Save Tonight

"Save Tonight" is a song by Swedish rock musician Eagle-Eye Cherry, released on 7 October 1997 as the lead single from his debut album, Desireless (1997). It is the album's opening track and gained substantial radio success, reaching number three in Ireland, number five in the United States, number six in the United Kingdom, and number two in Cherry's native Sweden. It was voted song of the year by New Zealand radio station The Edge. "Save Tonight" is considered the signature song of Cherry, and was awarded the Rockbjörnen award in the "Swedish song of the year 1997" category.^[2]

"Save Tonight"
Single by Eagle-Eye Cherry
from the album Desireless
B-side	"Conversation"
Released	7 October 1997 (1997-10-07)
Genre	Alternative rock^[1]
Length	3:55
Label	Superstudio Blå Polydor Work
Songwriter(s)	Eagle-Eye Cherry
Producer(s)	Adam Kviman
Eagle-Eye Cherry singles chronology
"Save Tonight" (1997) "When Mermaids Cry" (1998)
Music video
"Save Tonight" on YouTube

Critical reception

Larry Flick of Billboard wrote, "With a voice mildly reminiscent of Seal, the lad gives "Save Tonight" a richly soulful edge that cuts through the track's shiny arrangement of strumming acoustic guitars and prickly electric licks. Beyond the single's well-crafted surface are vivid, storyteller lyrics that are smarter than what you'll typically find on radio. An excellent, commercially sound way of introducing the artist's sterling full-length debut, Desireless, this cut demands immediate modern and mainstream rock radio play—and perhaps even triple-A and eventually top 40 stations."^[3] Scottish newspaper Daily Record felt that with the song, "late jazz legend Don's son and Neneh's brother is living up to his musical heritage."^[4]

Music video

The monochrome music video for the song was filmed at Skånegatan 92-94 in Stockholm's Södermalm district from 9–10 September 1997,^[5] and features Eagle-Eye Cherry playing different characters and seeing the story from different perspectives. The first is a man readying for a date by buying roses and a bottle of wine at a deli. He then tells the butcher "goodbye" and the camera reveals that the butcher is in fact Cherry himself. A robber wearing tights on his head as a means of disguise (bought in the very first scene of the music video, which is watched by Cherry via shop window) then comes and takes the money out of the cash register. As he leaves, he is hit by a pickup truck, and as bystanders help him up he is revealed to actually be Cherry, as well as the driver in the truck. Another Cherry is seen playing a guitar and another is a bum on the street. The "first" Cherry appears once again at the end of the video, walking to the home of his date. The video gives the illusion of being presented as one continuous take.

Track listings

Swedish and European CD single, UK cassette single^[6]^[7]^[8] "Save Tonight" – 3:55 "Conversation" – 4:55 UK CD single^[9] "Save Tonight" "Save Tonight" (Bacon & Quarmby remix) "Conversation" "Save Tonight" (video)

Australasian CD single^[10] "Save Tonight" "Save Tonight" (Bacon & Quarmby remix) "Conversation"

Personnel

Personnel are lifted from the Desireless album booklet.^[11]

• Eagle-Eye Cherry – music, lyrics, vocals, background vocals, co-production
• Mattias Torell – acoustic guitar, electric guitar
• Klas Åhlund – electric guitar
• Elias Modig – bass
• Magnus Persson – drums
• Adam Kviman – production, mixing, engineering

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1997–1999) Peak position Australia (ARIA)^[12] 20 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)^[13] 17 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)^[14] 9 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)^[15] 27 Canada Top Singles (RPM)^[16] 9 Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)^[17] 22 Canada Rock/Alternative (RPM)^[18] 6 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)^[19] 8 France (SNEP)^[20] 11 Germany (Official German Charts)^[21] 18 Greece (IFPI)^[22] 7 Hungary (Mahasz)^[23] 7 Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)^[24] 8 Ireland (IRMA)^[25] 3 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)^[26] 8 Netherlands (Single Top 100)^[27] 9 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)^[28] 35 Norway (VG-lista)^[29] 9 Scotland (OCC)^[30] 4 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)^[31] 2 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)^[32] 7 UK Singles (OCC)^[33] 6 US Billboard Hot 100^[34] 5 US Adult Alternative Songs (Billboard)^[35] 1 US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)^[36] 3 US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)^[37] 8 US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)^[38] 1 Chart (2013) Peak position Slovenia (SloTop50)^[39] 25 Chart (2017) Peak position Poland (Polish Airplay Top 100)^[40] 55

