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Nights (Frank Ocean song)

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"Nights"
Song by Frank Ocean
from the album Blonde
ReleasedAugust 20, 2016 (2016-08-20)
Genre
"Part 1"
"Part 2"
Length5:07
LabelBoys 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]

Music

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"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

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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

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Charts

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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

References

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  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. ^ a b Chesman, Donna-Claire (2020-06-17). "A Frank Ocean Song for The Beauty of Passing Time". DJBooth. Retrieved 2024-04-17.
  4. ^ a b 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. ^ a b c d e f 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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