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Some Nights (song)

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"Some Nights"
Song

"Some Nights" is a song by American indie rock band Fun. It was released on January 4, 2012, as the second single and the title track from their second studio album of the same name. The song was written by Jeff Bhasker, Nate Ruess, Andrew Dost, and Jack Antonoff. Musically "Some Nights" is an indie pop song with elements of power pop and afrobeat. The song lyrics speak of the protagonist's feelings of self-deprecation and loneliness. In the United States, "Some Nights" has been a sleeper hit, spending approximately seven months on the Billboard Hot 100 before reaching a peak of number three for six non-consecutive weeks beginning the week of September 29, 2012. The song became Fun's second single to enter the chart's top ten, as well as their second song to be certified platinum in the US, after their previous single, "We Are Young". "Some Nights" has been a successful single in countries around the world.

Composition and lyrical interpretation

Musically, "Some Nights" is an indie pop song with strong, festive elements of power pop and afrobeat and influences from folk rock. It is written in the key of C major. A line in their lyrics, "this is it boys, this is war", recalls the English version of Nena's 1983 hit "99 Luftballons".

Lyrically, "Some Nights" expresses the existential angst of a young protagonist who is a long way from home,[1] and includes lines like:

"My heart is breaking for my sister and the con that she called love
and when I look into my nephew’s eyes
Man, you wouldn’t believe the most amazing things that can come from
Some terrible nights."

Nate Ruess explained to Mesfin Fekadu of the Associated Press: "I'm always thinking about, 'Who am I and why did I do something like that?' And I think then it harkens back to my family, and I have such a strong tie to them and it's always therapeutic to sing about them."[2]

There has been some confusion with the fans as the lyric "Some terrible nights" was mistaken for "...lies". Members of Fun. confirmed on November 18, 2012 on their Twitter and Facebook accounts that "it's NIGHTS not LIES."[3][4]

Critical reception

The song received acclaim from music critics. The Re-View calls "Some Nights" a "bolder, catchier and more striking track than its predecessor "We Are Young", upping the stakes when it comes to both style and substance." In closinge track as one that would "cement [fun.] as one of the most intriguing and exciting new bands to emerge from the States in recent years."[5] The Guardian writer Dave Simpson compared Ruess's vocals in the song to those of Freddie Mercury and called the lyrics "sincere and oddly moving".[6] Ray Rahman of Entertainment Weekly, while reviewing the whole album, criticized its second half as inferior to the first and also called "Some Nights" the best track on the album, alongside "We Are Young".[7]

Rolling Stone named the song the 11th best song of 2012.[8]

Chart performance

"Some Nights" has reached number one in Australia, New Zealand, and Israel. The song has also reached the top ten in the United States, Canada, Ireland, Austria, Italy, Belgium, and the United Kingdom, and has so far made the top 30 in the Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzerland; it has also charted in Japan.

In the United States, "Some Nights" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 the same week their album Some Nights debuted at number 3 on the Billboard 200. The song remained in the lower region of the chart for approximately four months due to low-level sales and consistent high-level streaming, before finally entering the top 40 in its eighteenth week. In its twenty-third week, it switched places with "We Are Young" at number 11 on the chart, where it stayed the week after. In the song's twenty-fifth week on the chart, it entered the top ten by jumping to number 8. In its sixth week in the top ten, it reached number 3, which has been its peak position. The song has sold over 4 million copies in the US as of January 2013.[9]

Music video

The music video for "Some Nights" was released on MTV.com on June 4, 2012. The video was produced by Poonam Sehrawat and directed by Anthony Mandler. The video shows a fictional battle taking place during the American Civil War, and shows the band singing from afar as war breaks out with lead singer Nate appearing as the commander of the Union force. The story also follows two particular soldiers, one from each side of the conflict. From the Confederacy, the song follows a middle aged farmer clearly in love with his life, land and animals, while from the Union side the story follows two young lovers torn apart as the young man heads off to the fight. The broken loves, of beauty and of nature, eventually clash in the battle with consequences for both the loser and winner, showing the personal costs of war will continue far beyond the battleground.

Credits and personnel

  • Lead vocals – Nate Ruess
  • Piano, bass guitar, keyboards, background vocals - Andrew Dost
  • Guitar, drums, background vocals - Jack Antonoff
  • Keyboards, programming, background vocals - Jeff Bhasker
  • Additional programming - Pat Reynolds
  • Additional background vocals - Joi Starr
  • Producers – Jeff Bhasker
  • Lyrics – Jeff Bhasker, Nate Ruess, Andrew Dost, John Dough
  • Label: Fueled by Ramen

In media

"Some Nights" appeared in the series finale of Harry's Law, and has been used in television spots for the American Broadcasting Company program Secret Millionaire. The song was also used in promos for the 2012 MTV Movie Awards and the 2013 BCS National Championship Game. Fun performed the song on The Colbert Report, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Sunrise, and The Jonathan Ross Show.

On November 3, 2012, the band performed "Some Nights" and "Carry On" on Saturday Night Live.[10] The second theatrical trailer for the Disney film Wreck-It Ralph featured the song at the end of the trailer. The theatrical trailer for the film Trouble with the Curve also featured the song.

The afrobeat elements of the song led to multiple fan-made music videos using clips from The Lion King, known for its famous score by Hans Zimmer. The group Stand Four parodied "Some Nights" as part of their Hanukkah-themed parody/mashup "Eight Nights."

