"Tonight, Tonight, Tonight" by Genesis

Top 10 Alert!

Song#:  3026
Date:  02/14/1987
Debut:  45
Peak:  3
Weeks:  15
Genre:  Rock



Pop Bits:  Genesis' album Invisible Touch had already spawned four Pop Top 10 singles including the last one "Land of Confusion" (#4). The band was on a hot streak so the label thought they would roll the dice and issue out a fifth single from the LP. This track was selected and it ended up being the right choice. It would get to #3 at Pop while reaching #8 at AC and #45 Rock. The five Top 10s would easily make the album the band's biggest seller. It would eventually go 6x platinum in the US alone. After the associated world tour was finished, the band took a nearly five-year break. In that time each member attended to their own projects including another solo disc for Phil Collins and another effort by Mike Rutherford's Mike + the Mechanics. They wouldn't reconvene Genesis until after the start of the new decade, so that made this single their last one to be released in the 80s.

ReduxReview:  The album version of this song was an 8+ minute track that was something more along the lines of their previous prog rock inclinations rather than the more pop oriented fare that got them four Top 10 hits. But after editing it down into a single and getting featured in a commercial (see below), the song ended up being just as mainstream as the other hits. I really liked the track and thought it was one of of the best ones on the album. I liked the atmosphere it created and the hook of the chorus was undeniable. I also liked both the single version, which made the tune a concise, easy listen, and the lengthy album track that provided a lot of other shadings. They certainly ended the decade on a high note.

ReduxRating:  8/10

Trivia:  Triple Shot!  1) This song got a major boost when it was picked up for use in a Michelob beer commercial. The company's campaign slogan at the time was "the night was made for Michelob" and the chorus of this song along with its feel/tone seemed to fit the ad to a tee. Indeed it worked out well with the song going Top 10 and the Michelob campaign highly successful. The only oddity is that while the ad uses the chorus to great effect creating a relaxed, pleasant, and casual atmosphere, the actual song lyrics were about trying to score some cocaine after coming down from a high and needing more. Obviously, that part was skipped over for the commercial.  2) Invisible Touch would be only the fifth album in chart history to generate five Top 10 singles. It followed albums by Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, Bruce Springsteen, and Janet Jackson. Jackson's Control and the Genesis album were originally released in 1986. Two other albums released that year would also later join the five Top 10s club. Madonna's True Blue would join in as well as Huey Lewis & the News' Fore!  3) In 1991, Genesis would come roaring back with their fourteenth studio album We Can't Dance. It featured five Top 30 hits including the lone Top 10 "I Can't Dance" (#7 Pop/#2 Rock). The LP would reach #4 and sell over four million copies. In 1996 after another lengthy hiatus, Phil Collins decided to leave Genesis. The remaining two members chose to move forward with new lead singer Ray Wilson. The new Genesis trio issued out Calling All Stations in 1997. None if its singles reached the Pop chart and the LP fizzled at #54. To date, this has been the last Genesis studio album released. Collins, Rutherford, and Tony Banks would reunite for a world tour in 2007 and a couple of other later appearances, but the trio has yet to attempt a comeback album.

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