Goodnight Tonight
Encyclopedia
"Goodnight Tonight" is Wings
' disco-inflected single which included a spirited flamenco guitar
break. It peaked at number five in both the United Kingdom and United States during 1979. The track did not appear on Wings' then-current LP Back to the Egg
(from which sessions this song was recorded), however it was included on the 1987 McCartney compilation, All the Best!
. It was released on an album again as a bonus track on the 1993 reissue of McCartney II
. The B-side of this single was "Daytime Nighttime Suffering
". An extended version of the song appears on a digital iTunes
re-issue of Back to the Egg.
. A music video
was made for the song, showing Wings performing in 1930s costumes; stills from the video were used on the single's sleeve. In the US, the single was the first released under McCartney's new deal with Columbia Records
. In the UK, it was McCartney's first post-Beatle release on Parlophone
.
as well as the UK Singles Chart
. John Lennon
, McCartney's former songwriting partner, later commented that he did not care for the song, but enjoyed McCartney's bass guitar
on the single. The single was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America
for sales of over one million copies.
12" single
Wings (band)
Wings were a British-American rock group formed in 1971 by Paul McCartney, Denny Laine and Linda McCartney that remained active until 1981....
' disco-inflected single which included a spirited flamenco guitar
Flamenco guitar
A flamenco guitar is a guitar similar to a classical guitar. Flamenco guitar also refers to toque, the guitar-playing part of the art of Flamenco.-Brief history:...
break. It peaked at number five in both the United Kingdom and United States during 1979. The track did not appear on Wings' then-current LP Back to the Egg
Back to the Egg
Back to the Egg is the seventh and final studio album by Wings, released in 1979. It is also Wings' first album for Columbia Records after leaving long-time United States distributor Capitol Records in 1978...
(from which sessions this song was recorded), however it was included on the 1987 McCartney compilation, All the Best!
All the Best!
All the Best! is the second official compilation album of Paul McCartney music, after 1978's Wings Greatest and was released in 1987. The album contains tracks from the beginning of his solo career in 1970 up to the newly recorded "Once Upon a Long Ago." The track inclusion and running order...
. It was released on an album again as a bonus track on the 1993 reissue of McCartney II
McCartney II
McCartney II is the third album by Paul McCartney, and the first since the formation of Wings in 1971. It was released in 1980, a year before the band's dissolution and while their future lay in limbo...
. The B-side of this single was "Daytime Nighttime Suffering
Daytime Nighttime Suffering
"Daytime Nighttime Suffering" is a song written by Paul McCartney and recorded by Wings. It was the B-side to the 1979 single "Goodnight Tonight," which was a top-five hit in both the UK and USA. It was released on CD in 1993 as part of the release of The Paul McCartney Collection, and can be...
". An extended version of the song appears on a digital iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
re-issue of Back to the Egg.
Recording
"Goodnight Tonight" began as an instrumental backing track McCartney had recorded in 1978. Needing a single for Wings to accompany the Back to the Egg album, McCartney took out the track and brought it into the studio, where the full Wings line-up completed it. Since the track was over seven minutes long, an edited version was used as the single, with the full version available as a 12-inch single12-inch single
The 12-inch single is a type of gramophone record that has wider groove spacing compared to other types of records. This allows for louder levels to be cut on the disc by the cutting engineer, which in turn gives a wider dynamic range, and thus better sound quality...
. A music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
was made for the song, showing Wings performing in 1930s costumes; stills from the video were used on the single's sleeve. In the US, the single was the first released under McCartney's new deal with Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
. In the UK, it was McCartney's first post-Beatle release on Parlophone
Parlophone
Parlophone is a record label that was founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch was formed in 1923 as "Parlophone" which developed a reputation in the 1920s as a leading jazz label. It was acquired in 1927 by the Columbia Graphophone Company which...
.
Charts and reception
"Goodnight Tonight" was an international hit, reaching number five on the Billboard Hot 100Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
as well as the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
, McCartney's former songwriting partner, later commented that he did not care for the song, but enjoyed McCartney's bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
on the single. The single was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
for sales of over one million copies.
Track listings
7" single- "Goodnight Tonight"
- "Daytime Nighttime SufferingDaytime Nighttime Suffering"Daytime Nighttime Suffering" is a song written by Paul McCartney and recorded by Wings. It was the B-side to the 1979 single "Goodnight Tonight," which was a top-five hit in both the UK and USA. It was released on CD in 1993 as part of the release of The Paul McCartney Collection, and can be...
"
12" single
- "Goodnight Tonight" (long version)
- "Daytime Nighttime Suffering"