Though best known for their instrumental hit "Pick Up the Pieces," the band's strength lies in their consistently accomplished songwriting, stretching across several gold-selling albums and multi-Grammy nominations for Atlantic Records. Despite their Scottish roots, the six-piece band developed their own "authentic" sound influenced by R&B heroes such as Marvin Gaye, James Brown, and Donny Hathaway, which was eagerly adopted by black audiences in the US and elsewhere.
Many of the band's cuts, such as "Cut The Cake" and "Let's Go 'Round Again," attracted chart action as hit singles, while album tracks like "Schoolboy Crush" and "Person to Person" became much-sampled "rare" grooves. Other tunes like "Cloudy," "A Love Of Your Own," and "Nothing You Can Do" stand alongside some of the finest soul album tracks ever recorded.
The current lineup of the band, with noted US musicians alongside founding members Alan Gorrie and Onnie McIntyre, continues to delight audiences and critics alike in its wide-ranging touring. The musical energy and trademark sound are remarkably true to the original, and with constant revisitation and re-workings of AWB's, and others' classics in the mix, it is no surprise that the Average White Band is now a multi-generational attraction and a perennial fixture with many of the top music venues.
If Love Only Lasts For One Night
Average White Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You and I together for the first time
Though heaven knows, I've wanted you
And I guess you knew but we just
Never said,
Or never had the chance
And if love only lasts for one night
That would still be all right
If love only lasts for one night
We've got the morning to remember -
And decide
That if love only lasts for one night
We will have something
We always wanted to try
Holding you,
Seems like this is what the night
Was made for
Though who can say what lies ahead
Will this flame that flickers in
The darkness
Survive the light of day
And if love only lasts for one night, we
Got the morning, oh-ooh
If love only lasts for tonight
If love only lasts for on night, we
Will remember, oh yeah
If love only lasts for tonight
The lyrics of Average White Band's song "If Love Only Lasts For One Night" express the romantic thoughts and feelings of a person who has finally found the opportunity to be with the one they have wanted for a long time. The singer acknowledges that they have always longed for this person but never confessed their feelings or had the chance to be together. The possibility of love lasting only for one night does not discourage them because they believe that they will have had something special and unforgettable between them. The morning after the night will be a sweet memory that they will cherish forever.
The lyrics also convey the hope that their love will survive after the night and into the light of day. They seem to be uncertain about the future, but their desire to be with each other is undeniable. They are willing to take the risk and enjoy what they have, even if it’s only for one night. The phrase “If love only lasts for one night, we've got the morning to remember and decide” suggests that they are open to the possibility of a future together, but they acknowledge that things may not always go as planned. Overall, the song portrays the excitement and uncertainty of new love, and the willingness to take a chance despite the unknown.
Line by Line Meaning
Here we are,
We have finally come together for the first time.
You and I together for the first time
You and I are together for the first time, and it is a special moment.
Though heaven knows, I've wanted you
I have desired for you, and it feels like a blessing that we are together now.
And I guess you knew but we just
You probably knew how I felt about you, even though we never talked about it.
Never said,
We never expressed our feelings for each other openly.
Or never had the chance
We were perhaps too shy or never had the opportunity to talk about our feelings.
And if love only lasts for one night
Even if our love lasts only for one night, it will be fine.
That would still be all right
Regardless of how much time we have together, it will be a precious memory.
We've got the morning to remember - And decide
Even if our love is short-lived, we have the next morning to cherish the memories and consider our future.
That if love only lasts for one night
If our love lasts only for one night, we can still make the most of the moment.
We will have something We always wanted to try
If our love is brief, we can at least say we tried to be together and experienced what we always wanted.
Holding you, Seems like this is what the night Was made for
Being with you feels like the perfect way to spend the night, and it makes sense in every way.
Though who can say what lies ahead
The future is unpredictable, and we do not know what it holds for us.
Will this flame that flickers in The darkness
The feeling of love we share is fragile, and we do not know how long it will last.
Survive the light of day
We do not know if our feelings for each other will remain strong in the light of a new day.
We got the morning, oh-ooh
No matter what happens, we have the next day to process the events of the night before.
If love only lasts for tonight
Even if our love is brief, we can still cherish this night and hold it close to our hearts.
