"Tonight" is a song written by David Bowie and Iggy Pop for the latter's second solo studio album, Lust for Life (1977). The song was later made into the title-track for Bowie's own album Tonight (1984).

David Bowie version

"Tonight"
Single by David Bowie
from the album Tonight
B-side"Tumble and Twirl"
ReleasedNovember 1984 (1984-11)
RecordedMay 1984
StudioLe Studio, Morin-Heights, Quebec, Canada
Genre
Length3:43
LabelEMI – EA187
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
David Bowie singles chronology
"Blue Jean"
(1984)		 "Tonight"
(1984)		 "This Is Not America"
(1985)

Bowie covered the song with guest singer Tina Turner in 1984 for his sixteenth studio album of the same name. One of three Iggy Pop covers on the album, it was recorded as a duet with Turner, but the single release was only credited to Bowie. The original spoken-word introduction to the 1977 version, establishing that the lyric is addressed to a lover dying of a heroin overdose, was excised from Bowie's version because Bowie regarded it as an "idiosyncrasy" of Iggy Pop that did not match his own personal vocabulary.[1] Bowie also stated that he didn't want to "inflict" that part of the song on Tina Turner, either.[1] The reggae-style song, which features a repeated sample from Aretha Franklin's version of "Spanish Harlem",[2][3] reached No. 53 on both the UK Singles Chart and the Billboard Hot 100.

Track listing

  • 7" Single
  1. "Tonight" – 3:43
  2. "Tumble and Twirl" – 4:56
  • 12" Single
  1. "Tonight (Vocal Dance Mix)" – 4:29
  2. "Tumble and Twirl (Extended Dance Mix)" – 5:03
  3. "Tonight (Dub Mix)" – 4:18

Personnel

Production

Chart performance

Chart (1984–1985) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[4] 70
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[5] 22
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[6] 21
Ireland (IRMA)[7] 24
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[8] 45
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[9] 23
UK Singles (OCC)[10] 53
US Billboard Hot 100[11] 53
US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[12] 28
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[13] 32

Tina Turner and David Bowie live version

"Tonight (Live)"
Single by Tina Turner duet with David Bowie
from the album Tina Live in Europe
B-side"River Deep – Mountain High" (Live)
ReleasedNovember 28, 1988 (EU)[14]
Recorded23 March 1985 (1985-03-23)
VenueNational Exhibition Centre, Birmingham
LabelCapitol
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Terry Britten
Tina Turner singles chronology
"Addicted to Love (Live)"
(1988)		 "Tonight (Live)"
(1988)		 "634-5789 (Live)"
(1988)
Music video
"Tonight" (Live) on YouTube

David Bowie would perform the song live with Tina Turner at the latter's 23 March 1985 concert at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham. This version was included on Turner's live album Tina Live in Europe three years later, and also released as a single in late 1988, then becoming a number-one hit in the Netherlands.

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year Chart Peak
position
1985 Spain (Los 40 Principales) 6
Chart (1988–1989) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[15] 3
Europe (European Hot 100 Singles)[16] 70
Germany (Official German Charts)[17] 39
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[18] 1
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[19] 1
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[20] 17

Year-end charts

Chart (1989) Position
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[21] 18
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[22] 5
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[23] 11

Certifications and sales

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Netherlands (NVPI)[24] Gold 75,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. 1 2 Murray, Charles Shaar (25 October 1984), "Let's Talk, A Conversation with David Bowie", Rolling Stone magazine (433): 14, 18, 74
  2. ↑ "10 Songs You Probably Didn't Know Sampled Aretha Franklin | Exclaim!". exclaim.ca. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
  3. ↑ "David Bowie and Tina Turner's 'Tonight' - Discover the Sample Source". WhoSampled. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
  4. ↑ David Kent (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. Australia: St Ives, N.S.W. : Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  5. ↑ "David Bowie – Tonight" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 9577." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
  7. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – David Bowie". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
  8. ↑ "David Bowie – Tonight" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
  9. ↑ "David Bowie – Tonight". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
  10. ↑ "David Bowie: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
  11. ↑ "David Bowie Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
  12. ↑ "David Bowie Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
  13. ↑ "David Bowie Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
  14. ↑ "Tina Turner singles".
  15. ↑ "Tina Turner & David Bowie – Tonight (Live)" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
  16. ↑ "Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 18 February 1989. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
  17. ↑ "Tina Turner – Top Titel" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
  18. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 4, 1989" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
  19. ↑ "Tina Turner & David Bowie – Tonight (Live)" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  20. ↑ "Tina Turner & David Bowie – Tonight (Live)". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
  21. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten 1989" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
  22. ↑ "Single Top 100 Van 1989" (PDF) (in Dutch). Stichting Nederlandse Top 40. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
  23. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1989". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  24. ↑ "Dutch single certifications – Tina Turner – Tonight" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Enter Tonight in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1988 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
  • Pegg, Nicholas, The Complete David Bowie, Reynolds & Hearn Ltd, 2000, ISBN 1-903111-14-5
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