About The Song

Starland Vocal Band’s “Afternoon Delight” is a classic hit song that rose to popularity in 1976. The singer Bill Danoff wrote the song and it quickly became a number one hit in the US. It remained on the album charts for 25 weeks and became an anthem of a golden age for pop music. The success of the song, released in 1976, earned it a gold record and a Grammy Award for Best Arrangement for Voices. The song’s success brought the band fame but also challenges, as winning the Grammy for Best New Artist was seen as both a blessing and a curse for their career.

The term “afternoon delight” has a double meaning in the context of the song. The first meaning refers to the late-afternoon appetizer menu at the restaurant Clydes Of Georgetown in Washington, D.C., where the band got inspiration for the song. The second meaning, as hinted by the lyrics and innuendo, refers to daytime sex. The catchy melody and charming harmonies made it a chart-topping hit and a cultural phenomenon of the 1970s.

Video

Lyrics

Gonna find my baby, gonna hold her tight
Gonna grab some afternoon delight
My motto’s always been “When it’s right, it’s right”
Why wait until the middle of a cold dark night
When everything’s a little clearer in the light of day
And we know the night is always gonna be here any way

Thinkin’ of you’s workin’ up my appetite
Looking forward to a little afternoon delight
Rubbin’ sticks and stones together make the sparks ignite
And the thought of rubbin’ you is getting so exciting

Sky rockets in flight
Afternoon delight
Afternoon delight
Afternoon delight

Started out this morning feeling so polite
I always thought a fish could not be caught who didn’t bite
But you’ve got some bait a waitin’ and I think I might
Like nibblin’ in a little afternoon delight

Sky rockets in flight
Afternoon delight
Afternoon delight
Afternoon delight

Please’ be waiting for me baby when I come around
We could make a lot of lovin’ ‘fore the sun goes down

Thinkin’ of you’s workin’ up my appetite
Looking forward to a little afternoon delight
Rubbin’ sticks and stones together make the sparks ignite
And the thought of rubbin’ you is getting so exciting

Sky rockets in flight
Afternoon delight
Afternoon delight
Afternoon delight
Afternoon delight
Afternoon delight