Tonight or Drag me down

manatthetop · In the Long Grass

Tonight or Drag me down

Mark L · Loudmouth

Tonight is ok, but I heard it and thought no way will they get back in the top 20 with this. That said, I did think it might trouble the lower reaches of the 40.

Drag me Down is superior to Tonight in my view. The US version I like slightly better, more edgy.

I thought it would easily crack the 20 and was surprised when it reached 50. The previous week it had leapt from 81 to 56 and there was much TV exposure.

Had DMD been the lead single from Grass, I think there's a good chance it would have cracked the 20. If they could have got it out in '83, I think it could have gone Top 10. Memories were fading. The brass ending I don't much care for and think it was tortuous on the radio, leaving DJs wondering where to speak. The drummed US ending is far more palatable, sounding right somehow.

noelindublin · Loudmouth

Both were very strong singles and equally good in my opinion, which is not a cop out. There was so much rubbish in the charts in 1984 frankly this was way too good. The Rats were intellectually a peg or two above most of the chart acts back then, and frankly the fact that Tonight was not a hit is as much as the climate of the pop times ie the rise of Duran Duran, Spandau, Culture Club as it is about the quality of the music.

Mark L · Loudmouth

Interesting that bigbosscentral rates this as the Rats worst single, ranking the almost universally hated Charmed Lives above it. Most other posters rate DMD slightly higher than Tonight. It's chart position would suggest it is generally perceived a better song.

I don't dislike Tonight by any measure but I find the brass over used somewhat and some of the lyrics hard to pick up ( chuck/reel, real fine).

Interesting our friends from the island of Ireland prefer it to DMD.

noelindublin · Loudmouth

Mark L wrote:
Interesting that bigbosscentral rates this as the Rats worst single, ranking the almost universally hated Charmed Lives above it. Most other posters rate DMD slightly higher than Tonight. It's chart position would suggest it is generally perceived a better song.
I don't dislike Tonight by any measure but I find the brass over used somewhat and some of the lyrics hard to pick up ( chuck/reel, real fine).
Interesting our friends from the island of Ireland prefer it to DMD.

There isn't a ciggie paper between them Mark, in my opinion. Well only a very thin one. I love the hook on Tonight 'You scratch my back and maybe I'll claw yours/you understand being used.....

Some sort of shady drama or intrigue going on in Tonight's 'storyline'- you got the numbers of the papers here. I won't quibble -both songs are fantastic and much better than anything that was in the charts back then.

When I heard Drag Me Down for the first few times back in the day the lines 'like a ship that's going under' always seemed like a metaphor for the Rats fading career- a plaintive, emotive line that I'll always love. Drag Me Down is a wonderful Rats song and pitching one song against the other is probably doing neither one justice.

Amusing that ' Yer Mon' ATT took a dislike to the colours pink and gold. Maybe they just fitted in rather than have any particular relevance or meaning.

-- Edited by noelindublin on Tuesday 5th of August 2014 02:15:59 PM

jamieuka · House on Fire

I prefer Tonight. That said, I also like Charmed Lives so maybe my taste is questionable! Both similar songs, now I come to think about it.

Was totally surprised and delighted when I saw Tonight performed on a kids TV programme because I thought the Rats had disbanded. A few days later I was enjoying Sight and Sound broadcast simultaneously on Radio 1 and BBC TV. Happy days.

At the time I had love/hate relationship with DMD. Yet another song where, "I'll go back and fill in the lyrics for the chorus later... actually, dee-dee-dee-whow-whow is kinds awesome!" And pink and gold was not a colour scheme I could work with. On the other hand, it was up-tempo summer song by the Rats so not all bad!

The jump in the charts for DMD might be explained by the band themselves buying copies of the single in shops known to supply sales figures for the charts ie when Garrick crashed his motorbike and ended up in hospital.

Anyone remember the 10 second TV commercial for DMD? Struck me as desperation at the time.

I recall a Radio 1 DJ (Bruno Brooks?) saying the ending to DMD was one of the best ever, while talking over it, naturally.

I like the US version of DMD but probably only for the novelty value. Musically, I think the verses in the US version are too down-beat for me and prefer the 'brighter' UK version.

suss · In the Long Grass

Reminds me - still haven't got those lyrics to US Drag Me Down!

Overall I prefer the UK version; just seems slight more powerful and dare I say authentic. US one just feels like it was rearranged for the market. And for what it's worth, I always just assumed pink and gold was a reference to setting sun, but never really analysed it in all honesty.

