"Afternoon Delight" is a song recorded by Starland Vocal Band. It was written by band member Bill Danoff. In the US, it became a #1 single on July 10, 1976, and earned a gold record.

Background and writing

The title came from the happy hour menu at Clyde's restaurant in Georgetown, Washington, D.C., where Bill Danoff was eating with fellow bandmember Margot Chapman, while his then-wife Taffy Danoff was undergoing surgery for cervical cancer. Danoff downplayed the lyrics: "I didn't want to write an all-out sex song ... I just wanted to write something that was fun and hinted at sex."

Cover versions

Concurrent with the Starland Vocal Band version, country singer Johnny Carver's cover went Top 10 on Billboard Hot Country Singles. In the 2004 film Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, the song is sung by the news crew in choir and referenced multiple times and came with a music video in the bonus disc. "Afternoon Delight" has been featured in episodes of numerous TV shows, including The Simpsons and South Park. In 2011, the song was covered by Glee cast and the actor John Stamos for season 2 episode 15 "Sexy" of the musical television series Glee. This was included in the versions of the album Glee: The Music, Volume 5 that were released in the UK, Brazil, and Japan, to replace the cover of "Do You Wanna Touch Me (Oh Yeah)" (from the same episode), a song co-written by Gary Glitter.

Critical reaction

At the 19th Grammy Awards ceremony in 1977, "Afternoon Delight" received three nominations for recordings from 1976. It won the Grammy Award for Best Arrangement for Voices and was also nominated for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and Song of the Year. In 2010, Billboard named "Afternoon Delight" the 20th sexiest song of all time.

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

All-time charts

Johnny Carver version