"Last Night" is a song by American
R&B group
Az Yet, produced by
Babyface and
Mervyn Warren, and released as the first single from the group's debut album, ''
Az Yet'' (1996). The song became the group's first hit, reaching number nine on the US
''Billboard'' Hot 100, number one on the ''Billboard''
Hot R&B Singles chart, and number four on the ''Billboard''
Rhythmic Top 40 chart. Additionally, it reached number two in Australia, number six in New Zealand, and number eight in the Netherlands. The song was also included on ''
The Nutty Professor The Nutty Professor may refer to:
* ''The Nutty Professor'' (1963 film), directed by and starring Jerry Lewis
* ''The Nutty Professor'' (1996 film), directed by Tom Shadyac and starring Eddie Murphy
** ''The Nutty Professor'' (soundtrack), sound ...
'' soundtrack.
Critical reception
Larry Flick
Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the music ...
from ''
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 ...
'' viewed the song as "yet another gem" from the soundtrack to ''
The Nutty Professor The Nutty Professor may refer to:
* ''The Nutty Professor'' (1963 film), directed by and starring Jerry Lewis
* ''The Nutty Professor'' (1996 film), directed by Tom Shadyac and starring Eddie Murphy
** ''The Nutty Professor'' (soundtrack), sound ...
''. He added, "Az Yet is a charismatic male quintet that aims to come across as a mature alternative to the army of smooth groups currently vying to harmonize their way to the platinum land owned by
Boyz II Men
Boyz II Men (pronounced ''boys to men''), also known as B2M, is an American vocal harmony group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. They are currently a trio composed of baritone Nathan M ...
. Honey-soaked notes are poured over old-school soul music carrying the unmistakable stamp of producer/writer
Babyface (does this man ever take a nap?). Engaging as can be." Peter Miro from ''
Cash Box
''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...
'' felt that "Last Night" "is the most potent offering on their 12-track collection of
ballads, with lyrics ladies will cling to endlessly." A reviewer from ''
Music Week'' rated the song four out of five, adding that "the
Philadelphia soul quintet show they are the masters of close harmony vocalising on this seductive debut". Ralph Tee from the magazine's ''
RM'' Dance Update said, "Already a ''
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 ...
'' hit, and also on the ''Nutty Professor'' soundtrack it's a touch
MOR
Mor or MOR may refer to:
Names and titles
* Mór (given name), a list of people named Mór or Mor
* Mor (surname), a list of people named Mor or Mór
* Mor (honorific), or Mar, in Syriac
Radio and television
* Middle of the road (music) genre
* ...
vocally, though the harmonies are the standout feature beneath the shuffle beat rhythms."
Music video
There are two versions of the song's accompanying
music video; one with clips from ''
The Nutty Professor The Nutty Professor may refer to:
* ''The Nutty Professor'' (1963 film), directed by and starring Jerry Lewis
* ''The Nutty Professor'' (1996 film), directed by Tom Shadyac and starring Eddie Murphy
** ''The Nutty Professor'' (soundtrack), sound ...
'' and the other without.
Personnel and credits
Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.
[Az Yet (CD liner notes) – LaFace Records 73008-26034-2]
* Az Yet: vocals
*
Babyface: writer, producer, keyboards and drum programming
* Keith Andes: writer, producer, keyboards and drum programming
*
Mervyn Warren: co-producer (vocals)
* Brad Gilderman: engineer
* Kyle Bess,
Paul Boutin: assistant engineers (recording)
* Jon Gass: mixer
* Paul Boutin, Dave Hancock: assistant engineers (mixing)
* Randy Walker: midi programmer
* Ivy Skoff: production coordinator
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Release history
See also
*
R&B number-one hits of 1996 (USA)
These are the ''Billboard magazine'' R&B singles chart number one hits of 1996:
Chart history
See also
*1996 in music
*List of number-one R&B hits (United States)
* List of number-one R&B albums of 1996 (U.S.)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lis ...
References
1996 debut singles
1996 songs
Arista Records singles
Az Yet songs
LaFace Records singles
Song recordings produced by Babyface (musician)
Songs written by Babyface (musician)
{{1990s-single-stub