This Could Be the Night

"This Could Be the Night" is a song recorded by the American band Modern Folk Quartet (MFQ) in late 1965 or early 1966. The lyrics describe a couple on the verge of conquering their inhibitions. Written in tribute to the Beach Boys' leader Brian Wilson, the song is one of three that are credited jointly to Harry Nilsson and Phil Spector, although Nilsson submitted that he was the sole writer on a 1966 copyright form. Spector produced MFQ's version in his Wall of Sound style, featuring a dense orchestration and a marching rhythm. He used it as the opening theme music for the 1966 rock concert film The Big TNT Show, for which he was the musical director and associate producer. MFQ was signed to Spector's label and wanted to release their recording as a single in hopes of breaking into the folk rock market, but according to music historian Barney Hoskyns, Spector instead abandoned the group to work on "River Deep – Mountain High" (1966). Their recording of "This Could Be the Night" was not commercially available until 1976, when it appeared on a Spector compilation album. Nilsson recorded the song several times, but only a 1967 demo intended for the Monkees has been officially released. In 1989, MFQ's Henry Diltz rerecorded the song as a solo artist, and in 1995, Wilson recorded the song for a Nilsson tribute album. Several other musicians have recorded their versions of the song, including David Cassidy, Tatsuro Yamashita, and the Flamin' Groovies. Composition