"The Night Is Still Young" | ||||
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Single by Nicki Minaj | ||||
from the album The Pinkprint | ||||
Released | April 28, 2015 | |||
Recorded | Late 2014 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:48 | |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) | ||||
Nicki Minaj singles chronology | ||||
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"The Night Is Still Young" is a song recorded by rapper Nicki Minaj, released as the sixth single from her third studio album The Pinkprint (2014), by Cash Money and Republic. It was written by Minaj, Ester Dean, Theron Thomas and Cirkut; and produced by Cirkut. It is a dance-pop and dubstep-pop song. [1] [2]
Many critics viewed the song as single material and commended the production, but criticized the composition and lyrical content. The song debuted at number 93 on the Billboard Hot 100, and reached number 31. The single was certified platinum by the RIAA for selling 1,000,000 units.
"The Night is Still Young" is written by Minaj, Ester Dean, Lukasz Gottwald, Donnie Lewis, Theron Thomas and Henry Walter, with additional production by Gottwald and Cirkut. [3] Lyrically, the song is about partying and having fun; the verses revolve around a routine night out at a club.[ citation needed ] [4] Writing for Consequence of Sound , Michael Madden felt the composition was "unadulterated pop." [5] Garvey compared the composition to Minaj's tracks on her second studio album, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded . [6] Tyler Kane from Paste Magazine commented "[The Night is Still Young”] sounded like a song hand-penned for Ke$ha, so it wasn't a surprise to discover the person behind the track was her estranged collaborator Dr. Luke, reigning king of themes like “tonight is the last night we will exist in human form, so let’s party it away at the club.” [7] Nick Levine from Time Out labelled it "digital disco" music. [8] Niki McGloster from Billboard said it was the "lovechild" of Minaj's 2010 single "Moment 4 Life" and her 2012 single "Starships". Shee commented "Minaj packs this club record with verses about seizing the night and enjoying the ride." [9] "The Night Is Still Young" is written in the key of C♯ minor with a tempo of 124 beats per minute, and Minaj's vocals range from C♯3 to C♯5. [10]
Preparing for her world tour, Minaj's label Young Money Entertainment and Cash Money Records released the fifth single "Truffle Butter" from the parent album in January 2015 due to heavy airplay. [11] Originally, Republic Records wanted to release "The Night is Still Young" as the next single but after agreement with Young Money and Cash Money, they scrapped it as the fifth single [11]
Young Money and Cash Money intended to commission a music video for "Truffle Butter" to promote it, however, Republic refused because plans for "The Night is Still Young" had been set. [12] The single was released in the UK on April 6 through contemporary radio. [13] It was officially sent to contemporary radio in the US on April 28, 2015. [14] The official cover was released via Minaj's Instagram, on May 16, 2015.
Stereogum ’s writer Tom Briehan found the lyrics and Minaj's input as "bland" and "character-free." [15] Madden felt the songwriting was "plain" but commented "melodically, it does sound like the soundtrack to a massive evening, especially once that second vocal track kicks in during the chorus [...]" [5] The Rolling Stone's Jon Dolan favored the track, calling it "victory lap-pop." [16] Levine said that the song "proves Minaj still knows how to party." [8] However, Katherine St. Asaph from Time Magazine was heavily critical on Dr. Luke's production on both this and "Only". She commented "They’re not only unwelcome — they feel tired, as if they’d have been dated years ago. They’re necessary intrusions of commercialism that belie [Minaj’s] claim she ‘ain’t gotta rely on top 40’ and undermine what's presumably meant to be a classic." [17] McGloster favored the song as single-worthy by commenting "It's safe to say she'll be adding this to her vast collection of chart-topping hits." [9]
Despite calling it "catchy pop", Jon Caramanica from The New York Times felt the song was a "poor fit" to the album. [18] Paste Magazine 's Tyler Kane criticized the song's inclusion to the album, alongside album tracks "I Lied" and "Bed of Lies". He refereed the songs by saying "There’s a lot to wade through, though, and for every good moment, there’s another that should have ended on the cutting room floor." [7] Alex Macpherson from The Guardian commented "This perfunctory nod to that style is like revisiting the sites of your drunkenness through a hungover fug the following night in a doomed attempt to recapture the magic. No one’s heart is in this, [...]" [19] Breihan criticized the composition, feeling that Minaj " doesn’t always understand what she’s good at." He concluded "There’s subtext, sure, but the subtext doesn’t stop the song from being boring bottle-service music." [15]
During her interview with reporters from Capital FM, Minaj confirmed that she would appear in the single's accompanying music video. [20] The music video was shot in Downtown Los Angeles, California in March 2015.[ citation needed ]
A lyric video was published on Minaj's Vevo account, featuring visuals of drinking and colorful lights. [21] Madeline Roth from MTV praised the visuals of the lyric video, commenting "The clip gives the song a kaleidoscopic visual treatment that’s bursting with electric colors as Nicki assures us, “the night is still young and so are we.” [21] She also felt the song was "catchy." [21] The music video (directed by Hannah Lux Davis) was released on May 22, 2015, on Tidal. On May 26, 2015, the video was uploaded to Minaj's Vevo. Minaj's then-boyfriend Meek Mill makes a cameo appearance in the video.[ citation needed ] The music video has more than 200 million views as of November 2024.
