Last Night (Mar-Keys composition)

Last updated
"Last Night"
Single by The Mar-Keys
from the album Last Night!
B-side "Night Before"
ReleasedJune 1961 (1961-06)
Genre R&B, instrumental rock
Length2:35
Label Satellite
107
Songwriter(s)

"Last Night" is an instrumental recorded by The Mar-Keys. Released in 1961, the track appeared on Last Night!, the first LP released by the Stax label.

Contents

Background

The label of the single gives writing credit simply to "Mar-Keys"; it was registered with BMI as having been written by Charles Axton, Floyd Newman, Gilbert C. Caple, Jerry Lee Smith and Chips Moman.

The song is in a twelve-bar blues form, with brief stops, where Floyd Newman intones "Last Night" before his saxophone solo, which is followed by him exclaiming "Oh, yeah!" before the last three choruses, including the pauses, before the song's fade.

According to Steve Cropper, in an interview with Paul Nassari of the Sunday Mail newspaper, in Adelaide, Australia, "Jerry Lee ‘Smoochy’ Smith came up with the piano riff that was played on organ. Since [producer Chips] Moman didn't want a guitar on it for whatever reason, I wound up playing the hold-down on the organ on the root note. It hurts me in the Mar-Keys history when people say I wasn’t in the Mar-Keys because there’s no guitar on Last Night but I have to differ with them."[ citation needed ]

Chart performance

"Last Night" reached #3 Pop and #2 in the R&B charts in the United States. [1] In Canada, the song reached #21 on the CHUM Charts. [2]

Cover versions

Samples

Use in films, radio and television programs

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References

  1. Galloway, A. Scott (1994). Rock Instrumental Classics Volume 4: Soul (p. 14) [CD booklet]. Los Angeles: Rhino Records.
  2. "CHUM Hit Parade - July 31, 1961".
  3. Because Is in Your Mind , Discogs