Nights (Frank Ocean song)

Last updated
"Nights"
Song by Frank Ocean
from the album Blonde
ReleasedAugust 20, 2016 (2016-08-20)
Genre
"Part 1"
"Part 2"
Length5:07
Label Boys Don't Cry
Producer(s)

"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]

Contents

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. [3] [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. [4] 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

Charts

Chart (2016)Peak
position
UK Hip Hop/R&B (OCC) [18] 36
US Billboard Hot 100 [19] 98
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs ( Billboard ) [20] 40
US Hot R&B Songs (Billboard) [21] 14

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References

  1. ↑ Moore, Sam (2024-08-05). "Kendrick Lamar's Unreleased Verse From Frank Ocean's 'Nights' Surfaces". HipHopDX . Retrieved 2024-08-05.
  2. ↑ Fisher, Caroline (2024-08-04). "Kendrick Lamar's Leaked Verse For Frank Ocean's "Nights" Has Fans Split". HotNewHipHop . Retrieved 2024-08-05.
  3. 1 2 Chesman, Donna-Claire (2020-06-17). "A Frank Ocean Song for The Beauty of Passing Time". DJBooth. Retrieved 2024-04-17.
  4. 1 2 Barrist, Kenneth (2019-10-12). "Why Frank Ocean's Blonde Makes Us Cry". Jerk Magazine. Syracuse, New York . Retrieved 2024-04-17.
  5. ↑ Elone, Emmanuel (2016-08-25). "Frank Ocean: Blonde (take 1)". PopMatters . Retrieved 2024-06-05.
  6. ↑ Weiss, Dan (August 23, 2016). "Review: Frank Ocean's Blond on 'Blonde' Is Pledging Its Goddamn Time". Spin . Retrieved 2024-06-05.
  7. ↑ Kearse, Stephen (August 25, 2016). "Frank Ocean: Blonde". Paste . Retrieved 2024-06-04.
  8. ↑ Gordon, Eden Arielle (August 22, 2021). "The Ancient Wisdom of Frank Ocean's "Blonde"". PopDust. Retrieved 2024-04-17.
  9. ↑ Blanchet, Brenton (August 20, 2021). "Every Song on Frank Ocean's 'Blonde,' Ranked". Complex . Retrieved 2024-04-17.
  10. ↑ King, Jason; Powers, Ann (August 22, 2016). "Detangling Frank Ocean's 'Blonde': What It Is And Isn't". NPR .
  11. ↑ Ketchum III, William (2016-08-25). "Frank Ocean - Blonde Review". HipHopDX . Retrieved 2024-06-05.
  12. ↑ Winstanley, Luke (2016-09-01). "Frank Ocean - Blonde". Clash . Retrieved 2024-06-05.
  13. ↑ d'Apice, James. "Album Review: Frank Ocean - Blond". The Music . Retrieved 2024-06-05.
  14. ↑ Haile, Heven (April 21, 2023). "The 16 Best Frank Ocean Songs" . Okayplayer . Retrieved 2024-04-17.
  15. ↑ Dombal, Ryan. "Frank Ocean: Blonde / Endless". Pitchfork . Retrieved 2024-06-05.
  16. ↑ Weiner, Jonah (2016-08-22). "Review: Frank Ocean's 'Blonde' Is a Dizzy, Trippy, Druggy Marvel". Rolling Stone . Retrieved 2024-06-05.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Kim, Michelle (December 11, 2016). "View The Full Credits For Frank Ocean's Blonde Album". The Fader . Retrieved 2024-04-17.
  18. ↑ "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2024-06-04.
  19. ↑ "Frank Ocean Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 2024-06-04.
  20. ↑ "Frank Ocean Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 2024-06-04.
  21. ↑ "Frank Ocean US Hot R&B Songs". Billboard . Retrieved 2024-06-05.
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