Minaj has performed the song on her third world tour The Pinkprint Tour in 2015. [22] The song was in the segment of "dance bangers" alongside her collaboration single "Turn Me On" with French disc jockey David Guetta and her single "Starships". Levine, reporting the publication NME , commented "Ending with a succession of dance bangers including her David Guetta EDM hit 'Turn Me On', underrated 'The Pinkprint' cut 'The Night Is Still Young' and a gloriously raucous 'Starships', Nicki has 20,000 people raising their hands to the line 'We're higher than a motherf**ker', and this vast arena feels like a New York basement sweatbox." [22] She also performed the song at the 2015 Billboard Music Awards. On May 30, 2015, Minaj performed the song on the iHeartRadio Summer Pool Party 2015 in Las Vegas. [23] On July 24, 2015, Minaj performed the song on Good Morning America 's Summer Concert Series. [24] Minaj also opened the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards with a performance of "Trini Dem Girls", followed by a performance of "The Night Is Still Young" and "Bad Blood" with Taylor Swift. [25]
Chart (2015) |
|
---|---|
Belgium Urban (Ultratop Flanders) [26] | 44 |
Canada (Canadian Hot 100) [27] | 40 |
Canada CHR/Top 40 ( Billboard ) [28] | 32 |
CIS (TopHit) [29] | 171 |
Czech Republic (Rádio – Top 100) [30] | 63 |
Czech Republic (Singles Digitál Top 100) [31] | 43 |
Israel (Media Forest TV Airplay) [32] | 4 |
Ireland (IRMA) [33] | 98 |
Slovakia (Rádio Top 100) [34] | 71 |
Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100) [35] | 43 |
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) [36] | 93 |
US Billboard Hot 100 [37] | 31 |
US Hot Rap Songs ( Billboard ) [38] | 6 |
US Dance/Mix Show Airplay ( Billboard ) [39] | 17 |
US Pop Airplay ( Billboard ) [40] | 14 |
US Rhythmic ( Billboard ) [41] | 14 |
UK Hip Hop/R&B (OCC) [42] | 23 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [43] | Platinum | 70,000‡ |
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil) [44] | Platinum | 60,000‡ |
Sweden (GLF) [45] | Gold | 20,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [46] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
United States (RIAA) [47] | Platinum | 1,000,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format | Label |
---|---|---|---|
Russia [48] | February 18, 2015 | Contemporary hit radio | |
United Kingdom [49] | April 6, 2015 | ||
United States [14] [50] | April 28, 2015 | Mainstream radio | |
Rhythmic radio |
Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty, known professionally as Nicki Minaj, is a Trinidadian rapper, singer, and songwriter. Regarded as the "Queen of Rap" and one of the most influential rappers of all time, she is credited as a driving force in the mainstream resurgence of female rap in the early 2010s. Known for her dynamic rap flow, witty lyrics, musical versatility, and alter egos, Minaj first gained recognition after releasing three mixtapes between 2007 and 2009.
Pink Friday is the debut studio album by Trinidadian rapper Nicki Minaj. It was released on November 22, 2010, by Cash Money Records, Universal Motown Records and Young Money Entertainment. Minaj began recording the album after signing a recording contract with Young Money Entertainment in 2009. Musically, it is primarily a hip hop, R&B and pop record that incorporates electronic music. The album features guest vocals from Eminem, Rihanna, Drake, will.i.am, Kanye West, and Natasha Bedingfield.
"Right Thru Me" is a song by rapper Nicki Minaj. It was released on September 24, 2010 by Young Money, Cash Money, and Universal Motown as the second single from her debut studio album, Pink Friday (2010). The song was released as a digital download on September 24, 2010, before being serviced to urban and rhythmic radio on October 5, and then mainstream radio on November 2, 2010. The song charted on the US Billboard Hot 100, Australia, France and the United Kingdom.
"Moment 4 Life" is a song by rapper Nicki Minaj, featuring Canadian rapper Drake. It was released on December 7, 2010 by Young Money, Cash Money, and Universal Motown as the fourth single from Minaj's debut studio album, Pink Friday (2010). The song was produced by T-Minus and written by both artists. Sonically, it is a hip hop song that lyrically relates to maintaining a feeling of accomplishment and enjoying the moment.
Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded is the second studio album by rapper Nicki Minaj. It was released on April 2, 2012 by Cash Money Records, Universal Republic Records and Young Money Entertainment. Looking to transition from her debut studio album, Pink Friday (2010), Minaj wanted to make a follow-up record about "just having fun". Stylistically, the album is divided by a first half of hip hop tracks and a second half of dance-pop songs. As executive producer, Minaj enlisted a variety of collaborators.
"Starships" is a song by American rapper and singer Nicki Minaj. It was released on February 14, 2012, by Young Money, Cash Money, and Universal Republic as the lead single from her second studio album, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded (2012). The song was written by Nicki Minaj, Nadir Khayat, Carl Falk, Rami Yacoub, Bilal Hajji, and Wayne Hector, and it was produced by RedOne, Yacoub, and Falk.
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"Bang Bang" is a song by English singer-songwriter Jessie J, American singer-songwriter Ariana Grande, and Trinidadian rapper Nicki Minaj. It was released by Lava and Republic Records on 28 July 2014 as the lead single from Jessie J's third studio album, Sweet Talker (2014). The song was written by Max Martin, Savan Kotecha, Rickard Göransson, Grande and Minaj. It was produced by Martin, Göransson, and Ilya, with Kuk Harrell serving as a vocal producer. It is also included on the deluxe version of Grande's second studio album My Everything (2014), serving as the third single from that album.
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"Dumb Blonde" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne featuring rapper Nicki Minaj. It was released on February 12, 2019, and serves as the third single from her sixth studio album, Head Above Water (2019). The song was originally recorded by Lavigne as a solo artist, but was later recorded with an additional verse written and performed by Minaj. The solo version of the song is featured on physical editions of the album.
dancey dubstep single, which is produced by Dr. Luke
...and the feel-good dubstep-pop of "The Night Is Still Young".
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