''Tonight's the Night'' is the debut album by American girl group

the Shirelles The Shirelles were an American girl group formed in Passaic, New Jersey in 1957. They consisted of schoolmates Shirley Owens (later Shirley Alston Reeves), Doris Coley (later Doris Kenner-Jackson), Addie "Micki" Harris (later Addie Harris McFad ...

, released in December 1960 by

Scepter Records Scepter Records was an American record company founded in 1959 by Florence Greenberg. History Florence Greenberg founded Scepter Records from the $4,000 she received after she sold Tiara Records and the Shirelles to Decca Records. When the Shire ...

. It contains the hit song "

Will You Love Me Tomorrow "Will You Love Me Tomorrow", sometimes known as "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow", is a song with words by Gerry Goffin and music composed by Carole King. It was recorded in 1960 by the Shirelles at Bell Sound Studios in New York City, and hit n ...

" as well as " Tonight's the Night", which became a minor hit for the Shirelles. The album was remastered and restored by Cornbread Records. It was then reissued in 2017 on 180 Gram Vinyl with 2 bonus tracks, one track was " Look A Here Baby" on the end of side A and the second track was "A Teardrop And A Lollipop" on the end of side B. In 2022, the album was selected by the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library ...

for preservation in the

National Recording Registry The National Recording Registry is a list of sound recordings that "are culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant, and/or inform or reflect life in the United States." The registry was established by the National Recording Preservati ...

Background

Although

Shirley Owens Shirley Alston Reeves (born June 10, 1941), born Shirley Owens, is an American soul singer who was the main lead singer of the hit girl group the Shirelles. In addition to Owens, the Shirelles consisted of classmates of hers from Passaic High S ...

was the group's main lead singer, ''Tonight's the Night'' also features lead vocals by

Doris Coley Doris Coley (August 2, 1941 – February 5, 2000) was an American musician, who was best known as a member (and occasional lead singer) of The Shirelles. She initially left the group in 1968, but returned in 1975. Through marriages, she became ' ...

and

Beverly Lee The Shirelles were an American girl group formed in Passaic, New Jersey in 1957. They consisted of schoolmates Shirley Owens (later Shirley Alston Reeves), Doris Coley (later Doris Kenner-Jackson), Addie "Micki" Harris (later Addie Harris McF ...

; all four members share lead for "Doin' the Ronde". Later on in 1963, "Unlucky" was covered by Dionne Warwick for her debut album. "

Boys A boy is a young male human. The term is commonly used for a child or an adolescent. When a male human reaches adulthood, he is described as a man. Definition, etymology, and use According to the ''Merriam-Webster Dictionary'', a boy is "a ...

", which had been the B-side of "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" and a regional hit on its original release, became better known after it was covered by

the Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...

on their debut album ''

Please Please Me ''Please Please Me'' is the debut studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. Produced by George Martin, it was released on EMI's Parlophone label on 22 March 1963 in the United Kingdom, following the success of the band's first two s ...

'' in 1963.

Reception

In his retrospective review of the release,

Richie Unterberger Richie Unterberger (born January 19, 1962) is an American author and journalist whose focus is popular music and travel writing. Life and writing Unterberger attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he wrote for the university newspaper '' ...

for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

wrote "For the most part, even more so than some other Shirelles' long-players, the LP evokes a bygone era when innocuous young love and its accompanying hurts were the centers of many teenagers' universes, fretted over with the detailed seriousness of international diplomacy."

Track listing

;Side one #" Tonight's the Night" (

Luther Dixon Luther Dixon (August 7, 1931 – October 22, 2009) was an American songwriter, record producer, and singer. Dixon's songs achieved their greatest success in the 1950s and 1960s, and were recorded by Elvis Presley, the Beatles, the Jackson 5, B. ...

) #"Johnny on My Mind" (Edward Lyons) #"Lower the Flame" ( Barney Williams,

Eddie Snyder Edward Abraham Snyder (February 22, 1919 – March 10, 2011) was an American composer and songwriter. Snyder is credited with co-writing the English language lyrics and music for Frank Sinatra's 1966 hit, " Strangers in the Night". Snyder was bo ...

, Stanley Kahan) #"

" ( Carole King, Gerry Goffin) #"Doin' the Ronde" (Addie Harris, Beverly Lee, Doris Coley, Shirley Owens) #"You Don't Want My Love" (Luther Dixon) ;Side two #

Dedicated to the One I Love "Dedicated To The One I Love" is a song written by Lowman Pauling and Ralph Bass that was a hit for the "5" Royales, the Shirelles, the Mamas & the Papas and Bitty McLean. Pauling was the guitarist of the "5" Royales, the group that recorded ...

" (

Lowman Pauling Lowman may refer to: Places * Lowman, Idaho, United States, an unincorporated rural census-designated place * Lowman, New York, United States, a hamlet * Mount Lowman, Usarp Mountains, Antarctica * 10739 Lowman, an asteroid * Lowman Hall, South ...

, Ralph Bass) #"

" (Luther Dixon, Wes Farrell) #"The Dance Is Over" (Luther Dixon) #"Oh, What a Waste of Love" (Allyson R. Khent, Luther Dixon) #"Unlucky" (Bobby Banks, Lillian Shockley) #"Tonight at the Prom" (Barney Williams, Eddie Snyder, Stanley Kahan)

Singles

"/"Look a Here Baby" (#83

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US, #3

961 Year 961 (Roman numerals, CMLXI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * March 6 – Siege of Chandax: Byzantine forces under Nikephoro ...

US) *" Tonight's the Night"/"The Dance Is Over" (#39 US, #14 US R&B) *"

"/"

" (#1 US, #2 US R&B, #4 UK)

Personnel

– lead and backing vocals *Addie "Micki" Harris – lead and backing vocals *

– lead and backing vocals *

–

lead Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cu ...

and

backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are ...

References

{{Authority control 1961 debut albums Scepter Records albums The Shirelles albums United States National Recording Registry recordings United States National Recording Registry albums