Year-end charts Chart (1997) Position Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)^[41] 8 Chart (1998) Position Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)^[42] 69 Canada Top Singles (RPM)^[43] 90 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)^[44] 40 France (SNEP)^[45] 51 Germany (Official German Charts)^[46] 56 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)^[47] 58 Netherlands (Single Top 100)^[48] 72 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)^[49] 40 UK Singles (OCC)^[50] 39 Chart (1999) Position Canada Top Singles (RPM)^[51] 49 US Billboard Hot 100^[52] 22 US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)^[53] 5

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)^[54]	Gold	35,000^^
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)^[55]	Gold	45,000
Germany (BVMI)^[56]	Gold	250,000
Italy (FIMI)^[57]	Gold	25,000
Sweden (GLF)^[58]	Platinum	30,000^^
United Kingdom (BPI)^[59]	Platinum	600,000
^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref.
Sweden	7 October 1997	CD	Superstudio Blå	^[60]
United Kingdom	15 June 1998	CD cassette	Polydor	^[61]
United States	14 July 1998	Contemporary hit radio	Work	^[62]

E.M.D. version

"Save Tonight"
Single by E.M.D.
from the album Rewind
Released	2010
Length	3:35
Label	BMG
Songwriter(s)	Eagle-Eye Cherry
E.M.D. singles chronology
"Välkommen hem" (2009) "Save Tonight" (2010) "What Is Love" (2010)

In 2010, Swedish boy band E.M.D. released a cover version of "Save Tonight" as the first single from their second studio album, Rewind (2010). Released first through digital stores on 28 May, the single had a physical release on 16 June.

Track listing

• CD and digital single

1. "Save Tonight" – 3:35

Charts

Chart (2010)	Peak position
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)^[63]	3

•  1990s portal

References

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2. "Alla Rockbjörnsvinnare sedan 1979". Aftonbladet (in Swedish). 2000. Retrieved 1 May 2011.
3. Flick, Larry (8 August 1998). "Reviews & Previews: Singles - New & Noteworthy" (PDF). Billboard. p. 21. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
4. "Chart Slot". Daily Record. 31 July 1998.
5. McKinney, Kelsey (7 October 2017). "People Are Still Yelling "Save Tonight!" at Eagle-Eye Cherry on the Street". GQ. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
6. Save Tonight (Swedish CD single liner notes). Eagle-Eye Cherry. Superstudio Blå. 1997. BLÅ CS-4, 74321 52452 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
7. Save Tonight (European CD single liner notes). Eagle-Eye Cherry. Polydor Records. 1998. 569 594-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
8. Save Tonight (UK cassette single sleeve). Eagle-Eye Cherry. Polydor Records. 1998. 569 594-4.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
9. Save Tonight (UK CD single liner notes). Eagle-Eye Cherry. Polydor Records. 1998. 569595-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
10. Save Tonight (Australasian CD single liner notes). Eagle-Eye Cherry. Polydor Records. 1998. 569 595 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
11. Desireless (US CD album booklet). Eagle-Eye Cherry. Work Records. 1998. OK 69434.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
12. "Eagle-Eye Cherry – Save Tonight". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
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39. "SloTop50: Slovenian official singles weekly chart" (in Slovenian). SloTop50. Retrieved 19 May 2013.
40. "Listy bestsellerów, wyróżnienia :: Związek Producentów Audio-Video". Polish Airplay Top 100. Retrieved 13 February 2017.
41. "Årslista Singlar, 1997" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
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48. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1998" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
49. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1998" (in German). Retrieved 10 March 2019.
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53. "1999 – The Year in Music" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 111, no. 52. 25 December 1999. p. 148. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
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55. "Danish single certifications – Eagle-Eye Cherry – Save Tonight". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
56. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Eagle-Eye Cherry; 'Save Tonight')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
57. "Italian single certifications – Eagle-Eye Cherry – Save Tonight" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 10 March 2019. Select "2019" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "Save Tonight" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
58. (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 May 2011. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
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60. Haskell, Duncan (20 May 2019). "How I wrote 'Save Tonight' by Eagle-Eye Cherry". Songwriting Magazine. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
61. "Reviews – For Records Out on 15 June 1998" (PDF). Music Week. 6 June 1998. p. 22. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
62. "New Releases" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1256. 10 July 1998. p. 39. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
63. "E.M.D. – Save Tonight". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 10 March 2019.

External links

• "Save Tonight" on YouTube – music video