We will remember, oh yeah
We will hold the memory of this special night together forever.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: GORRIE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Daniel Cronan
Here we are
You and I together for the first time
Though heaven knows, I've wanted you
And I guess you knew but we just never said
Or never had the chance
And if love only lasts for one night
That would still be all right
If love only lasts for one night
We've got the morning to remember and decide
That if love only lasts for one night
We will have tested something
We always wanted to try
Holding you
Seems like this is what the night was made for
Though who can say what lies ahead
Will this flame that flickers in the darkness
Survive the light of day
And if love only lasts for one night
That would still be all right
If love only lasts for one night
We've got the morning to remember and decide
That if love only lasts for one night
We will have tested something
We always wanted to try
If love only lasts for one night
That would still be all right
If love only lasts for one night
We've got the morning to remember and decide
That if love only lasts for one night
We will have tested something
We always wanted to try
And if love only lasts for one night
We got the morning, oh yeah
If love only lasts for tonight
If love only lasts for on night
We will remember, oh yeah
If love only lasts for tonight
Tessa VN
Arranged By [Horns, Strings] – David Foster, Jerry Hey, Roger Ball
Drums, Percussion – Steve Ferrone
Guitar – Onnie McIntyre
Keyboards, Saxophone [Alto], Saxophone, Woodwind – Roger Ball
Lead Vocals, Bass – Alan Gorrie
Lead Vocals, Guitar – Hamish Stewart
Percussion – Lennie Castro, Paul Lani, Paulinho da Costa
Producer, Keyboards – David Foster
Programmed By [Synthesizer] – Michael Boddiker, Ralph Dyck
Saxophone [Tenor] – Malcolm Duncan
Saxophone, Woodwind – Ernie Watts, Kim Hutchcroft, Larry Williams, Malcolm Duncan
Trombone – Bill Reichenbach , Lew McCreary
Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Gary Grant, Jerry Hey, Larry Hall
anderson pereira
Incrível!!! 👏
T Phillip Gee
Yes, Alan Gorrie takes the lead vocal on this very nice slow jam! Thank you AWB. CLASSIC!
enluv2
i loved this song when i was a teenager!!! loved it then, still love it now!!
Daniel Cronan
Here we are
You and I together for the first time
Though heaven knows, I've wanted you
And I guess you knew but we just never said
Or never had the chance
And if love only lasts for one night
That would still be all right
If love only lasts for one night
We've got the morning to remember and decide
That if love only lasts for one night
We will have tested something
We always wanted to try
Holding you
Seems like this is what the night was made for
Though who can say what lies ahead
Will this flame that flickers in the darkness
Survive the light of day
And if love only lasts for one night
That would still be all right
If love only lasts for one night
We've got the morning to remember and decide
That if love only lasts for one night
We will have tested something
We always wanted to try
If love only lasts for one night
That would still be all right
If love only lasts for one night
We've got the morning to remember and decide
That if love only lasts for one night
We will have tested something
We always wanted to try
And if love only lasts for one night
We got the morning, oh yeah
If love only lasts for tonight
If love only lasts for on night
We will remember, oh yeah
If love only lasts for tonight
Anthony S
I have 3 All Times Group on my list. Earth Wind and Fire, The Isley Brothers and Average White Band. I can listen to their jams Forever.
Dr. B.
Classic AWB with Alan Gorrie with lead vocals on this serious slow jam! Thank you AWB!!
Guybetty Rahem
Extraordinaire morceau toujours tiré du fantastique album shine (peux être leur meilleur album on est au début dès années 80) ce groupe britannique blanc ( à part leur batteur Steve ferrone ) qui fait de la soul et quel soul est vraiment un des meilleurs groupes dans ce genre musical toutes époques confondues !!!!!!!!!! Écoutez et réécoutez et fermez les yeux vous allez voyager !!!!!!!! L'âge d'or de la musique tout simplement !!!!!!!!!! MONUMENTAL ET INOUBLIABLE !!!!!!!!!!!!! GIGANTESQUE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Extraordinaire Alan gorrie au chant qui transcende littéralement cette merveille de ballade romantique !!!!!!!!!!!!!! L' ÂGE D'OR de la musique à cette époque il sortait pratiquement 10 albums extraordinaires par semaine tout genres confondus !!!!!!!!!!! Je m'en souviens comme si c'était hier ( d'ailleurs J'ai acheté cet extraordinaire album en nouveauté en import américain à l'époque ça ne me rajeunit pas hélas !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) nostalgie quand tu nous tiens !!!!!!!!!!! PRODIGIEUX TOUT SIMPLEMENT !!!!!!!!!! INOUBLIABLE ET TOTALEMENT ÉTERNEL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Comment comparer cette fabuleuse époque ( je parle des années 70/80 ) avec le bruit d'aujourd'hu qu'on ose appeler musique. Pauvre monde que le nôtre dominé par une immense médiocrité destinée à niveler l'état d'esprit des citoyens en les empêchant de penser par eux mêmes !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Écoutez la musique des années 70/80 vous allez faire des découvertes extraordinaires !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! La musique existe pour nous élever spirituellement c'est en réalité sa seule vocation !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! EXTRAORDINAIRE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! pour ceux que cela intéresse je crois de mémoire que c'est un groupe écossais. UN ALBUM HISTORIQUE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Dernière chose le son et la production très WEST COAST ( pour les connaisseurs l'album est produit par l'immense DAVID FOSTER et jetez un œil sur les musiciens additionnels il n'y a que des pointures dont la sublime Brenda Russell dans les choeurs !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) sont PRODIGIEUX TOUT SIMPLEMENT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! VERTIGINEUX !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Encore une chose ce fabuleux morceau a été composé par ROGER BALL et L'IMMENSE BILL CHAMPLIN !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SUBLIMISSIME !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Guy
Nicole Chambliss
I just learned of this song Jan. 2020 and I 💘 it.
Richard Terrell
This is one of the best songs by AWB..... although it can't top A Love of your own.
8manAbe D
Sorry, I took so long to respond. 10 Years? Really!?