About The Song
“Afternoon Delight” is a soft-rock pop song written by Bill Danoff and recorded by Starland Vocal Band, a Washington, D.C.-based quartet formed in 1975. The song was released in April 1976 as the lead single from their self-titled debut album, Starland Vocal Band, on John Denver’s Windsong Records. It hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on July 10, 1976, staying at the top for two weeks, and reached No. 1 in Canada and No. 18 on the UK Singles Chart. The song earned a gold record and spent 20 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100. The album peaked at No. 20 on the Billboard 200.
The song’s title was inspired in 1974 when Danoff and Margot Chapman visited Clyde’s of Georgetown, a D.C. restaurant, and saw a happy hour menu featuring “Afternoon Delights,” a small selection of appetizers like shrimp with Brie and almonds. Danoff began writing the song over six months, often during Sunday Redskins (now Commanders) football games, crafting its catchy harmonies and playful lyrics about daytime romance. He aimed for a light, fun tone, avoiding overt sexuality, though the lyrics clearly hint at a “nooner.” The group, consisting of Danoff, Taffy Nivert, Jon Carroll, and Chapman, drew from their folk roots and Mamas and Papas-style vocal arrangements, with a notable pedal steel guitar lick by Danny Pendleton adding a country flair.
Starland Vocal Band, originally the folk duo Fat City (Danoff and Nivert), had previously co-written John Denver’s 1971 hit “Take Me Home, Country Roads.” After adding Carroll and Chapman, they signed with Windsong and toured with Denver, whose audience embraced the song’s folksy charm. The track won two 1977 Grammy Awards—Best Arrangement for Voices and Best New Artist (beating Boston)—and received nominations for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group and Song of the Year. Its success led to a short-lived CBS variety show, The Starland Vocal Band Show, in summer 1977, featuring a then-unknown David Letterman as a writer and regular.
Despite its chart dominance, the song became a cultural punchline, often mocked as a cheesy relic of the 1970s. It appeared in films like Anchorman (2004), Good Will Hunting (1997), and PCU (1994), and TV shows like The Simpsons and Arrested Development, cementing its kitschy legacy. Billboard named it the 20th sexiest song of all time in 2010. The band couldn’t replicate its success; their follow-up album, Rear View Mirror (1977), peaked at No. 104, and later albums flopped. Starland Vocal Band disbanded in 1981, with Danoff and Nivert divorcing that year, followed by Carroll and Chapman in 1990.
Video
Lyric
Gonna find my baby, gonna hold her tight
Gonna grab some afternoon delight
My motto’s always been, when it’s right, it’s right
Why wait until the middle of a cold, dark night?When everything’s a little clearer in the light of day
And we know the night is always gonna be there anywayThinkin’ of you’s workin’ up my appetite
Looking forward to a little afternoon delight
Rubbin’ sticks and stones together makes the sparks ignite
And the thought of lovin’ you is getting so excitingSkyrockets in flight
Afternoon delight
Afternoon delight
Afternoon delightStarted out this morning feeling so polite
I always thought a fish could not be caught who wouldn’t bite
But you’ve got some bait a-waitin’ and I think I might
Like nibblin’ a little afternoon delightSkyrockets in flight
Afternoon delight
Afternoon delight
Afternoon delightPlease be waiting for me, baby, when I come around
We could make a lot of lovin’ ‘fore the sun goes downThinkin’ of you’s workin’ up my appetite
Looking forward to a little afternoon delight
Rubbin’ sticks and stones together makes the sparks ignite
And the thought of lovin’ you is getting so excitingSkyrockets in flight
Afternoon delight
Afternoon delight
Afternoon delight