Peak
5
Weeks
28
Score
4,863
Chart Year
1999
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.
This is a simple song expressing the values of the night, relationships and ultimately life. The singer is going to go away the next day and he wants to cherish this one last night spent with his love. He explains that you can't fight changes, all you can do is accept them. >> The Swedish-born singer Eagle-Eye Cherry, son of jazz trumpeter Don Cherry, released this first in his homeland in the fall of 1997, where it slowly gained steam before crossing over to the UK and US charts. Almost a year and a half after its release, it peaked at #5 on the Hot 100. This was the last song Cherry wrote for his debut album and he wanted it to be special, "something that would stand the test of time." He achieved his goal - two decades later, the song is still in rotation on throwback radio stations and is a fixture on the setlists of countless cover bands. "People point at me and say 'Save Tonight?' like it's my name," Cherry told GQ in 2017. "Which I guess it kind of is." At first Cherry thought the song was too good and was convinced he inadvertently ripped off another musician. "When I wrote the riff in the chorus, I was racking my brain, thinking I had stolen it," he explained. "I thought that someone must have used this because it was too good." The single's success prompted a case of life imitating art as Cherry was suddenly leaving his quiet life behind to go on tour. "Once the song took off, my life became that: constantly having that last night before I leave." The black-and-white music video was filmed in Sweden and follows Cherry in the roles of several different characters whose lives intersect, including an amiable young man, a bespectacled butcher, a robber, a truck driver, a busker, and a homeless man. Cherry is actually a trained actor, having attended New York City's School of Performing Arts, with credits that include a bit part on The Cosby Show and a stint as an ex-con on the short-lived TV drama South Beach. He abandoned his aspirations as a thespian when he grew tired of playing the same old roles in support of white protagonists. Cherry's career hit a standstill when his second album, Living In The Present Future, was released in the wake of 9/11 and largely ignored outside of his home country. He continued to tour but eventually moved back to Sweden. Although "Save Tonight" was a big hit there, peaking at #2, the singer tells GQ he lives a quieter life in Stockholm, where he's rarely recognized and can work on music in peace. This was used in several TV shows, including Felicity in the 1998 episode "Cheating," Daria in the 1999 episode "Through A Lens Darkly," Roswell in the 1999 pilot episode, and Cold Case in the 2004 episode "Resolutions." It was also featured in the 2005 comedy/drama A Lot Like Love, starring Ashton Kutcher and Amanda Peet. Cherry performed this on Saturday Night Live on November 7, 1998.
Go on and close the curtains 'Cause all we need is candlelight You and me, and a bottle of wine Gonna hold you tonight, uh, yeah Well, we know I'm going away And how I wish, I wish it weren't so So take this wine and drink with me Let's delay our misery Save tonight And fight the break of dawn Come tomorrow Tomorrow I'll be gone Save tonight And fight the break of dawn Come tomorrow Tomorrow I'll be gone There's a log on the fire And it burns like me for you Tomorrow comes with one desire To take me away, oh, it's true It ain't easy to say goodbye Darlin', please, don't start to cry 'Cause, girl, you know I've got to go, oh And, Lord, I wish it wasn't so Save tonight And fight the break of dawn Come tomorrow Tomorrow I'll be gone Save tonight And fight the break of dawn Come tomorrow Tomorrow I'll be gone Tomorrow comes to take me away I wish that I, that I could stay But, girl, you know I've got to go, oh And, Lord, I wish wasn't so Save tonight And fight the break of dawn Come tomorrow Tomorrow I'll be gone Save tonight And fight the break of dawn Come tomorrow Tomorrow I'll be gone Save tonight And fight the break of dawn Come tomorrow Tomorrow I'll be gone Save tonight And fight the break of dawn Come tomorrow Tomorrow I'll be gone Tomorrow I'll be gone Tomorrow I'll be gone Tomorrow I'll be gone Tomorrow I'll be gone Save tonight Save tonight Save tonight Save tonight Oh, that's right Save tonight Save tonight
| Week | Chart Date | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dec 5, 1998 | 14 | 112 |
| 2 | Dec 12, 1998 | 17 | 109 |
| 3 | Dec 19, 1998 | 12 | 114 |
| 4 | Dec 26, 1998 | 13 | 113 |
| 5 | Jan 2, 1999 | 13 | 113 |
| 6 | Jan 9, 1999 | 13 | 113 |
| 7 | Jan 16, 1999 | 8 | 118 |
| 8 | Jan 23, 1999 | 5 | 121 |
| 9 | Jan 30, 1999 | 7 | 119 |
| 10 | Feb 6, 1999 | 9 | 117 |
| 11 | Feb 13, 1999 | 12 | 114 |
| 12 | Feb 20, 1999 | 12 | 114 |
| 13 | Feb 27, 1999 | 14 | 112 |
| 14 | Mar 6, 1999 | 16 | 110 |
| 15 | Mar 13, 1999 | 17 | 109 |
| 16 | Mar 20, 1999 | 21 | 105 |
| 17 | Mar 27, 1999 | 24 | 102 |
| 18 | Apr 3, 1999 | 25 | 101 |
| 19 | Apr 10, 1999 | 30 | 96 |
| 20 | Apr 17, 1999 | 35 | 91 |