

Janet Jackson covered the song on her 1997 album The Velvet Rope, although she changed the lyrics. In Jackson's cover, the lyrics imply that she and her partner are about to share a threesome with another woman. Jackson begins the song by saying, "This is just between me and you...and you." Additionally, each chorus addresses a different person, as she sings, "'Cause I love you, boy" in one and "'Cause I love you, girl" in another. "She even makes a bid for gay icon status…" wrote Neil McCormick in The Daily Telegraph's review of The Velvet Rope, "climaxing (if that's the right word) with a bizarre lesbian reinterpretation of Rod Stewart's 'Tonight's the Night'."^[24]

References

1. "The 10 Ickiest Soft-Rock Hits of the '70s - Oldies Music". Oldies.about.com. 3 April 2014. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
2. Breithaupt, Don; Breithaupt, Jeff (17 July 2000). "Take the Money and Run: Pop". Night Moves - Pop Music in the Late 70s. St. Martin's Griffin. p. 10. ISBN 978-0-312-19821-3.
3. "The Biggest Hits of All: The Hot 100's All-Time Top 100 Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
4. Peak, Dan (2004). An American Band: the America Story. Xulon Press. ISBN 1-594679-29-0.
5. Windeler, Robert (21 February 1977). "Romantic Rod". People. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
6. "Veteran R&B; 'Honker' Glides Into Jazz : Tenor Sax Player Strives for the Sound of '40s and '50s Greats". Los Angeles Times. 3 February 1989.
7. Vaidya, Amit (12 November 2021). "45 Years Ago, A Song Got Banned For The Lyrics 'Spread Your Wings And Let Me Come Inside'". Rolling Stone India. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
8. "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. 11 September 1976. p. 1. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
9. "National Top 100 Singles for 1976". Kent Music Report. 27 December 1976. Retrieved 15 January 2022 – via Imgur.
10. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 10 November 2015. Retrieved 11 October 2016.
11. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 25 December 1976. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
12. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Rod Stewart" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
13. "Rod Stewart – Tonight's The Night" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
14. "Rod Stewart Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
15. "Rod Stewart Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
16. "Top Singles – Volume 26, No. 14 & 15, January 08 1977". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Archived from the original on 19 March 2016. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
17. "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1976". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
18. "Top Selling Singles of 1976 | The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Nztop40.co.nz. 8 December 1963. Retrieved 11 October 2016.
19. "Hot 100 turns 60". Billboard. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
20. "Canadian single certifications – Rod Stewart – Tonight's the Night". Music Canada. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
21. "American single certifications – Rod Stewart – Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright)". Recording Industry Association of America.
22. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942–2004. Record Research. p. 550.
23. "RPM Country 75 Singles - February 17, 1969" (PDF).
24. The Daily Telegraph, 18 October 1997