'Later Tonight' was first released on the Please album of 1986.
Production and Recording[]
This song was recorded live at Advision Studios, London. Chris provided keyboards, to which he later quipped, "I'm amazed I agreed."
Lyrics[]
The story behind this is Neil and two other men looking out of a window at Smash Hits and seeing a cute mod boy walking down the street.
[It was] the most gay song we've ever written, practically, and no one noticed at the time...The song is saying that the boy is so out of your reach you will never meet him...but then, you wait 'til later. Maybe it's destiny, or fate, because tonight always comes. So it may happen. Really it's about sex and class.
There is a verse that never made it into the song proper: 'you stare like a fellow new to town who can't believe his eyes / through plate glass you can always see so much you want but can never touch'
You wait 'til later 'til later tonight You wait 'til later, 'til later 'til later tonight That boy never cast a look in your direction never tried to hook for your affection dresses like the mod of your invention, tall and proud He is the head boy of a school of thought that plays in your intentions, night and day And you wait 'til later 'til later tonight You wait 'til later, 'til later 'til later tonight 'cause tonight always comes