Afternoon Delight
| "Afternoon Delight" | |||||||||
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| Single by Starland Vocal Band | |||||||||
| from the album Starland Vocal Band | |||||||||
| Released | April 1976 | ||||||||
| Format | 7" | ||||||||
| Recorded | November 1975 | ||||||||
| Genre | Soft rock, pop | ||||||||
| Length | 3:16 | ||||||||
| Label | RCA | ||||||||
| Writer(s) | Bill Danoff | ||||||||
| Starland Vocal Band singles chronology | |||||||||
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"Afternoon Delight" is a song recorded by Starland Vocal Band, featuring close harmony and sexually suggestive wordplay. It was written by Bill Danoff, one of the members of the band. It became a number-one U.S. Billboard Hot 100 single on July 10, 1976.[1] The song also reached number-one in Canada and peaked at number 5 in New Zealand.
Contents |
Background and writing [edit]
Danoff's fellow bandmember and then-wife Kathy "Taffy" Nivert told at least one audience that the title came from a spicy menu item of the same name at Clyde's restaurant in Georgetown.[1] Danoff enjoyed writing the song and downplayed the somewhat controversial lyrics, saying, "I didn't want to write an all-out sex song ... I just wanted to write something that was fun and hinted at sex."[1]
The band consisted of Bill, Jon Carroll, Margot Chapman & Taffy Danoff.
Cover versions [edit]
Concurrent to the Starland Vocal Band's version, country singer Johnny Carver had a Top 10 cover of his own on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart. In 1983, the Circle Jerks also covered this song as one of the six cover versions on "Golden Shower of Hits (Jerks on 45)", which appears on their third album with the same title. British experimental folk music band Current 93 used an industrial-style cover version as an introduction to their performances of their 2009 album. Claude François sang it in French as "Dimanche après-midi".
Critical reaction [edit]
At the 19th Grammy Awards ceremony in 1977, "Afternoon Delight" received three nominations. It won the Grammy Award for Best Arrangement for Voices [2] and was also nominated for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and Record of the Year.
In 2010 Billboard named "Afternoon Delight" the 20th sexiest song of all time.[3]
Also in 2010, Matthew Wilkening of AOL Radio ranked the song at #26 on the list of the 100 Worst Songs Ever, stating, "If [Danoff] can sing this cheesy song, and still somehow get some in the middle of the workday, we bow to him."[4]
Chart performance [edit]
Starland Vocal Band version [edit]
| Chart (1976) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary | 5 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks | 94 |
| Canadian RPM Top Singles | 1 |
| Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary Tracks | 6 |
| Dutch Singles Chart | 22 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 5 |
| UK Singles Chart | 18 [5] |
Johnny Carver version [edit]
| Chart (1976) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks | 9 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 16 |
In popular culture [edit]
Since the original song's release, many works have alluded to or even featured "Afternoon Delight" or its suggestive lyrics, often ironically. Among them have been Glee (where it was mistaken for being a song about the dessert Angel Delight), Get a Life ("Chris Wins a Celebrity"), Good Will Hunting, PCU, Boogie Nights, Lost, The Rules of Attraction, The Spirit of '76, Starsky & Hutch, ER ("No Strings Attached", sung by Abby), Arrested Development (as part of a plot point in the episode "Afternoon Delight"), The Simpsons ("The Fat and the Furriest"), Rules of Engagement, Sports Night, Complete Savages ("Teen Things I Hate About You"), Ugly Betty, South Park ("Miss Teacher Bangs a Boy"), Murphy Brown, Entourage, and Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.
References [edit]
- ^ a b c Bronson, Fred (2003). "Afternoon Delight". The Billboard Book of Number 1 Hits (5th ed.). Billboard Books. p. 438. ISBN 0-8230-7677-6.
- ^ Past Grammy Winners
- ^ The 50 Sexiest Songs of All Time.
- ^ Wilkening, Matthew (September 11, 2010). "100 Worst Songs Ever -- Part Four of Five". AOL Radio. Retrieved December 24, 2010.
- ^ "Afternoon Delight". Chart Stats. Retrieved March 19, 2011.
External links [edit]
- Author of the song Bill Danoff reflects on its use in pop culture
- Full lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
| Preceded by "Never Gonna Fall in Love Again" by Eric Carmen |
Canadian RPM number one single July 31 - August 7, 1976 |
Succeeded by "Got to Get You into My Life" by The Beatles |
| Preceded by "Silly Love Songs" by Wings |
Billboard Hot 100 number one single July 10 - July 17, 1976 |
Succeeded by "Kiss and Say Goodbye" by The Manhattans |
