Tonight, Tonight, Tonight by Genesis

Album: Invisible Touch (1986)

Charted: 18 3

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Songfacts®:

This song is about meeting with a cocaine dealer. The lyrics detail withdrawal symptoms from a cocaine high and the relief of knowing tonight is the night cocaine will be purchased. It deals with the struggle against the highly addictive drug. Phil Collins wrote the lyrics to this one. >>>
Suggestion credit:
Mike - Mountlake Terrace, WA. U.S.A
In 1986, this was featured in commercials for Michelob beer as part of their "The night belongs to Michelob" campaign. It was a case of an advertising agency and/or client looking at the title and chorus of the song without regard for the lyrics, which reek of pain and desperation.

Genesis keyboard player Tony Banks explained that using the song in the commercial was a big break for the band, since it helped it become a hit. Banks said that if it wasn't in the commercial, it probably would have remained an album track like their song "Domino."
With the release of Invisible Touch, Genesis left their prog rock roots behind and were taking over the pop charts with predictable criticisms. Phil Collins took a lot of the heat from the old-school Genesis fans, who figured his solo pop success had wormed its way into the band.

Collins responded in a 1987 Creem interview by saying: "People tend to say now we're just a commercial group who write pop songs, but 'Domino' and 'Tonight, Tonight, Tonight' are more like the old Genesis. We have always written collectively, and any individual songs have been credited to the group anyway. We thought if one person got the credits he would get all the royalties and it would create an unfair imbalance."
On the album, this song runs 8:49. The radio version was edited down to 4:32.
The original title was "Monkey Zulu," with the first part called "Monkey" because Phil Collins used that word in an improvised lyric, and the second part "Zulu" because of the drum rhythm.

Comments: 17

444 Traveler from EarthI had NO IDEA what this was about but Phil sings the ISH OUTTA it!!! Ig Love this song and his emotions in the delivery.
Seventh Mist from 7th HeavenThe song contains the phrase “in too deep,” the title of another hit song on the same album. I’ve long wondered whether that was intentional.
L. L. Snoop Diddy from Vegas In SpaceThey used this one in that Magnum P.I. episode with Frank Sinatra as a guest star.
Kooge from L.a.Geez! Who cares about the lyric? Can't understand a word he sings anyway. The allure of this song is the drum machine and the cool harmonies and chord progressions. I've heard this song hundreds of times since it came out, and I still don't know the lyrics...don't care; never will.
C Anderson from Sanantonio Tx78229Bexar County Jail. 23yr old son. Acted out, look in at life in prison. Just release from 5 yrs sentence. Out 4 months. Moms tore up. Lawyer don't return calls or visit. Went down like a monkey.. 35 yrs.releases on moms 89th birthday. Satan who arranged the trap played the song MAMA for his Mom the night her beloved son was arrested. Since then she listens to Phil Collins. She hears ballads of incarceration. Billy Grahand his wife Ruth are buried in prison made caskets.
Ronnie from Redmond OregonI was raised with bikers, addicts and dealers and this song is exactly what I would see and hear from them when they were coming down off of coke, meth or heroin. They have a monkey on their back and the only thing on their mind is to get more...addiction makes nothing matter but getting dope and staying high. I remember a friend sitting in the livingroom, rent money in hand waiting for the cook to get back and he was (literally) saying tonight, tonight and bouncing in the chair. Believe me, he is waiting for his dealer...
John from UsaDefinitely about drug addiction.
Esskayess from Dallas, TxCurious how prolonging a destructive nose candy enslavement would 'make it right.'
Drew from B\'ham, AlNot to confuse this song w/ "Tonight, Tonight" by the Tokens. If indeed this song is about crashing after a drug-high, thus craving more drugs, it and "That's All" are two of a kind. Both are about wishing to escape a downward-spiral system of frustration.
Jibri from Muskegon, MiThanks folks, I've learned alot about this song. I never caught on that it was about jonesing for coke. Hey Brant, wrong song man, it was "in the air tonight". On a lighter note, this song was so appropriate for Miami Vice (remember the Michelob commercials during the show)
Adam from Boyce, VaI can't get enough of that sound once the song starts. It so defines this song. It's one of the eeariest songs I've ever heard. Reminds me alot of "In The Air Tonight".....
S.d. from Denver, CoBrant from S.F.:

First, you got the song wrong. The one you're thinking of is "In the Air Tonight" from Collins' first solo effort, "Face Value". Secondly, the myth has been debunked about a zillion times, including by Collins himself, whose exact words were, "I don't know where that story came from."
Brant from S.f, CaI have heard from multiple sources that this song is indeed not about cocaine. When he was a kid, Phil Collins was at a summer camp. At the pool there was a kid drowning. One of the camp counselors watched the kid drown, doing nothing.

This stayed in Collins' memory for years, prompting him to write the song. Afterwards, he invited the same counselor to a Genesis concert. They played this song and a spotlight was shown on the counselor, who the song was written about.

I am not 100% sure of this, but it's what I heard.
Jay from Callander, CanadaIn my opinion, the character in the song is crashing off the last good high (I'm coming down, coming down like a monkey..), and it's a heavy burden to crash on coke (It's like a load on your back that you can't see). The only way to shake the horrible feelings of withdrawl is to make it "right tonight" and get some more coke. He keeps calling his dealer, because he has the cash in his pocket to score, and shake this "helter skelter, going down and down, round and round" - horrible feeling of withdrawl, but his dealer is never home. He's sitting in a room beginning to freak out that he won't score, ("Oh get me out of here, please get me out of here Just help me I'll do anything, anything
If you'll just help me (score) get out of here.(out of this feeling)").
Even though his friend says that he'll help him out, but he doesn't call. So he continues to sit and wait and hope that tonight will be the night to get high again and shake that monkey on his back dragging him down.
Eric from Maastrichtthis last comment is really bull
all lines quoted are actually about TAKING and WANTING the drug
shake it loose, ... (preparing the drug)
gonna make it right.. (taking it)
got some money in my pocket (paying for it with money regardless how to get it, possibly stealing)
Christopher from Centereach, NyI don't agree with the song meaning above. I do agree that it is about drugs but I think it's more about the singer addressing someone who is helping him overcome his addiction. I believe this because of the lines "Try to shake it loose, cut it free, just let it go" Tonight Tonight Tonight, gonna make it right" meaning that tonight is the night that he stops. Also the line "I got some money in my pocket about ready to burn, I don't remember where I got it, I got to get it to you". It's as if he has no self control and needs this person (maybe his sponsor) to take this money before he spends it on drugs.
Mike from Fort Wayne, InThis song was used in a Michelob beer commercial.

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