"Tonight's the Night" is the title and lead track from

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 ...

' 1961 album '' Tonight's the Night''. Written by

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. ...

and

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 ...

, the song dealt with a woman's feelings before losing her

virginity Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. The term ''virgin'' originally only referred to sexually inexperienced women, but has evolved to encompass a range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern ...

and was released as the pre-album's second single in 1960. In 2010, ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' listed as one of

the 500 greatest songs of all time "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" is a recurring survey compiled by the American magazine ''Rolling Stone''. It is based on weighted votes from selected musicians, critics, and industry figures. The first list was published in December 2004 in ...

Production

"Tonight's the Night" was cowritten by The Shirelles' lead singer Shirley Owens, as well as Luther Dixon. It was the first production for the band by Dixon, who was booked for the band by

Florence Greenberg Florence Greenberg (September 16, 1913 – November 2, 1995) was an American record label owner, music executive, and record producer. Greenberg was the founder and owner of Tiara Records, Scepter Records, Hob Records, and Wand Records. She is ...

after having worked with Perry Como,

Nat King Cole Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. Cole's music career began after he dropped out of school at the age of 15, and continued f ...

, and

Pat Boone Patrick Charles Eugene Boone (born June 1, 1934) is an American singer and actor. He was a successful pop singer in the United States during the 1950s and early 1960s. He sold more than 45 million records, had 38 Top 40 hits, and appeared in mo ...

. It also marks the debut of composer

Horace Ott Horace Ott (born April 15, 1933) is an American jazz and R&B composer, arranger, record producer, conductor and pianist, noted for his work since the late 1950s with a wide variety of artists including The Shirelles, Don Covay, Nina Simone, Hou ...

Critical reception

Richie Unterberger of

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 ...

positively wrote "The title track" is excellent.

Theme and style

"Tonight's the Night" deals with "romantic surrender" and "soulful yearning"; it tells of a woman who is both expectant and hesitant regarding her first sexual experience, the degree of enthusiasm has been described as similar to that shown in Buddy Holly's " Oh, Boy!. Owens' vocals are described as full of "desire and vulnerability", as well as with a sense of "innocence and striving"; the effect is from her singing almost out of tune. The strings in the song are similar to " There Goes My Baby", although Dixon notes that it was influenced by Brazilian Baião. ''

'' also notes the Latin style, with numerous instances of syncopation.

Release

The single was released in April 1960, as the B-side to "The Dance Is Over". "The Dance is Over" did not make the Billboard Hot 100 chart. In September 1960, "Tonight's the Night" first appeared on the chart, eventually peaking at number 39. By 1961 it had reached

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...

status (500,000 copies sold). According to Greil Marcus, the song was shocking when it was released for its frank depiction of "a woman ... aware of her mind and body". Soon after its release, it had to compete with a cover by The Chiffons (not the New York later group on Laurie Records with several hits, this was a Los Angeles Chiffons group), which used a similar arrangement and style. The Chiffons' cover eventually peaked at 76, becoming their first hit.

Chart history

Legacy

'' selected "Tonight's the Night" as the 409th best song of all time in their 2010 update to ''

The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" is a recurring survey compiled by the American magazine ''Rolling Stone''. It is based on weighted votes from selected musicians, critics, and industry figures. The first list was published in December 2004 in ...

'' list. It was the lower-ranked of two Shirelles songs; "

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 ...

" was ranked 126th.

Personnel

*Lead vocals:

*Backing vocals:

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 ' ...

, Beverly Lee, Addie "Micki" Harris

References

;Footnotes ;Bibliography * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tonight's The Night (Song) 1960 songs The Shirelles songs Songs written by Luther Dixon Scepter Records singles 1960 singles