Bob Seger fans know it as a beloved track from one of his finest albums. Fans of 1980s pop likely recognize it as a heartfelt ballad performed by a somewhat unlikely duo. In any case, “We’ve Got Tonite” delivers the goods as a song that, thanks to the talents of its writer, brings the romance when it could easily could have skewed towards tawdriness.
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What is the song about? What inspired Seger to write it? And what about that hit duet? Well, as the song says, Who needs tomorrow? Let’s talk about this lovely slow dance of a song right now.
No Longer a Stranger
Bob Seger enjoyed occasional spurts of widespread popularity throughout the first decade or so of his career. But he was mostly known as a Midwestern phenomenon until the one-two punch of Night Moves (studio album and hit single) and Live Bullet (a concert double album that displayed the chemistry of his backing group the Silver Bullet Band) in 1976 that he became a national superstar.
That meant all eyes were on him for his next album, and Seger rose to the occasion with the superb Stranger in Town in 1978. The album rained hits. That included “We’ve Got Tonite,” a No. 13 charter, thanks to a soulful, affecting vocal from Seger and a tender reading from the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section (who occasionally backed Seger in the studio around this time.)
Seger explained to the Detroit Free Press (as reported by Songfacts) the song was inspired by a scene from the Robert Redford-Paul Newman classic film The Sting, one where Redford was attempting a late-night seduction of a waitress:
“That just hit me real hard. The next day I wrote ‘We’ve Got Tonite,’ this song about two people who say, ‘I’m tired. It’s late at night. I know you don’t really dig me, and I don’t really dig you, but this is all we’ve got, so let’s do it.’ The sexual revolution was still going strong then.”
Kenny and Sheena
At the time, a pairing of Kenny Rogers and Sheena Easton seemed bizarre. Rogers had mastered the country story song with his earthy authenticity. Scottish lass Easton had been churning out a much bouncier brand of pop music. But one thing they had in common was they had both proven they could successfully handle sweeping ballads.
Another thing they shared was a label, and so it was suggested they partner. Rogers’ gruff vocals played nicely off Easton’s crystalline high notes, and the he-said/she-said format fit Seger’s lyrics pretty well. Hitmaker David Foster added the glossy production, and Rogers and Easton scored a Top 10 hit when their version of “We’ve Got Tonight” (yes, they changed the spelling) arrived in 1983.
What is “We’ve Got Tonite” About?
Perhaps it’s the aching melody, or maybe it’s Seger’s heartfelt delivery, but “We’ve Got Tonite” never quite sounds like a crass plea for a one-night stand. The narrator comes at it like an attorney making his case, and, by the end of the song, the jury is definitely swayed by his conviction and earnestness.
The poetic touch certainly helps, as he describes the pair as longing for shelter from all that we see. He also does a pretty good job conjuring up pity in the second verse: Deep in my soul I’ve been so lonely / All of my hopes fading away. To his credit, he’s honest in that he doesn’t think this rendezvous will turn into something larger: I’ve longed for love like everyone else does / I know I’ll keep searching after today.
Seger pleads again and again, repeating the chorus a few times before building up to a crescendo finish: We’ve got tonite, babe / Why don’t you stay? Give credit to his velvety songwriting touch that Easton and Rogers could sing the song as a duet and sound like fated lovers, rather than two lonely hearts looking for a temporary respite from their solitude.
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Photo by Fin Costello/Redferns
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