Captain & Tennille

Songwriter: Dana Merino

You need a woman
Need a woman tonight
You are looking to your left
You are looking to your right
You need a woman tonight
You need a lover so right
You need a woman tonight

I got this feeling
Got this feeling inside
I'm not looking to run
I'm not looking to hide
You need a woman tonight
You need a lover so right
You need a woman tonight

Oh, it's on a lonely night
When a man needs a woman to love
And a woman to feel
And a woman to hold tight

Oh, it's on a lonely night
No man can do it all alone
He needs to find a guiding light

And you know
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
Takes two to tango, yeah
And you know
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
It takes two to tango

You need a woman
Need a woman right now
I'm not telling no lies
You need a lady and how
You need a woman tonight
You need a lover so right
You need a woman tonight

Oh, it's on a lonely night
When a man needs a woman to love
And a woman to feel
And a woman to hold tight

Oh, it's on a lonely night
No man can do it all alone
He needs to find a guiding light

And you know
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
Takes two to tango
Whoa, yeah
And you know
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa
It takes two to tango
Yeah, yeah

You need a woman
Need a woman tonight
You need a woman
Need a woman tonight
You need a woman
Need a woman tonight

You need a woman
Need a woman tonight
You need a woman
Need a woman tonight
You need a woman
Need a woman tonight

In 1972, Toni Tennille was a co-writer of the musical Mother Earth. Daryl “Captain Keyboard” Dragon, who got his nickname while touring with the Beach Boys from his signature skipper’s cap, took a job as the keyboardist for Mother Earth and the two hit it off romantically and musically, forming a nightclub act that charged $70 a night.

When two radio DJs urged the duo to record their cover of the Beach Boys song “Disney Girls” in 1974, they also recorded an original song “The Way I Want to Touch You” which attracted interest from several record labels. A&M Records, home to the platinum-selling male/female duo The Carpenters who had scored ten top 5 hits in the US from 1970-1974, signed them.

Captain & Tennille’s 1975 debut album featured seven originals, three Beach Boys covers and – at the suggestion of A&M’s A&R man – a cover of Neil Sedaka’s “Love Will Keep Us Together”. The latter was released as their first single and found massive success in North America. It reached #1 in the US & Canada, won a Grammy for Record Of The Year, and was the biggest song of of the year in the US. Even their Spanish version of the song “Por Amor Viviremos” reached #49 in the US. A&M followed it up with “The Way I Want to Touch You” and it reached #4 in both the US and Canada. Both songs also found success in New Zealand and the UK. The two married in November 1975.

more tracks from the album

Dream

From the album

Dream (1978)

Captain & Tennille popular songs

You Need a Woman TonightCaptain & Tennille

Captain & Tennille

Dream