Nite And Day – Al B. Sure! | Top 40 Chart Performance, Story and Song Meaning

Chart Performance: Pop (#7) & R&B (#1 for 3 weeks); 1988

Story Behind The Song By Ed Osborne

A song written by a tenth grader over a lunchroom cheeseburger and recorded in his cousin’s basement years later became a chart topping R&B hit in 1988. As a boy, Al Brown immersed himself in the music emanating from his Mom’s radio, then got his own crack at crooning after songwriter Ellie Greenwich heard him singing.

With Ellie’s help, Al and his friends soon wound up on a soundtrack for the Sesame Street theme parks. In their after-school hours, Al and his cousin, Kyle West, holed up in Kyle’s basement, laying down their songs on a home tape recorder. Post-graduation, Al met Heavy D and added his vocals to some of the rapper’s tracks. Inevitably, Al got his own deal.

Back in the very same basement where he and Kyle once played at being stars, the two teens now recorded – for real – that 10th grade composition, Nite And Day. Released as Al’s debut single, Nite And Day became the second biggest R&B chart single of 1988.

This content and all Song Meaning articles were created and written by Top 40 Contributing Editor Ed Osborne. © 2024 Ed Osborne. All Rights Reserved. In addition to these song meaning articles, Ed has written our “Year in Music 1960s-1990s” articles.

Produced by:

• Al B. Sure!
• Kyle West

Lyrics Written by:

• Albert Brown
• Kyle West