Tonight… | 5ive Songs

On the 9th edition of 5ive Songs, we select five songs that are all about what is going to happen – what is going to go down – tonight.

On 5ive Songs, we (I) keep things short and sweet – no extra calories or needless fluff.  There’s a topic, five songs, and a short blurb that doesn’t exceed a paragraph.  Yes, it’s a playlist, but it’s a miniature playlist that shouldn’t take much time to consume.  On this edition of 5IVE SONGS, we select five songs that are all about what is going to happen – what is going to go down – tonight.

1.August Alsina, “Tonight”

The Product III: stateofEMERGEncy • Shake the World / EMPIRE • 2020 

“Tonight,” the 16^th track from The Product III: stateofEMERGEncy, is another one of the stronger moments from the lengthy third album by August Alsina.  The Exclusives and Awaz Beatz provide Alsina with sleek production work, idiomatic of contemporary R&B and modern hip-hop.  The beat bangs, Alsina continues to show off his amazing pipes, singing about a very relatable three-letter word – “You ain’t know you dealin’ with a freak, babe.” Sex and nighttime go together seamlessly, right? Right!

2. Kesha, “Tonight”

High Road • Kemosabe • 2020

Kesha kicks off High Road with “Tonight,” a song that initially seems like it’s going to be a dramatic, powerhouse ballad.  After performing the centerpiece, the chorus, in a slower tempo, “Tonight” grows quicker, more unapologetic with its profanity, and takes on more of a hip-hop sensibility.  Eventually, “Tonight” brings all of its parts together, embracing pop, hip-hop, and honestly, the ‘Ke$ha’ of old, who makes an official appearance further down the track list.  If nothing else, she ensures High Road is thrilling from the jump.

3. The 1975, “Tonight (I Wish I Was Your Boy)”

Notes on a Conditional Form • Interscope • 2020

On “Tonight (I Wish I Was Your Boy)” from 2020’s Notes on a Conditional Form – the fourth studio album by The 1975 – matters of the heart are full force, though you honestly don’t need to look any further beyond the title.  But, in case it wasn’t clear, on the chorus, Matt Healy provides clarity: “And tonight, I wish I was your boy / (Run away from me, run away from me) / … Tonight, I think I fucked it royally.”  Crystal clear…. Worth mentioning is the use of an unexpected The Temptations sample (“Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)”).  It’s an interesting result to say the least…

4. Summer Walker, “Tonight”

Over It • Interscope • 2019

On “Tonight” (Over It) Summer Walker exhibits finesse, singing beautifully against a lush, sound backdrop. “Tonight” is a sensually charged, definitely the perfect soundtrack to what goes down in the bedroom.  The question seems to be, is Walker references plain old sex or make up sex. “I just wanna get into something tonight,” she sings, continuing, “I just wanna make up for lost time.” Make up sex, perhaps?

5. Palaye Royale, “Tonight is the Night I Die”

The Bastards • Sumerian • 2020

“Tonight is the Night I Die” – what a morbid song title.  The single appears as the fourth track off of The Bastards, the 2020 album by Las Vegas rock trio, Palaye Royale.  Given song and album titles, it’s no surprise that this is an aggressive, dark, minor-key record. Take the first verse for example: “Lonely, another day / Drowning, please save me / I am struggling in my own daydream.” Damn, that’s damning isn’t it? The second verse is like unto it, while the pre-chorus serves up the heavenly “Hear the angels sing” and the chorus confirms imminent death.  Oh, and for good measure, the Bridge references the 23^rd Psalm (“As I walk through the valley of the shadow of death”). TONIGHT – definitely WON’T be lit in the hands of Palaye Royale…

Tonight… | 5ive Songs [Photo Credits: Brent Faulkner, EMPIRE, Interscope, Kemosabe, The Musical Hype, Pixabay, Shake the World, Sumerian]