Take Me Home Tonight (song)
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (July 2014) |
| "Take Me Home Tonight" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| B-side | "Calm Before the Storm" |
"Take Me Home Tonight" is a song by American rock singer Eddie Money. It was released in August 1986 as the lead single from his album Can't Hold Back. The song's chorus interpolates the Ronettes' 1963 hit "Be My Baby", with original vocalist Ronnie Spector reprising her role.
The song reached number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Album Rock Tracks chart; outside the U.S., it was a top 15 hit in Canada. It received a Grammy nomination for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance. Alongside its album, "Take Me Home Tonight" helped revive Money's career after a period of declining sales. It also allowed Spector to resume her touring/recording career after several years of retirement.
Background
By the mid-1980s, Eddie Money had reached a low-point in his recording career after several years of drug abuse.[1] Columbia Records still wanted to keep Money on its roster, but restricted his creative control regarding his output.[2] "Take Me Home Tonight" was a song outside writers composed. Money hated the song upon being advised to record it, and continued to dislike it after its release.[3] His only caveat was Ronnie Spector sing the "Be My Baby" sample, otherwise he would have not recorded the song.[2] Originally, Martha Davis of the Motels sang the lyric. Money reached out to Spector over the phone—she was washing dishes at the time—and she ended up being featured on the song.[1]
The song allowed Spector, who was then retired, to have renewed success as a touring and recording act.[4] "I didn't like the song, but [...] it helped Ronnie out and it helped me get some of my other material on the album across, so now I'm happy I did it," Money said in 1987.[3]
Composition
The song starts with a synth playing and is then joined by a guitar playing the same notes. This song was recorded in a duet with Ronnie Spector. The song has Spector singing the chorus from the Ronettes' hit, "Be My Baby" (on which Spector sang lead vocals) after Money sings "just like Ronnie sang."
Music video
The video, shot entirely in black and white, opens with the artist alone with a metal ladder and a folding chair on an otherwise empty stage (at Lawlor Events Center in Reno, Nevada). He performs to an absent audience, and Ronnie Spector is seen in a make-up room during cutaways. Spector's face isn't completely revealed until about three-quarters of the way through the video. The artist sings on stage and Spector dances up a walkway leading to the stage. His saxophone comes and goes in the video in a repeated continuity error (whether this was intentional is unknown).
Reception
The Los Angeles Times's Steve Hochman, in a review of Can't Hold Back, felt that Money did Spector a disservice, particularly with the song's "characterless production," commenting, "where Phil Spector built his wall with style and grace, Money has erected a monolithic barrier."[5]
Accolades
The song was nominated for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance at the 29th Annual Grammy Awards on February 24, 1987, but lost to Robert Palmer's "Addicted to Love".
Cover versions
The song has been covered by several artists. Rock band Hinder recorded a cover of the song; it is available exclusively as a bonus track on the Wal-Mart re-release of their album Extreme Behavior. There is a cover by Jamestown Story featuring Breanne Duren on his album Love vs. Life. Every Avenue and Juliet Simms covered the song for the compilation Punk Goes Classic Rock in 2010. Additionally, Adam Goren of Atom And His Package used the chorus of the song during the bridge of his song, "Punk Rock Academy". In 2014, the Glee Cast offered a new cover of the song in the episode "Old Dog New Tricks".
Commercial performance
In Canada, it first debuted on RPM's Top Singles chart at number 95 in the issue dated October 4, 1986,[6] and peaked at number fifteen during the week of November 29, 1986.[7]
Charts
| Chart (1986-87) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Top Singles (RPM)[7] | 15 |
| songid field is MANDATORY FOR GERMAN CHARTS | 59 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[8] | 43 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[9] | 4 |
| US Album Rock Tracks (Billboard)[10] | 1 |
References
- ^ a b Dennis Hunt (November 16, 1986). "Money Launders His Life". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 11, 2015.
- ^ a b Gary Graff (December 18, 1986). "Eddie Money Unafraid To Hate His Biggest Hit". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 11, 2015.
- ^ a b Carrie Stetler (February 20, 1987). "Money Launders His Life". The Morning Call. Retrieved August 11, 2015.
- ^ Marc Spitz (August 16, 2013). "Still Tingling Spines, 50 Years Later". The New York Times. Retrieved August 11, 2015.
- ^ Steve Hochman (November 30, 1986). "Monolithic Money". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 11, 2015.
- ^ RPM (October 4, 1986). "RPM Alternative 30 Chart - Top Singles - Volume 45, No. 2, October 04, 1986" (PDF). RPM archives. Ottawa, Canada: Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved August 11, 2015.
- ^ a b RPM (November 29, 1986). "RPM Alternative 30 Chart - Top Singles - Volume 45, No. 10, November 29, 1986" (PDF). RPM archives. Ottawa, Canada: Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved August 11, 2015.
- ^ "Eddie Money – Take Me Home Tonight" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved August 11, 2015.
- ^ "Eddie Money Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 11, 2015.
- ^ "Eddie Money Chart History". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved August 11, 2015.