Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 26, 2026

For Tonight

"For Tonight" is a song by American singer-songwriter Giveon. Released on September 24, 2021, it was the lead single for his 2022 debut studio album Give or Take. The song is an R&B ballad about a forbidden love which Giveon kept up for interpretation. Its music video, released at the same time as the single, centers on moments between Giveon and his lover. The song peaked at numbers 17 and 61 at the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot 100 charts. On March 11, 2023, producer Akeel Henry won the Jack Richardson Producer of the Year Award at the Juno Awards of 2023 for his work on the song.

Last revised
Jun 26, 2026
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"For Tonight"
Single by Giveon
from the album Give or Take
ReleasedSeptember 24, 2021 (2021-09-24)
GenreR&B
Length3:13
LabelEpic
Songwriters
Producers
Giveon singles chronology
"Peaches"
(2021) 		"For Tonight"
(2021) 		"Lie Again"
(2022)
Music video
"For Tonight" on YouTube
Lyric video
"For Tonight (Official Lyric Video)" on YouTube

"For Tonight" is a song by American singer-songwriter Giveon. Released on September 24, 2021, it was the lead single for his 2022 debut studio album Give or Take. The song is an R&B ballad about a forbidden love which Giveon kept up for interpretation. Its music video, released at the same time as the single, centers on moments between Giveon and his lover. The song peaked at numbers 17 and 61 at the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot 100 charts. On March 11, 2023, producer Akeel Henry won the Jack Richardson Producer of the Year Award at the Juno Awards of 2023 for his work on the song.

Background, composition, and lyrics

Giveon's creative process for "For Tonight" began with coming up with the music to "set the canvas" and "paint the scene" before establishing a story, after which he "flushes it out with melodies" in the studio. The premise that inspired the song was, in Giveon's words, "the concept of having a taboo connection to something or someone". The last part of Giveon's process is writing the lyrics. Giveon's sonic inspiration for the song was a "classic timeless ballad with movement", which led to Sevn Thomas being chosen to add the drums above the "somber, kinda cinematic piano chords".1

"For Tonight" is a yearnful piano-led R&B ballad about forbidden love; Andy Kellman of AllMusic likened the track to the music of Sam Smith.234 Having learned before to leave things open to interpretation, Giveon wrote the song about a "taboo relationship" that could be about a person or a substance.5 He described the song as being "the story of a taboo vice that I just can’t seem to stop indulging in."26 Erika Marie of HotNewHipHop interpreted the lyrics as being about "enjoying the moment" with a special person even though the relationship has ended,7 while Regina Cho of Revolt viewed them as recounting the happiness he gets from his time with a lover for one night,8 whereas Paul "Big Homie" Duong of Rap Radar saw the song as being about "brief intimacy in an unstable relationship."9 Ayana Regina of SoulBounce viewed the lyrics as Giveon's confession of his yearning for "one last moment of intimacy" with a secret relationship before leaving it behind ("For tonight, I'm yours / So deny the truth / We'll stay behind closed doors / 'Cause all I wanna do is lie with you / Even though it's wrong to lie with you").4 Regina further stated that while he shows a little toxicity, he also expresses vulnerability by his admission: "But I just, I just don't wanna leave you / Might just, might just throw away the reasons / Why we both can't lay here".4

"For Tonight" was the lead single to Giveon's debut studio album, Give or Take, and was released on September 24, 2021.725

Critical reception

While DeAsia Paige of Pitchfork criticized most of Give or Take for Giveon's impassive delivery and limited range, she described "For Tonight" as the only song in the album where Giveon sounds believably in love, likening it to "My Heart Belongs to U" by Jodeci and "One Last Cry" by Brian McKnight, which are songs she used as examples of using one's voice skillfully to believably portray "falling head-over-heels in love".10 Tyler Schmitt of Variance described the song as "moving, absolutely intoxicating".11

Music video

An accompanying video directed by Sophia Nahli Allison was released on the same day as the single.79 It centers on the "private moments" between Giveon and his lover.9 The first half depicts them in separate scenes before they are shown walking towards one another. It subsequently shows scenes of the couple "having 'one of those conversations' on a rainy night, followed by clips of them lying together underneath the stars".4

Live performances

On September 30, 2021, Giveon sang the song on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in a performance described by Rolling Stone as soulful and emotive.68 It featured Giveon dressed in all black amid a set featuring windowpanes accompanied by mood lighting.812 Giveon later performed the song in a medley with "Heartbreak Anniversary" and "Lie Again" at the 2022 BET Awards which took place on June 6, where a malfunction with his microphone caused him to occasionally sound off-key.1314

Awards

On March 11, 2023, producer Akeel Henry won the Jack Richardson Producer of the Year Award at the Juno Awards of 2023 for his work on "For Tonight" and John Legend's "Splash".1516

