"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
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. Bowie also stated that he didn't want to "inflict" that part of the song on Tina Turner, either. The reggae-style song, which features a repeated sample from Aretha Franklin's version of "Spanish Harlem", reached No. 53 on both the UK Singles Chart and the Billboard Hot 100.
Track listing
7" Single
"Tonight" – 3:43
"Tumble and Twirl" – 4:56
12" Single
"Tonight (Vocal Dance Mix)" – 4:29
"Tumble and Twirl (Extended Dance Mix)" – 5:03
"Tonight (Dub Mix)" – 4:18
Personnel
David Bowie – vocals
Tina Turner – vocals
Carlos Alomar – guitar
Carmine Rojas – bass guitar
Omar Hakim – drums
Guy St Onge – marimba
Production
David Bowie – producer
Derek Bramble – producer
Hugh Padgham – producer
Chart performance
Tina Turner and David Bowie live version
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-end charts
Certifications and sales
References
Pegg, Nicholas, The Complete David Bowie, Reynolds & Hearn Ltd, 2000,