“Rod Stewart Ultimate Hits” is released on June 27th and to celebrate the release we are bringing you the low down on all the classic tracks that have been brought together for the first time in the compilation that includes songs ranging from his 1971 hit, “Maggie May” to selections from 2024’s “Swing Fever,”
Today we focus on what is probably Rod’s most controversial track “Tonight’s the Night (Gonna Be Alright)” The song was written by Rod and recorded at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Sheffield, Alabama for his 1976 album “A Night on the Town”
The song, that was very controversial in the year of it’s release, was another massive commercial success and became Rod’s second US chart topper on the Billboard Hot 100. It made its debut at number 81on October 2nd 1976 and rose quickly, climbing from number eight to the top of the chart on November 13th 1976, and remained on top for eight consecutive weeks until January 8th 1977.
It was the longest stay of any song during 1976, the longest run at the top for a single in the US in over eight years (since The Beatles’ “Hey Jude” in November 1968), and the longest stay at number one for Rod in his entire recording career, and the final number one of that year.
The song also peaked at Number 5 in the UK, was Number 1 for six weeks in Canada, Number 3 in Australia and charted well in other parts of the world. It was the number 1 song on both Billboard’s 1977 year-end chart and the year-end Canadian singles chart. It became the best-selling single of 1977 in the United States. And as in 2018, it was the 19th-most popular song in the history of the chart. The album the track appeared on, “A Night on the Town”, climbed to Number. 2 in the States and made it all the way to Number. 1 across the world.
In his “Storyteller – The Complete Anthology: 1964–1990″, Rod told the story of how this song came together: “This came to me in the middle of the night, as songs often do. I always keep a note pad and cassette recorder by my bed, among other things. Steve Cropper and I worked out the arrangement on Friday morning and it was in the can by Friday night, lyrics being finished by the following evening. We spent more time working on the somewhat complicated intro than the song itself. It was banned by many radio stations because of its lyrical content, but, nevertheless, a little scandal never did anyone any harm.”
Steve Cropper talking to SMILER in 2011 said “Rod and I worked on the music for “Tonight’s The Night” in his den at his Beverly Hills home. I seem to remember trying to cut it on the Wally Heider session but we wound up doing the final in Muscle Shoals, And yes it did take a while to get the feel just right on the intro, The song itself is pretty simple.”
The French spoken part at the end of the track was provided by Britt Ekland who was Rod’s girlfriend at the time.
Although the track was recorded at Muscle Shoals, the final vocal was recorded at Caribou Ranch studios, where Rod, Britt and producer Tom Dowd spent several days. The high-altitude result was a vocal an octave higher than “sea-based” versions. In the May 1995 issue of Mojo magazine, Rod said: “I was going out with Britt Ekland. I’d just moved here. So that’s 20 years ago. I remember I got her drunk, pissed as a fart to sing that old French bollocks on the end, because she didn’t want to do it.”
When asked if he paid her a royalty, Rod replied, “Bollocks! I bought her a nice frock.” When Rod released his “Greatest Hits” album in 1979 a version with Britt deleted off the track was used as they had by now split up.
The saxophone solo is by Jerry Jumonville and Bob Glaub, says his bass on the track was recorded in L.A.
Rod left little to the imagination in his lyrics “C’mon, angel, my hearts on fire / Don’t deny your man’s desire,” he sings. “You’d be a fool to stop this tide / Spread your wings and let me come inside.” The lyrics were deemed so suggestive that the song was initially banned by the BBC and several radio stations. The ban was later lifted due to public demand as the song rocketed up the charts.
Jesse Jackson’s Operation PUSH (People United to Save Humanity). Targeted the song and used it as an example of one that was loosening the morals of young people.
According to Dan Peek of the band America, Rod’s inspiration for “Tonight’s the Night” was America‘s Top 30 hit “Today’s the Day”: Peek recalls that one evening when he and Rod were playing together in Peek’s home recording studio: “I played ‘Today’s the Day’, the song I had been working on. Rod said that he liked it and that it gave him an idea for a song. Of course after his recording of ‘Tonight’s the Night’ came out I laughed when I remembered what he’d said. I’m sure I probably smacked my forehead and said: ‘Why didn’t I think of that?'”
Britt Ekland also starred in the video as the object of Rod’s seduction, although we never see her face in the clip. the video is very literal, as we see Rod take Britt upstairs and start lovemaking .
Bruce Gowers who directed the video when asked who’s idea it was to show Britt from the back only told SMILER “Both of ours, The thought behind it was for the teenage girls watching the video imagining it could be them with Rod, and to add to the mystery of it all” adding “Many of the shots had to be toned down due to some TV censorship people saying it was too sexy, I did numerous edits for different countries or shows..Less of Rod’s hands on her body, edits of lyrics etc, Funny how pdudish the seventies were!”
In 2003, The Ben Elton written musical “Tonight’s The Night” named after the track opened in London. The show featured Rod’s hits and the show later went on a nationwide tour. Tim Howar, who played the original lead role (“Stuart Clutterbuck”), later joined Mike + The Mechanics.
Rod also recorded a live version of “Tonight’s the Night (Gonna Be Alright)”on his 1993 live album “Unplugged…and Seated” .
“Tonight’s The Night” On The Charts
Chart (1976–1977)
Australia (Kent Music Report) 3
Canada RPM Top Singles 1
Canada RPM Adult Contemporary 44
Germany 26
Ireland 6
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) 7
Netherlands (Single Top 100) 5
New Zealand 2
Sweden 7
UK 5
US Billboard Hot 100 1
US Billboard Easy Listening 42
Year-end charts (1976)
Australia (Kent Music Report) 11
Canada 1
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) 92
New Zealand 19
Chart (1977)
US Billboard Hot 100 1
All-time charts (1958–2018)
US Billboard Hot 100 19
A Night On The Town Personnel
Rod Stewart – vocals
Donald “Duck” Dunn, Bob Glaub, David Hood, Willie Weeks, Lee Sklar – bass guitar
Steve Cropper, Billy Peek, Joe Walsh, Jesse Ed Davis, David Lindley, Fred Tackett, Pete Carr – guitar
John Barlow Jarvis, David Foster, Barry Beckett, J. Smith – keyboards
Roger Hawkins, Andy Newmark, Al Jackson Jr., Rick Shlosser – drums
Tommy Vig, Joe Lala – percussion
Jimmy Horowitz, Mel Lewis, Arif Mardin – string arrangements
Tower of Power horn section – French horn
Jerry Jumonville, Plas Johnson – tenor saxophone