Songfacts®:

• This song finds Giveon singing about a forbidden romance. The singer may be hooking up with an old flame, or he could be cheating on his partner. Whatever the reason, Giveon acknowledges it's wrong, but nonetheless, he will be spending the night with his secret lover.
• Giveon co-wrote the song alongside:
  
  Chicago-born singer-songwriter Marcus Semaj.
  
  Antonio Dixon (Beyoncé's "Best Thing I Never Had," Ariana Grande's "Baby I").
  
  Giveon's label boss, Sevn Thomas. He co-wrote and co-produced Giveon's breakthrough single "Heartbreak Anniversary" too.
• Sevn Thomas also produced the track with Jahaan Sweet (Eminem's "Lucky You," and Post Malone's "Saint-Tropez") and Akeel.
• When it comes to songwriting, Giveon builds from stories rather than melodies. He told Vevo he likes starting with the instrumentation to set the scene, but usually works out the narrative before stepping into the studio, saving lyrics for last. That process gives tracks like "For Tonight" a cinematic sense of tension.
• Giveon released "For Tonight" as the lead single from his 2022 debut album, Give or Take. Rather than filling the album with guest features, he took a more personal approach, using voicemail messages from his mother that he had saved over a two-year period and placing them between the songs.
  
  His mother didn't know the messages would end up on the album. When she finally heard the finished record and realized her voice was part of it, she burst into tears.