"Give Me the Night" is a song recorded by American jazz and R&B musician George Benson, which he released from his 1980 studio album of the same title. It was written by Heatwave's keyboard player Rod Temperton and produced by Quincy Jones.

Patti Austin Patti Austin (born August 10, 1950) is an American R&B, pop, and jazz singer and songwriter. Music career Austin was born in Harlem, New York, to Gordon Austin, a jazz trombonist. She was raised in Bay Shore, New York on Long Island. Quincy ...

provides the backing and scat vocals that are heard throughout, and one of Benson's fellow jazz guitarists,

Lee Ritenour Lee Mack Ritenour ( ; born January 11, 1952) is an American jazz guitarist who has been active since the late 1960s. Biography Ritenour was born on January 11, 1952, in Los Angeles, California, United States. At the age of eight he started play ...

, also performs on the track. The song was a commercial success, and was Benson's first single to hit number one on the US ''Billboard'' Soul Singles chart. It also peaked at number four on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, making it his most successful pop entry. It also peaked at number two on the ''Billboard'' Hot Disco Singles chart and at number seven in the UK Singles Chart, where it ties with "In Your Eyes" as his highest charting single. In 2021, Chris Molanphy listed the song as an example of the retrospectively named music genre yacht rock.

Track listing

; Warner Bros. WBS 49505 (US, 7-inch) #"Give Me the Night" #"Dinorah, Dinorah" ; Qwest/ Warner Bros. K 17673 (UK, 7-inch) #"Give Me the Night" #"Breezin'" ; Warner Bros. LV 40 (US, 12-inch) #"Give Me the Night" (long version) #" The World Is a Ghetto" #"Breezin'"

Personnel

* George Benson – guitar, lead vocals *

– guitar * Abraham Laboriel – bass guitar *

John Robinson John Robinson may refer to: Academics *John Thomas Romney Robinson (1792–1882), Irish astronomer and physicist * John J. Robinson (1918–1996), historian and author of ''Born in Blood'' *John Talbot Robinson (1923–2001), paleontologist *John ...

– drums *

Herbie Hancock Herbert Jeffrey Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is an American jazz pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, and composer. Hancock started his career with trumpeter Donald Byrd's group. He shortly thereafter joined the Miles Davis Quintet, where he help ...

– electric piano * Richard Tee – synthesizer bass * Michael Boddicker – synthesizer * Paulinho da Costa – percussion *

, Diva Gray,

Jocelyn Brown Jocelyn Lorette Brown (born November 25, 1950), sometimes credited as Jocelyn Shaw, is an American R&B and dance singer. Although she has only one ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart entry solely in her name, she has an extensive background in the musi ...

, Tom Bahler,

Jim Gilstrap James Earl Gilstrap (born November 10, 1946)''U.S. Public Records Index'' Vol 1 (Provo, UT: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.), 2010. is an American singer, considered one of the most prolific session musicians in the industry. He is best known for ...

– background vocals * Jerry Hey – trumpet, string and horn arrangements * Kim Hutchcroft, Larry Williams – saxophone, flute * Quincy Jones – producer, rhythm arrangements * Rod Temperton – songwriter, rhythm and vocal arrangements

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Randy Crawford version

In 1995 Randy Crawford recorded a cover version of Give Me the Night which appeared on the album ''Naked & True''. Compared to the original, which is a Post-Disco-Song, this version is Deep House. In addition to the studio album, it is also included on ''The Best Of Randy Crawford & Friends'' and ''Brigitte Musik - Jazz For Dinner 4'' compilations. The bridge is not sung in this version.

Charts

Uses and samples

*The song is used as a sample in "

Je danse le Mia "Je danse le Mia" is a 1994 popular song recorded by the French hip hop band IAM. It was released as the first single from their second album, ''Ombre est Lumière'', in February 1994. The song became a major hit in France, reaching #1, and is o ...

" by French hip hop band IAM. *The song is parodied as "

Le Casse de Brice "Le Casse de Brice" is a 2005 song recorded by the French comedian and actor Jean Dujardin. It is the soundtrack of the James Huth's 2005 film, ''Brice de Nice'', in which Dujardin portrayed Brice Agostini. Released on 25 March 2005 as his firs ...

" in the French film '' Brice de Nice''.

References

{{authority control 1980 singles 1980 songs 1996 singles Post-disco songs George Benson songs Randy Crawford songs Song recordings produced by Quincy Jones Songs written by Rod Temperton Warner Records singles

Track listing

Personnel

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Randy Crawford version

Charts

Uses and samples

See also

References