Writers: M. Leeson and P. Vale
Producers: Richie Zito and Eddie Money
Recorded: Spring 1986 at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, California
Released: Fall 1986
| Players: | Eddie Money — vocals Richie Zito — guitar, keyboards Randy Jackson — bass Richard Page — guitar, vocals Pat Mastelotto — drums Ronnie Spector — vocals |
| Album: | Can't Hold Back (Columbia, 1986) |
"Take Me Home Tonight" was Eddie Money's biggest hit single ever, peaking at Number Four on the Billboard Hot 100.
The song was originally intended to be a duet between Money and the Motels' Martha Davis.
Money was not fond of the song when he heard it, dubbing it too lightweight and pop. To give the song some muscle, he recruited '60s girl group leader Ronnie Spector to add the "Be my little baby" line, which was inspired by her 1963 hit with her band the Ronettes. Money said at the time: "I called Ronnie and said, 'Baby, you got to come in and save me from this piece of s**t song.' I had to have something on there I could like about it."
The song's success pushed the Can't Hold Back album — Money's first release after a stint in drug rehab — to Number 20 on the Billboard 200. The album also sold more than a million copies.
Can't Hold Back also spawned another hit, "I Wanna Go Back," which reached Number 14 on the chart.
The album was mixed by Scott Litt, who would become better known after a long tenure with R.E.M.