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.17

  • Giveon – composer, lyricist, associated performer
  • Akeel Henry – producer
  • Jahaan Sweet – producer
  • Sevn Thomas – producer, composer, lyricist
  • Marcus Semaj – composer, lyricist
  • Tony Dixon – composer, lyricist
  • Jonathan Lopez Garcia – assistant engineer
  • Brian Cruz – engineer, recording engineer
  • Colin Leonard – mastering engineer
  • Leon Thomas – miscellaneous producer
  • Peter Lee Johnson – miscellaneous producer
  • John Kercy – mix engineer

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for "For Tonight"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)28 2× Platinum 160,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)29 Platinum 30,000‡
United States (RIAA)30 Platinum 1,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release history for "For Tonight"
Region Date Format Label Ref.
Various September 24, 2021
  • Digital download
  • streaming
 Epic 31
United States September 28, 2021 Rhythmic contemporary 32
Italy December 17, 2021 Contemporary hit radio Sony 33
References

References

  1. Giveon (April 6, 2022). Givēon - The Making of 'For Tonight' (Vevo Footnotes) ('Making of' video). Vevo – via YouTube.
  2. Roberts, Nigel (September 29, 2021). "New Music Alert! Check Out The Latest Singles From BIA, Givēon, Tyla And Lonr". BET. Archived from the original on May 14, 2025. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
  3. "Give or Take Review by Andy Kellman". AllMusic. June 24, 2022. Archived from the original on December 13, 2023. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
  4. Regina, Ayana (September 24, 2021). "Giveon Doesn't Want To Let Go 'For Tonight'". Soul Bounce. Archived from the original on December 1, 2021. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
  5. Bobila, Maria (July 19, 2022). "GIVĒON Is Learning To Be A Star IRL". Nylon. Archived from the original on June 9, 2026. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
  6. Zemler, Emily (September 30, 2021). "Watch Giveon's Soulful Performance of 'For Tonight' on 'Fallon'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 26, 2022. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
  7. Marie, Erika (September 24, 2021). "Giveon Holds On To A Romance Gone Cold On "For Tonight"". HotNewHipHop. Archived from the original on January 15, 2025. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
  8. Cho, Regina (October 6, 2021). "GIVEON delivers live performance of "For Tonight"". REVOLT. Archived from the original on December 11, 2024. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
  9. Duong, Paul (September 24, 2021). "Video: Giveon "For Tonight"". Rap Radar. Archived from the original on August 14, 2022. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
  10. Paige, DeAsia (July 5, 2022). "Giveon: Give or Take". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on February 6, 2026. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
  11. Schmitt, Tyler (September 24, 2021). "Giveon shares his moving new single 'For Tonight'". Variance. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
  12. Beauchamp, Jakori (September 30, 2021). "Giveon Performs 'For Tonight' on 'Fallon'". Rated R&B. Retrieved June 26, 2026.
  13. Garcia, Kelsey (June 29, 2022). "Giveon Makes Light of His Technical Difficulties at the BET Awards". PopSugar. Archived from the original on October 2, 2023. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
  14. Sadler, Armon (June 26, 2022). "Giveon Pours Out His Heart In His 2022 BET Awards Performance". Uproxx. Archived from the original on December 10, 2025. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
  15. CBC Music (March 12, 2023). "Junos 2023: full list of winners". CBC. Archived from the original on November 1, 2023. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
  16. Grein, Paul (March 12, 2023). "The Weeknd Sweeps 2023 Juno Opening Night Awards: Full Winners List". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 19, 2023. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
  17. "Credits / For Tonight / Giveon". Tidal. Archived from the original on December 1, 2021. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
  18. "Canadian Hot 100: October 9, 2021". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 1, 2021. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
  19. "Billboard Global 200: October 9, 2021". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 1, 2021. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
  20. "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. October 4, 2021. Archived from the original on October 1, 2021. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
  21. "Local & International Streaming Chart Top 100 Week 26-2022". The Official South African Charts. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  22. "Hot 100 Chart: January 15, 2022". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 10, 2022. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  23. "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs: January 8, 2022". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 5, 2022. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
  24. "Pop Airplay: February 26, 2022". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 22, 2022. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  25. "Rhythmic Airplay: January 29, 2022". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 25, 2022. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  26. "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 2022". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 2, 2022. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  27. "Rhythmic Songs – Year-End 2022". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 2, 2022. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  28. "Canadian single certifications – Giveon – For Tonight". Music Canada. Retrieved September 26, 2025.
  29. "New Zealand single certifications – Giveon – For Tonight". Radioscope. Retrieved April 8, 2026. Type For Tonight in the "Search:" field and press Enter.
  30. "American single certifications – Giveon – For Tonight". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  31. "For Tonight - Single by Giveon". September 24, 2021. Archived from the original on December 4, 2021. Retrieved December 1, 2021 – via Apple Music.
  32. "Future Releases for Rhythmic Radio Stations". All Access. Archived from the original on September 24, 2021. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
  33. "Giveon "For Tonight" | (Radio Date: 17/12/2021)". radiodate.it (in Italian). Archived from the original on January 14, 2022. Retrieved January 14, 2022.