Nights (Frank Ocean song) explained

Nights
Type:song
Artist:Frank Ocean
Album:Blonde
Genre:
"Part 1":
"Part 2":
Length:5:07
Label:Boys Don't Cry
Producer:

"Nights" (sometimes styled as "Night.s") is a song by the American R&B singer Frank Ocean, released as a part of his second studio album Blonde (2016). The track debuted at number 98 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, despite not being released as a single. In August 2024, a version of the song featuring Kendrick Lamar leaked online.[1] [2]

Music

"Nights" is a two-part track.[3] The first part is an upbeat guitar driven section in which Ocean raps about a tedious nine to five job and the highs and lows of a previous relationship.[4] [5] [6] In the ending of the first verse, Ocean moves away from the past, and discusses his anger with letting a relationship go.[7] At 3:30 in the song, the halfway point in the album, the beat switches.[8] [9] The second half of the song features a slower, synth-heavy beat. Ocean raps about the struggles he dealt with in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which forced him to temporarily relocate from New Orleans to Houston.[10] [11]

Critical reception

Luke Winstanley of Clash wrote that "Nights" featured "superb, instantly memorable codas that will quickly worm their way into your subconscious."[12] Writing The Music's review of Blonde, James d'Apice called "Nights" the album's standout track.[13] Okayplayer's Heven Haile listed "Nights" as Ocean's 6th best song and called its beat switch "iconic."[14] Writing for Pitchfork, Ryan Dombal called "Nights" the centerpiece of Blonde.[15] Jonah Weiner of Rolling Stone called the track a standout, writing on its themes of romance: "He approaches the subject from oblique angles, time-shifting the different phases of relationships like he’s got them loaded on DVR: skipping from the blossoming of love directly into its demise, backing up a bit, leaving out big chunks."[16]

Personnel

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Moore . Sam . 2024-08-05 . Kendrick Lamar's Unreleased Verse From Frank Ocean's 'Nights' Surfaces . 2024-08-05 . . en.
  2. Web site: Fisher . Caroline . 2024-08-04 . Kendrick Lamar's Leaked Verse For Frank Ocean's "Nights" Has Fans Split . 2024-08-05 . . en.
  3. Web site: Chesman . Donna-Claire . 2020-06-17 . A Frank Ocean Song for The Beauty of Passing Time . 2024-04-17 . DJBooth . en.
  4. Barrist . Kenneth . 2019-10-12 . Why Frank Ocean's Blonde Makes Us Cry . 2024-04-17 . Jerk Magazine . en-US . Syracuse, New York.
  5. Web site: Elone . Emmanuel . 2016-08-25 . Frank Ocean: Blonde (take 1) . 2024-06-05 . . en-US.
  6. Weiss . Dan . August 23, 2016 . Review: Frank Ocean's Blond on 'Blonde' Is Pledging Its Goddamn Time . 2024-06-05 . Spin.
  7. Kearse . Stephen . August 25, 2016 . Frank Ocean: Blonde . 2024-06-04 . Paste.
  8. Web site: Gordon . Eden Arielle . August 22, 2021 . The Ancient Wisdom of Frank Ocean's "Blonde" . 2024-04-17 . PopDust . en.
  9. Web site: Blanchet . Brenton . August 20, 2021 . Every Song on Frank Ocean's 'Blonde,' Ranked . 2024-04-17 . . en-us.
  10. News: King . Jason . Powers . Ann . August 22, 2016 . Detangling Frank Ocean's 'Blonde': What It Is And Isn't . NPR.
  11. Web site: Ketchum III . William . 2016-08-25 . Frank Ocean - Blonde Review . 2024-06-05 . . en.
  12. Winstanley . Luke . 2016-09-01 . Frank Ocean - Blonde . 2024-06-05 . . en-GB.
  13. d'Apice . James . Album Review: Frank Ocean - Blond . 2024-06-05 . . en.
  14. Web site: Haile . Heven . April 21, 2023 . The 16 Best Frank Ocean Songs . registration . 2024-04-17 . . en.
  15. Web site: Dombal . Ryan . Frank Ocean: Blonde / Endless . 2024-06-05 . . en-US.
  16. Weiner . Jonah . 2016-08-22 . Review: Frank Ocean's 'Blonde' Is a Dizzy, Trippy, Druggy Marvel . 2024-06-05 . . en-US.
  17. Web site: Kim . Michelle . December 11, 2016 . View The Full Credits For Frank Ocean's Blonde Album . 2024-04-17 . . en.
  18. Frank Ocean US Hot R&B Songs . 2024-06-05 . . en-US.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Nights (Frank Ocean song)".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2025, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.