"Tonight" is a song by Raspberries, released in August 1973. It was written by band leader

Eric Carmen Eric Howard Carmen (August 11, 1949 – March 2024) was an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He was the lead vocalist of the Raspberries, with whom he recorded the hit " Go All the Way" and four albums. He embarked on a so ...

, who also provided the lead vocals. The song was the first of three single releases from their third LP, '' Side 3''. Carmen said that it was inspired by the

Small Faces Small Faces were an English Rock music, rock band from London, founded in 1965. The group originally consisted of Steve Marriott, Ronnie Lane, Kenney Jones and Jimmy Winston, with Ian McLagan replacing Winston as the band's keyboardist in 1966 ...

and that it is his favorite Raspberries song. He said that it was the song recorded in the studio where the band sounded like it did live. Guitarist

Wally Bryson Wallace Carter Bryson (born July 18, 1949) is an American guitarist, best remembered for his time with the Power pop, power-pop group Raspberries (band), Raspberries, famous for their hit "Go All the Way (song), Go All The Way". After the Raspbe ...

said that it has "one of those intros that nobody knows how to play but me" because he made up "weird chords to get different sounds."

Reception

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is 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 ...

'' called the song a "driving Eric Carmen composition that is destined to become the group's fourth successive chart item." ''

Record World ''Record World'' magazine was one of three major weekly music industry trade magazines in the United States, with ''Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 as ''Music Vendor''. In 1964, it was changed to ''Record World'' under the ...

'' called it a "Top 40 powerhouse that is reminiscent of early

Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

." ''

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 advertis ...

'' recommended the single. ''Arcadia Tribune'' critic Randall Davis called it a "typically great

AM radio AM broadcasting is radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation (AM) transmissions. It was the first method developed for making audio radio transmissions, and is still used worldwide, primarily for medium wave (also known as "AM band") transmi ...

tune." ''

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. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' critic

Dave Marsh Dave Marsh (born ) is an American music critic and radio talk show host. He was an early editor of '' Creem'' magazine, has written for various publications such as ''Newsday'', ''The Village Voice'', and ''Rolling Stone'', and has published num ...

called it a " ingerfor

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

critic Mark Deming said that "the king-sized guitar figure Wally Bryson uses to launch Tonight'has a bark worthy of

Jimmy Page James Patrick Page (born 9 January 1944) is an English musician and producer who achieved international success as the guitarist and founder of the Rock music, rock band Led Zeppelin. Page began his career as a studio session musician in Lo ...

, while drummer Jim Bonfanti lets loose with lots of manic drum fills worthy of his obvious role model,

Keith Moon Keith John Moon (23 August 1946 – 7 September 1978) was an English musician who was the drummer for the rock band the Who. Regarded as one of the greatest drummers in the history of rock music, he was noted for his unique style of playing and ...

." Music journalist Ken Sharp called it "the quintessential Raspberries song" and "the perfect power pop song", noting an influence from the

and praising "Carmen's deliciously gritty

Steve Marriott Stephen Peter Marriott (30 January 1947 – 20 April 1991) was an English actor, musician, guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was a student at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts in London and appeared in the West End, before taking a r ...

-like vocal,

's ripping

power chord A power chord , also called a fifth chord, is a colloquial name for a chord on guitar, especially on electric guitar, that consists of the root note and the fifth, as well as possibly octaves of those notes. Power chords are commonly pla ...

s, Dave Smalley's pulsating bass line and Jim Bonfanti's powerhouse drumming." ''Ultimate Classic Rock'' critic Dave Swanson rated it as the Raspberries 4th best song, calling it "pop perfection in three and a half minutes of glory" and claiming it has "one of the best drum exclamation point endings ever." Swanson noted influences from the Small Faces,

the Who The Who are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup (1964–1978) consisted of lead vocalist Roger Daltrey, guitarist Pete Townshend, bassist John Entwistle and drummer Keith Moon. Considered one of th ...

and

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

. ''Classic Rock History'' critic Brian Kachejian rated it as the Raspberries 10th best song, particularly praising Bonfanti's drumming and the song's harmonies.

Country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

ian Bill Lloyd rated "Tonight" as the 5th greatest power pop song of all time, saying that "this was the recording where he Raspberriesgot the balance just perfect. It's gorgeous and testoseroni all at once."

Chart performance

"Tonight" was the biggest hit from the album, reaching number 69 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and number 37 on ''

''.Cash Box Top 100 Singles, October 6, 1973
/ref> It also reached number 80 in Canada.

Weekly charts

Cover versions

"Tonight" was covered by

Mötley Crüe Mötley Crüe is an American Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in Hollywood, California, in 1981 by bassist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee, with guitarist Mick Mars and lead vocalist Vince Neil joining right after. The band has sol ...

in 1981. It was an outtake from their album, ''

Too Fast for Love ''Too Fast for Love'' is the debut studio album by American heavy metal band Mötley Crüe. The first edition of 900 copies was released on November 10, 1981, on the band's original label Leathür Records. Elektra Records signed the band the fo ...

.'' The song was released in 1999, issued with the remastered 1999 and 2003 editions of the group's LP.

Band members

– bass guitar, lead and backing vocals, piano *

– lead guitar, backing and lead vocals * Dave Smalley – rhythm guitar, backing and lead vocals * Jim Bonfanti – drums, backing vocals

References

External links

Song Lyrics
* * {{Eric Carmen 1973 singles 1973 songs Raspberries (band) songs Capitol Records singles Songs written by Eric Carmen Song recordings produced by Jimmy Ienner