"Til Tomorrow" is a 1982 R&B/

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

quiet storm Quiet storm is a radio format and genre of R&B, performed in a smooth, romantic, jazz-influenced style. It was named after the title song on Smokey Robinson's 1975 album ''A Quiet Storm''. The radio format was pioneered in 1976 by Melvin Lin ...

-styled song recorded by

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

singer

Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gay Jr., who also spelled his surname as Gaye (April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984), was an American singer and songwriter. He helped to shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player and later as a solo ar ...

. The song was the second US single off ''

Midnight Love ''Midnight Love'' is the seventeenth studio album by Marvin Gaye and the final album to be released before his death 17 months later. He signed with the label Columbia in March 1982 following his exit from Motown. The disc was certified tr ...

'' released in February 1983. The release also served as a promotional song as Gaye prepped for a U.S. tour in the year of its release.

Background

Released on his ''

'' album, it was the sole ballad in the album, which focused mainly on

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...

rhythms and

dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

material. Gaye was the sole lyricist of the song. When asked how the lyrics of the song seemed more primitive than Gaye's previous ballads, the singer said he had run out of ideas on lyrics. The song is described as a bare-bones song with "heavenly scat riffs". Gaye provides accentuated

doo-wop Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a genre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Chica ...

harmonies in the background while delivering both a

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

y-inspired baritone and a gospel-inflected tenor with falsetto stuck in the middle of it. The original demo of the song (titled "Baby, Baby, Baby") showcased the frustration Gaye was going through during the recording of ''Midnight Love''. The spoken intro by Gaye was later modified by the singer while mention of the word "shit" was also taken off of the final track as was extra lyrics added during the saxophone solo provided by Bobby Stern. The song was later covered by

Chico DeBarge Jonathan Arthur "Chico" DeBarge (born June 23, 1966) is an American R&B singer and musician. DeBarge was formally a member (for their final album) of the family musical group DeBarge. As a solo artist he scored a 1986 US Top Forty hit with the s ...

Reception

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' called it "an intricate composition with some startling chords in the instrumental arrangements and harmonies."

Chart performance

The song was issued as a single mainly for R&B radio while Gaye was prepping for his upcoming "Sexual Healing" tour, which took place in April 1983. Due to strong initial airplay, the song peaked at number thirty-one on the R&B singles chart.

Credits

*All vocals by

*Instrumentation by the following: **Marvin Gaye: synthesizers **Gordon Banks: guitar, bass, drums **Bobby Stern: tenor saxophone solo *Produced by Marvin Gaye

References

1983 singles Marvin Gaye songs Songs written by Marvin Gaye Song recordings produced by Marvin Gaye 1982 songs Columbia Records singles Quiet storm songs Rhythm and blues ballads Soul ballads {{1980s-rock-song-stub