Tonight (Kesha song)

Last updated

"Tonight"
Single by Kesha
from the album High Road
ReleasedJanuary 28, 2020 (2020-01-28)
Genre
Length3:15
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Stint
Kesha singles chronology
"Resentment"
(2019)
"Tonight"
(2020)
"Chasing Rainbows"
(2020)

"Tonight" is a song by American singer Kesha, which was released as the fourth and final single from her fourth studio album, High Road , on January 28, 2020. [1]

Contents

Background

On October 21, 2019, a trailer for Kesha's High Road album premiered on her YouTube channel. In it, snippets of "Tonight" were featured, along with other songs from the album ("Raising Hell", "My Own Dance", "High Road"). [2] Kesha posted a video to her TikTok account, which shows her and co-writer Wrabel lip-syncing and dancing to the track. [3]

The song premiered as the third promotional single off of High Road on January 28, 2020, 3 days before the album's release. [4] During her Halloween party, sponsored by Jack Daniels, she previewed the song to the partygoers. In the description for the album on Apple Music, Kesha wrote about the song, "When I first started making the record, I wasn't so sure how honest I could be about who I am and where I'm at in my life. I didn't want to take away from or minimize what I've been through by coming out with songs that are about me going out and having fun. And it took me a little bit of time to really come to terms with the fact that I don't owe it to anybody to be eternally miserable. It's kind of a sound-fuckery, because you think it's going to be a ballad and then it goes into me doing my shit-talking—kind of a quintessential off-of-my-first-record thing that I purposefully left off of Rainbow. This is a record for my fans, because they have been there for me through all of the bullshit I've gone through and I just wanted them to know I'm back and I'm ready to have a fucking amazing night and tonight's the night to do that. That's what I wanted to open the record with." [5]

Composition

"Tonight" is a "bass-bumping" [6] electropop composition. [7] It begins as a "gentle", piano-driven pop ballad, [8] [9] [10] before launching into a hip hop and EDM breakdown with a "low-riding bassline" and a "buzzed beat". [1] [8] [10] [11] Kesha stated that "Tonight" is a "celebratory" song about "fucking up what I have". [6] The song drew comparisons to many different works: its beginning and chorus to Lady Gaga (such as her 2016 album Joanne ), [12] while the breakdown to Kesha's pre-Rainbow music (notably, her Animal album). [13]

Live performances

Kesha performed "Tonight" during the Live with Kelly and Ryan after-Oscars show on February 10, 2020. During the performance, six backup dancers wearing colorful clothing were present, while the singer wore a jeweled teardrop accessory. [14]

Release history

Release dates and formats for "Tonight"
RegionDateFormat(s)LabelsRef.
VariousJanuary 28, 2020 [15]
AustraliaJanuary 31, 2020Radio airplay [16]

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References

  1. 1 2 Martoccio, Angie (January 28, 2020). "Kesha Unveils Swaggering Ode to Night Life, 'Tonight'". Rolling Stone . Retrieved February 1, 2020.
  2. kesha (October 21, 2019). "Kesha - HIGH ROAD (Album Trailer)". YouTube . Retrieved February 16, 2020.
  3. Kesha (@kesha). "ANIMALS I heard u all want #tonight to be the next single & I'm going to release it! thank u for loving it as much as I do. this one's for u!!👻". TikTok . Retrieved February 16, 2020.
  4. @KeshaRose (January 28, 2020). "BITCH WE GOIN OUT TONIGHT!!! Tonight is out now !!!!! stream it everywhere https://smarturl.it/kTonight this one's for u #keshatonight" (Tweet). Retrieved February 1, 2020 via Twitter.
  5. Kesha (January 31, 2020). "High Road by Kesha on Apple Music". music.apple.com.
  6. 1 2 Lynch, Joe (January 29, 2020). "From Lizzo to Queen & Beyond: Kesha Shares Albums That Inspired 'High Road'". Billboard . Retrieved February 1, 2020.
  7. Wass, Mike (January 27, 2020). "Kesha Readies "Tonight" As The Next Single From 'High Road'". Idolator. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
  8. 1 2 Bassett, Jordan (February 1, 2020). "Kesha - 'High Road' review: superstar's turbo-charged record veers across multiple lanes". NME . Retrieved February 1, 2020.
  9. Amorosi, A.D. (January 31, 2020). "Kesha's 'High Road': Album Review". Variety . Retrieved February 1, 2020.
  10. 1 2 Kaufman, Gil (January 28, 2020). "Kesha Is Positive That 'Tonight' Will Be the Best Night of Her Life: Listen". Billboard . Retrieved February 1, 2020.
  11. Cliff, Aimee (January 31, 2020). "Kesha: High Road review - bringing the girl back to the party". The Guardian . Retrieved February 1, 2020.
  12. DeVille, Chris (January 28, 2020). "Kesha Shares New Album's Opening Track "Tonight": Listen". Stereogum . Retrieved February 1, 2020.
  13. Tilcher, Jordan (January 28, 2020). "Animal-Era Kesha Comes Out To Play On New Single 'Tonight'". MTV News . Archived from the original on January 28, 2020. Retrieved February 16, 2020.
  14. Mamo, Heran (February 10, 2020). "Kesha Performs & Lives to Tell the Epic Tale Behind 'Tonight': Watch". Billboard . Retrieved February 16, 2020.
  15. "Tonight by Kesha on Spotify". Spotify . Retrieved February 1, 2020.
  16. "Singles To Radio - Issue 1274". The Music Network . Archived from the original on February 3, 2020. Retrieved February 21, 2020.