Goodnight Tonight

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"Goodnight Tonight"
Wings - Goodnight Tonight.jpg
Single by Wings
B-side"Daytime Nighttime Suffering"
Released23 March 1979
RecordedOctober 1978
GenreDisco
Length4:15 (7")
7:14 (12")
Label
Songwriter(s)Paul McCartney
Producer(s)Paul McCartney
Wings singles chronology
"London Town"
(1978) 		"Goodnight Tonight"
(1979) 		"Old Siam, Sir"
(1979)
Alternative covers
French 7-Inch single cover
French 7-Inch single cover

"Goodnight Tonight" is a song by the British–American rock band Wings. Written and produced by Paul McCartney, it was released as a non-album single on 23 March 1979 by Parlophone in the UK and Columbia Records in the US. It was recorded during the sessions for the band's 1979 album Back to the Egg and is notable for its disco-inflected sound and spirited flamenco guitar break.

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.[1] Denny Laine and Laurence Juber added electric guitars, mirroring Paul's parts and Steve Holley added percussion, while the whole band sang in the chorus.[2] 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 single. 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.

Release[]

The track did not appear on Wings' then-current album Back to the Egg (from which sessions this song was recorded), as McCartney felt it did not fit the theme of the LP; it was later included on the McCartney compilations All the Best! (1987), Wingspan: Hits and History (2001) and Pure McCartney (2016). The 7" version was released as a bonus track on the 1993 remastered CD of McCartney II, as part of The Paul McCartney Collection. 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.

Charts and reception[]

"Goodnight Tonight" was an international hit, reaching number five on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart.[3][4] 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.[1] The single was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales of over one million copies.[5]

Track listings[]

7" single (R 6023)
  1. "Goodnight Tonight" – 4:15
  2. "Daytime Nighttime Suffering" – 3:19
12" single (12 YR 6023)
  1. "Goodnight Tonight" (Long Version) – 7:15
  2. "Daytime Nighttime Suffering" – 3:19

Personnel[]

  • Paul McCartney – lead vocals, acoustic and electric lead guitars, bass, drums
  • Linda McCartney – harmony and backing vocals, keyboards
  • Denny Laine – backing vocals, lead guitar
  • Laurence Juber – backing vocals, lead guitar
  • Steve Holley – backing vocals, percussion

Chart performance[]

Certifications[]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[15] Gold 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References in popular culture[]

The song was featured in the 2010 film Grown Ups.

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b Madinger, Chip; Easter, Mark (2000). Eight Arms To Hold You: The Solo Beatles Compendium. Chesterfield, MO: 44.1 Productions. p. 246.
  2. ^ Luca Perasi, Paul McCartney: Recording Sessions (1969–2013), L.I.L.Y. Publishing, 2013, ISBN 978-88-909122-1-4, pp.169–170.
  3. ^ "Paul McCartney singles". allmusic. Retrieved 12 August 2010.
  4. ^ "Official Charts: Paul McCartney". The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  5. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 29 August 2017.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b "Australian Chart Book". Austchartbook.com.au. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
  7. ^ "Image : RPM Weekly – Library and Archives Canada". Bac-lac.gc.ca. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
  8. ^ "Image : RPM Weekly – Library and Archives Canada". Bac-lac.gc.ca. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
  9. ^ "SA Charts 1965 – March 1989". Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  10. ^ "Official Charts". officialcharts.com. Official Charts Company. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
  11. ^ Jump up to: a b Whitburn, Joel (2015). The Comparison Book. Menonomee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 333. ISBN 978-0-89820-213-7.
  12. ^ "Image : RPM Weekly – Library and Archives Canada". Bac-lac.gc.ca. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
  13. ^ "Top 100 Singles of 1979" (PDF). Record Mirror. London: Spotlight Publications. 5 January 1980. p. 30. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
  14. ^ "Pop Singles". Billboard. New York: Billboard Publications Inc. 22 December 1979. p. TIA-10.
  15. ^ "American single certifications – Paul Mc Cartney & Wings – Good Night Tonight". Recording Industry Association of America.
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