Tonight is a song that's grown on me more and more down the years. Share Noel's enthusiasm for the scratch my back section, and also the jerkiness of the 'rhythm' (can a musician help me out here??) right from the off.

Think I ranked DMD slightly higher in the singles, but would be a close run thing.

Memories of Tonight (which may be distorted) are an appearance on the Oxford Road Show, after what seemed like years of waiting for something new, whereas DMD is indelibly linked with Live Aid for me now.

Funnily enough, for a so called fan I was oblivious to the US versions of ITLG tracks until years after the event. Lightweight!

Jules · The biggest Geldof fan in the world, bar none!

That's a hard choice. I am thinking Tonight may have the edge. Bit that's personal, as for which one should have been successful, I don't really think I can answer that.

manatthetop · In the Long Grass

Jules wrote:
That's a hard choice. I am thinking Tonight may have the edge. Bit that's personal, as for which one should have been successful, I don't really think I can answer that.

With u on this one tonight would get my vote. Much stronger song and a better video, The word for me sum it up, Someone always looking you to do something in return

Mark L · Loudmouth

I don't recall a TV commercial for DMD. Was this on ITV or Channel 4? What was it like (clip of video/whose voice over etc)?

I was years behind the US mix too!

Think DMD got considerable Radio 1 play. Think it surprised them it stiffed as most DJ feedback was positive.

noelindublin · Loudmouth

Mark L wrote:
I don't recall a TV commercial for DMD. Was this on ITV or Channel 4? What was it like (clip of video/whose voice over etc)?
I was years behind the US mix too!
Think DMD got considerable Radio 1 play. Think it surprised them it stiffed as most DJ feedback was positive.

I have an interview with Geldof on tape from around that time and Bob is complaining that the combined total radio plays of all the Long Grass singles amounted to about 40. That is for Tonight, Drag Me Down and Dave.

He certainly was not seeing the Rats get much airplay for those singles. Geldof was managing the band too at that time, so I assume he knew what he was talking about.

The famous Irish dj Larry Gogan tells the story of Geldof marching into his studio and making sure Larry plays the Rats new single I Don't Like Mondays. Point being that Bob always had an eye out for the songs getting proper promotion. That would have continued into the Long Grass era, no point in doing things by half etc.

noelindublin · Loudmouth

suss wrote:
Reminds me - still haven't got those lyrics to US Drag Me Down!
Overall I prefer the UK version; just seems slight more powerful and dare I say authentic. US one just feels like it was rearranged for the market. And for what it's worth, I always just assumed pink and gold was a reference to setting sun, but never really analysed it in all honesty.
Tonight is a song that's grown on me more and more down the years. Share Noel's enthusiasm for the scratch my back section, and also the jerkiness of the 'rhythm' (can a musician help me out here??) right from the off.
Think I ranked DMD slightly higher in the singles, but would be a close run thing.
Memories of Tonight (which may be distorted) are an appearance on the Oxford Road Show, after what seemed like years of waiting for something new, whereas DMD is indelibly linked with Live Aid for me now.
Funnily enough, for a so called fan I was oblivious to the US versions of ITLG tracks until years after the event. Lightweight!

Was amused by your Mondays cutting, and the guy talking about the outrageous price of singles in 1979. What was it singles at £1.15? Outrageous. smile

jamieuka · House on Fire

To quote the Buggles, wasn't airplay of promo videos on TV more important than radio airplay in the mid 80s? I don't recall seeing the Tonight promo video on UK TV at the time (or ever). I think I saw the DMD video on TVAM and The Tube.

Mark L · Loudmouth

noelindublin wrote:
Mark L wrote:
I don't recall a TV commercial for DMD. Was this on ITV or Channel 4? What was it like (clip of video/whose voice over etc)?
I was years behind the US mix too!
Think DMD got considerable Radio 1 play. Think it surprised them it stiffed as most DJ feedback was positive.
I have an interview with Geldof on tape from around that time and Bob is complaining that the combined total radio plays of all the Long Grass singles amounted to about 40. That is for Tonight, Drag Me Down and Dave.
He certainly was not seeing the Rats get much airplay for those singles. Geldof was managing the band too at that time, so I assume he knew what he was talking about.

You should remember that what he says often has just a passing acquaintance with the facts a la the story behind how he came to write Mondays.

40 what? Plays on Radio 1? Plays on ILR? I certainly heard DMD (not so much Tonight but it was a less successful single) played several times on Radio 1.

He can't have monitored Radio 1 continuously through '84. He was watching the news in Nov '84 when he should have been listening to Peter Powell !