Nights

Album: Blonde (2016)
Charted: 98
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Like Channel Orange's "Pyramids," this is a two-part odyssey about nocturnal activities. The first half is rap heavy, and finds Ocean describing fragmented events, including a former relationship. The second more melancholic half finds him reminiscing about living in his home state of Louisiana and his stay in Houston after Hurricane Katrina destroyed his New Orleans recording facility.
  • The second half of the song starts at 3:30, which means that it splits exactly at the 30-minute mark of the 60-minute album, splitting Blonde into two. Ocean references the themes of duality throughout the record, often with hints of his bisexuality. He also does this by naming the album Blond on the album's artwork and Blonde on iTunes, (Blond describes a male's fair colored hair, blonde a female's fair colored hair).
  • The synth on this track is played by Buddy Ross, Frank Ocean's touring keyboardist since 2012. Ross also played the piano intro on "Godspeed," the synth on the first half of "White Ferrari," the original instrumentation on "Close to U." and all the repeating interlude music.

    Speaking about the cryptic process for the recording of the album, Ross told Pitchfork: "It's been a four-year process... I had no idea what I was going to be on until the record came out. So more than anybody, I was just waiting and anticipating the release of this so much. I knew I was hopefully going to be a part of it, but I was also just excited to hear all the little bits and pieces I had heard over the years finally come together."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Wedding Bell Blues

Wedding Bell BluesSong Writing

When a song describes a wedding, it's rarely something to celebrate - with one big exception.

Kip Winger

Kip WingerSongwriter Interviews

The Winger frontman reveals the Led Zeppelin song he cribbed for "Seventeen," and explains how his passion for orchestra music informs his songwriting.

Adele

AdeleFact or Fiction

Despite her reticent personality, Adele's life and music are filled with intrigue. See if you can spot the true tales.

When Rock Belonged To Michelob

When Rock Belonged To MichelobSong Writing

Michelob commercials generated hits for Eric Clapton, Genesis and Steve Winwood in the '80s, even as some of these rockers were fighting alcoholism.

Songs About Movies

Songs About MoviesSong Writing

Iron Maiden, Adele, Toto, Eminem and Earth, Wind & Fire are just some of the artists with songs directly inspired by movies - and not always good ones.

Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull

Ian Anderson of Jethro TullSongwriter Interviews

The flautist frontman talks about touring with Led Zeppelin, his contribution to "Hotel California", and how he may have done the first MTV Unplugged.