Tonight

Album: Alpha Zulu (2022)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • "Tonight" finds Phoenix lead vocalist Thomas Mars lonely and wanting some company. He blames himself for the situation that left him on his own, so he asks the addressee to come 'round tonight. "This song is about candor, splendor, and a touch of bromance," Mars told Apple Music.
  • Vampire Weekend's Ezra Koenig joins Thomas Mars on the song, marking a first for Phoenix. The French indie-rock quartet had never featured another vocalist on any of their songs until this track.
  • Once Phoenix decided "Tonight" needed to be a duet, they immediately thought of Koenig – the French group knew him from playing the same festivals and they had become good friends. They collaborated with Koenig remotely, something else Phoenix had never done. "Surprisingly, it made it more fun," Mars told Apple, "'cause every time we'd get his recordings it felt like Christmas in the studio."
  • The Oscar Boyson-directed video shows the Phoenix band members and Koenig on opposite sides of the world in a split screen. We see the French group in Paris while Koenig goes about his daily business in Tokyo.
  • Phoenix racked up their third consecutive Billboard's Adult Alternative Airplay leader when "Tonight" climbed to #1 on the December 10, 2022-dated survey. The French band started their chart-topping run with "Identical" in 2020 before reaching the summit again with "Alpha Zulu" in 2022.
  • The solar eclipse wasn't the only celestial alignment happening in Austin, Texas on April 8, 2024. During Vampire Weekend's show at the Moody Amphitheater, Ezra Koenig took things cosmic by inviting Thomas Mars onstage for a history-making performance. Together, they delivered a live rendition of "Tonight," marking the first time the duo ever performed the song together.
  • Ezra Koenig joined Phoenix to perform "Tonight" at the closing ceremony of the 2024 Olympics in Paris. The athletes were all in the stadium at this point and were really getting into it. By the end of Phoenix' set, many of them were on stage.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Classic Metal

Classic MetalFact or Fiction

Ozzy, Guns N' Roses, Judas Priest and even Michael Bolton show up in this Classic Metal quiz.

Michael W. Smith

Michael W. SmithSongwriter Interviews

Smith breaks down some of his worship tracks as well as his mainstream hits, including "I Will Be Here For You" and "A Place In This World."

Second Wind Songs

Second Wind SongsSong Writing

Some songs get a second life when they find a new audience through a movie, commercial, TV show, or even the Internet.

Reverend Horton Heat

Reverend Horton HeatSongwriter Interviews

The Reverend rants on psychobilly and the egghead academics he bashes in one of his more popular songs.

Gentle Giant

Gentle GiantSongwriter Interviews

An interview with Ray and Derek Shulman of the progressive rock band Gentle Giant to discuss counterpoint, polyrhythms, and... Bon Jovi.

Gilby Clarke

Gilby ClarkeSongwriter Interviews

The Guns N' Roses rhythm guitarist in the early '90s, Gilby talks about the band's implosion and the side projects it spawned.