How is all of this possible? The narrator is clearly a powerful man if he can guarantee a “good good night” 8 nights a week and can shut down the same town in which he parties–only to have it re-opened in time for the following night. No congratulations are in order for achieving something that’s a guaranteed outcome. He knew the evening’s outcome all along–since it happens to him EVERY FREAKING DAY (and twice on Saturdays). His intuition that “tonight’s gonna be a good night” was no intuition at all. The narrator’s clever deception is complete. So much for “tonight’s gonna be a good night” and “tonight’s the night.” Apparently, this sort of thing happens EVERY DAY to the narrator. Now that you’re good and rocking out, I unfortunately must bring you back down to earth with…
“Around the clock” – “Rock Around the Clock,” Billy Haley and His Comets.“Round and round” – “Round and Round,” RATT.“Rock it don’t stop” – “Can’t Stop Rock ‘n’ Roll,” AC/DC.“Easy come, easy go” – “Bohemian Rhapsody,” Queen.I detect at least 4 references to classic rock songs in these lyrics: Note to self: make a Black Eyed Peas + RATT Venn Diagram We’re almost at the end, but before we bring it all together, it’s time for a quick… Things don’t happen to him he makes things happen. To further drive this point home, he then issues… It’s a confident expression of power and control, one that starts to reveal the narrator’s true nature. In imploring us to “paint the town,” he specifically leaves off “red” in order to make that line (now ending in “town”) to rhyme with “we’ll shut it down.” Why, after a night of revelry on the town, would the narrator want to shut it down? This is indeed a special occasion,” he seems to say.Īfter the fairly straightforward command to disrobe, the narrator introduces a peculiar turn of phrase.
I was pretty sure this was going to be a good night, and we made it happen. Instead, let’s consider the meaning of the word: “congratulations,” as in, “congratulations on your special occasion.” Based on the primacy of “tonight” that the narrator has established thus far, he seems to be congratulating his fellow party goers (and himself) for making his hope (that tonight’s gonna be a good good night) into a reality. I won’t dwell too much on the fact that “Mazel tov” is a Hebrew word since it’s used commonly enough in standard English parlance. Hey, it's the Musical TALMUD! How appropriate. Hint: it has to do with the still-unanswered question from the beginning of the song: how does he know that tonight’s gonna be a good night? But before we work on that answer, it’s time for a quick… These coded sexual references are indicative of a sort of larger deception that’s going on in this song.
And likewise with “Smash it/Oh my God,” the orgasm follows the intercourse (“Let’s get get OFF”). Again, he’s making a reference to sex: did you know that “jump off” is slang for casual sexual partner? ( again, not making this up). “Jump off that sofa/let’s get off”: The narrator is not merely commanding the listener to get off the couch and go party (though that it certainly a requirement for the kind of night he’s planning). And the sex seems quite good it’s the kind of sex that has one moaning “Oh my God.” “Go out and smash it:” It’s not a desire to commit random acts of physical violence instead, “smash it” is a slang reference to sexual intercourse ( no, I’m not making this up). What’s going to happen tonight? He’s going to conspicuously display his wealth while…smashing things and jumping off of couches? Not quite: “Tonight’s the night”–not just any other night. But before we get there, we need a plan for the evening’s festivities.Īgain, we should note that the narrator emphasizes the special quality of tonight. The answer lies below in the remaining lyrics. What gives him this premonition? And what’s so special about tonight, compared to other nights? The male narrator, as he prepares for the evening’s festivities, expresses his feeling–his gut intuition–that “tonight’s gonna be a good good night.” He references “tonight” with some emphasis and specificity, as if most nights don’t come with this sort of feeling. That tonight’s gonna be a good good night I gotta feeling that tonight’s gonna be a good night I know not what the evening has in store.