Goodnight Tonight

"Goodnight Tonight"
Single by Wings
B-side	"Daytime Nighttime Suffering"
Released	23 March 1979
Format	7", 12"
Recorded	October 1978
Genre	Rock, disco
Length	4:15 (7") 7:14 (12")
Label	Parlophone, EMI, Columbia
Writer(s)	Paul McCartney
Producer(s)	Paul McCartney
Certification	BPI (UK) Silver 1 May 1979[1] RIAA (US) Gold 15 May 1979[2]
Wings singles chronology
"London Town" (1978) "Goodnight Tonight" (1979) "Old Siam, Sir" (1979)
Alternative covers French 7-Inch single cover

"Goodnight Tonight" is a single by the band Wings notable for its disco-inflected sound and spirited flamenco guitar break. It peaked at number five in both the United Kingdom and United States during 1979.

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.^[3] Laine and Juber added electric guitars, mirroring Paul's parts and Holly added percussion, while the whole band sang in the chorus.^[4] 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); it was later included on the McCartney compilations All the Best! (1987) and Wingspan: Hits and History (2001). 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 the Billboard Hot 100 as well as the UK Singles Chart.^[5][6] 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.^[3] The single was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales of over one million copies.^[7]

References in popular culture

The song was featured in the 2010 film Grown Ups.

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

Chart performance

Weekly charts Chart (1979) Peak position Australia KMR [8] 6 Belgium 24 Canada RPM Top Singles[9] 2 Canada RPM Adult Contemporary[10] 1 Germany 34 Ireland 9 Japan 77 Netherlands 24 New Zealand 6 Norway 9 UK Singles Chart[11] 5 US Billboard Hot 100[12] 5 US Billboard Adult Contemporary 30 US Cash Box Top 100[12] 4

Year-end charts Chart (1979) Rank Australia[8] 57 Canada[13] 6 UK[14] 73 US Billboard Hot 100[15] 52

References

1. "Certified Awards Search". BPI. Retrieved 2012-10-12.
2. "RIAA Gold and Platinum". RIAA. Retrieved 2012-10-12.
3. Madinger, Chip; Easter, Mark (2000). Eight Arms To Hold You: The Solo Beatles Compendium. Chesterfield, MO: 44.1 Productions. p. 246.
4. Luca Perasi, Paul McCartney: Recording Sessions (1969-2013), L.I.L.Y. Publishing, 2013, ISBN 978-88-909122-1-4, pp.169-170.
5. "Paul McCartney singles". allmusic. Retrieved 12 August 2010.
6. "Official Charts: Paul McCartney". The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 2011-10-13.
8. "Australian Chart Book". Austchartbook.com.au. Retrieved 2016-10-15.
9. "Image : RPM Weekly - Library and Archives Canada". Bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved 2016-10-15.
10. "Image : RPM Weekly - Library and Archives Canada". Bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved 2016-10-15.
11. "Official Charts". www.officialcharts.com. Official Charts Company. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
12. Whitburn, Joel (2015). The Comparison Book. Menonomee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 333. ISBN 978-0-89820-213-7.
13. "Image : RPM Weekly - Library and Archives Canada". Bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved 2016-10-15.
14. "Top 100 Singles of 1979" (PDF). Record Mirror. London: Spotlight Publications. January 5, 1980. p. 30. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
15. "Pop Singles". Billboard. New York: Billboard Publications Inc. December 22, 1979. p. TIA-10.