Afternoon Delight#Cover versions
{{other uses}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Afternoon Delight
| cover = Afternoon Delight by The Starland Vocal Band.jpg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Starland Vocal Band
| album = Starland Vocal Band
| B-side = Starland
| released = April 1976
| recorded = November 1975
| studio =
| venue =
| genre =
- Soft rock{{cite web|url=http://www.stereogum.com/5507/40_most_softsational_softrock_songs/franchises/list/|title=VH1's 40 Most Softsational Soft-Rock Songs|date=May 31, 2007|website=Stereogum|access-date=July 31, 2016}}
- country rock{{cite web|first= Tom |last= Breihan |title= The Number Ones: Starland Vocal Band's "Afternoon Delight"|website=Stereogum |date= September 6, 2019 |url= https://www.stereogum.com/2057239/the-number-ones-starland-vocal-bands-afternoon-delight/columns/the-number-ones/|quote= The final product stands out as a kind of throwback to sunshiney ’60s folk-pop, and to countrified early-’70s soft rock.|access-date= June 30, 2023}}
- folk-pop
| length = 3:12
| label =
- Windsong (US)
- Windlands International (UK & Canada)
| writer = Bill Danoff{{cite web|title=Afternoon Delight|url=https://www.secondhandsongs.com/work/135362|website=Secondhandsongs.com|access-date=January 10, 2021}}
| producer = Milt Okun
| prev_title =
| prev_year =
| next_title = California Day
| next_year = 1976
| misc = {{external music video|{{YouTube|wu1UXCdyNo0|"Afternoon Delight"}}}}
}}
"Afternoon Delight" is a song recorded by Starland Vocal Band. It was written by band member Bill Danoff. In the US, it became a No. 1 single on July 10, 1976,{{cite book | last = Bronson | first = Fred | author-link = Fred Bronson | title = The Billboard Book of Number 1 Hits | edition = 5th | year = 2003 | publisher = Billboard Books | isbn = 0-8230-7677-6 | page = 438 | chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=PgGqNrqfrsoC&q=%22Afternoon+Delight%22+0823076776&pg=PT447 | chapter = Afternoon Delight}} and earned a gold record.
Background and writing
The title came from the happy hour menu at Clyde's restaurant in Georgetown, Washington, D.C., where Bill Danoff was eating with fellow bandmember Margot Chapman, while his then-wife Taffy Danoff was undergoing surgery for cervical cancer.{{cite web|url=https://patch.com/florida/safetyharbor/grammy-winner-taffy-nivert-settles-in-safety-harbor |title=Grammy Winner Taffy Nivert Settles In Safety Harbor - Safety Harbor, FL Patch |website=Patch.com |date=2013-02-08 |access-date=2016-10-11}} Danoff downplayed the lyrics: "I didn't want to write an all-out sex song ... I just wanted to write something that was fun and hinted at sex."
Cover versions
Concurrent with the Starland Vocal Band version, country singer Johnny Carver's cover entered the Top 10 on Billboard Hot Country Singles.{{cite web |date=January 16, 2024 |title=The Rather Randy Meaning Behind "Afternoon Delight" by Starland Vocal Band |url=https://americansongwriter.com/the-rather-randy-meaning-behind-afternoon-delight-by-starland-vocal-band/ |website=Americansongwriter.com}}
In the 2004 film Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, the song is sung by the news crew in choir and referenced multiple times and came with a music video in the bonus disc.{{cite AV media|title=Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy|type=dvd}}
"Afternoon Delight" has been featured in episodes of numerous TV shows, including The Simpsons and South Park.{{Cite web|url=https://www.songfacts.com/facts/starland-vocal-band/afternoon-delight/|title=Afternoon Delight by Starland Vocal Band |website=Songfacts.com|access-date=July 7, 2025}} {{unreliable source|date=July 2025}} The song is featured in the Arrested Development episode "Afternoon Delight", where it is sung as Karaoke by Michael Bluth and his niece Maeby, before stopping upon realizing what the song is actually about. The characters Lindsay and George Michael later perform the song, before having a similar realization.{{Cite web |title=Arrested Development: "Sad Sack"/"Afternoon Delight" |url=https://www.avclub.com/arrested-development-sad-sack-afternoon-delight-1798173240 |access-date=2025-04-10 |website=AV Club |language=en-US}}
"Afternoon Delight" also plays a role in the movie Good Will Hunting, where it is sung by Matt Damon's character Will Hunting while in a therapist's office -- originally as a lark, but the song plays a more significant role later in the film.
Critical reaction
At the 19th Grammy Awards ceremony in 1977, "Afternoon Delight" received three nominations for recordings from 1976. It won the Grammy Award for Best Arrangement for Voices{{cite web|url=http://www.grammy.com/nominees/search?artist=starland+vocal+band&title=&year=All&genre=All |title=The Grammys : Starland Vocal Band : Search |website=Grammy.com |access-date=2016-10-11}} and was also nominated for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and Song of the Year.
In 2010, Billboard named "Afternoon Delight" the 20th sexiest song of all time.{{cite web|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/959429/the-50-sexiest-songs-of-all-time-page-4 |title=The 50 Sexiest Songs Of All Time Page 4 |publisher=Billboard |access-date=2016-10-11}}
Chart performance
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
=Weekly charts=
{{col-2}}
=Year-end charts=
=All-time charts=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" |
| Chart (1958–2018)
! Position |
|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100-60th-anniversary|title=Billboard Hot 100 60th Anniversary Interactive Chart|magazine=Billboard|access-date=10 December 2018}}
| style="text-align:center;"|419 |
{{col-end}}
= Johnny Carver version =
| class="wikitable" |
| Chart (1976)
! Peak |
|---|
| US Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks
| style="text-align:center;"|9 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks
| style="text-align:center;"|16 |
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{cite news|last=du Lac|first=J. Freedom|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2018/07/10/skyrockets-in-flight-afternoon-delight-the-story-behind-starland-vocal-bands-one-big-hit/|title=Starland Vocal Band's 'Afternoon Delight' still being served after 35 years|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=July 8, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160609232810/http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/starland-vocal-bands-afternoon-delight-still-being-served-after-35-years/2011/06/28/gIQA5VCl3H_story.html|archive-date=June 9, 2016}}
- {{YouTube|Q5SgNyYt0jc|Starland Vocal Band - Afternoon Delight}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Afternoon Delight (Song)}}
Category:Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles
Category:Cashbox number-one singles
Category:RPM Top Singles number-one singles
Category:Starland Vocal Band songs
Category:Songs written by Bill Danoff
Category:Grammy Award for Best Vocal Arrangement for Two or More Voices