Charts and certifications

Cover versions

On Air With Ryan Seacrest reviews a collaborative video version of Some Nights performed by nine, "YouTube stars". Produced by Jake Coco and W. G. Snuffy Walden, vocalists include Jake Coco, Corey Gray, Caitlin Hart, Madilyn Bailey, Savannah Outen, Jess Moskaluke, Sara Niemietz, Eppic, and Black Prez.[55] Released on Jake Coco's YouTube channel on August 11, 2012, by October 13, 2012 this cover version received 4,532,233 views in 64 days.[56] In August 2012 Some Nights was covered by Canadian band Walk Off The Earth for their YouTube channel. Ohio based metalcore band Like Moths To Flames covered the song on the compilation album Punk Goes Pop 5.

The song was covered by the entire New Directions choir group in the Dynamic Duets episode of Glee.

References

  1. ^ A Band Called Fun., With a Period - New York Times (Released March 10, 2012. Accessed January 5, 2013)
  2. ^ Some Nights by Fun. - Songfacts (accessed January 23, 2013)
  3. ^ OurNameIsFun: your weekly reminder... - Twitter (sent November 18, 2012)
  4. ^ your weekly... - Fun's Facebook page (posted November 18, 2012)
  5. ^ "fun.: Some Nights (Official Music Video)".
  6. ^ Simpson, Dave (May 24, 2012). "Fun: Some Nights – review | Music". The Guardian. Retrieved September 30, 2012.
  7. ^ Ray, Rahman (15 February 2012). "Review: Some Nights". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 29 September 2012. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  8. ^ http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/50-best-songs-of-2012-20121205/fun-some-nights-19691231
  9. ^ a b Paul Grein (January 17, 2013). "Week Ending Jan. 13, 2013. Songs: "Suit And Tie" Is Off & Running". Chart Watch. Yahoo Music. Retrieved January 17, 2013.
  10. ^ "Fun. On 'SNL': 'Some Nights' And 'Carry On' (VIDEO)". The Huffington Post. Retrieved November 25, 2012. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  11. ^ "ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart - 23/07/2012". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on July 22, 2012. Retrieved July 22, 2012.
  12. ^ "Fun. – Some Nights" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved August 25, 2012.
  13. ^ "Fun. – Some Nights" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  14. ^ "Fun. – Some Nights" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  15. ^ a b http://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100#/song/fun/some-nights/28115580
  16. ^ [1]
  17. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 49. týden 2012 in the date selector.
  18. ^ "Fun. – Some Nights". Tracklisten. Retrieved October 1, 2012.
  19. ^ "Chart Search Results - Euro Digital Songs 2012-09-22". Billboard.biz. Retrieved September 13, 2012.
  20. ^ "Fun.: Some Nights" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved October 1, 2012.
  21. ^ "Fun. – Some Nights" (in French). Les classement single.
  22. ^ "Top 50". Fuzion (in Spanish). El Tiempo. 2012-10-04. Archived from the original on 2012-10-05.
  23. ^ "Chart Track: Week 39, 2012". Irish Singles Chart.
  24. ^ "Media Forest Week 30, 2012". Israeli Airplay Chart. Media Forest.
  25. ^ "Top Digital Download - Classifica settimanale dal 13/08/2012 al 19/08/2012" (in Italian). Federation of the Italian Music Industry. Retrieved August 27, 2012.
  26. ^ "Chart Search Results - Japan Hot 100 Singles 2012-08-11". Billboard.biz. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
  27. ^ "Fun. – Some Nights" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  28. ^ "Fun. – Some Nights". Top 40 Singles.
  29. ^ "VG-lista - Topp 20 Single uke 44, 2012" (in Norwegian). VG-lista. Archived from the original on November 2, 2012. Retrieved November 2, 2012.
  30. ^ "Chart Search Results - Portugal Digital Songs 2012-10-13". Billboard.biz. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
  31. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 20131 into search.
  32. ^ "Fun. – Some Nights". Singles Top 100.
  33. ^ "Fun. – Some Nights". Swiss Singles Chart.
  34. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  35. ^ "fun. Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  36. ^ "fun. Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard.
  37. ^ "fun. Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard.
  38. ^ "fun. Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard.
  39. ^ "fun. Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.
  40. ^ "Top 100". Record Report (in Spanish). R.R. Digital C.A. 2012-12-15. Archived from the original on 2012-12-13.
  41. ^ "ARIA Charts - Accreditations - 2013 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association.
  42. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Fun. – Some Nights". Music Canada. Retrieved February 8, 2013.
  43. ^ "Italian single certifications – Fun. – Some Nights" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved October 19, 2012. Select "Tutti gli anni" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Type "Some Nights" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
  44. ^ "NZ Top 040 Singles Chart - 17 September 2012". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Archived from the original on September 17, 2012. Retrieved September 17, 2012.
  45. ^ "Veckolista Album - Vecka 36, 7 September 2012" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan / Hitlistan.se. Archived from the original on September 9, 2012. Retrieved September 9, 2012.
  46. ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Some Nights')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
  47. ^ "American single certifications – Fun. – Some Nights". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 12, 2012.
  48. ^ "most played songs of 2012 - By Media Forest". mako.co.il. 01-02-2012. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  49. ^ "Top 100 Singles of 2012". BBC Radio 1. BBC Online. 31 December 2012. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
  50. ^ "Best of 2012 - Hot 100 Songs". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2012-12-14.
  51. ^ "Best of 2012 - Rock Songs 11-20". Billboard.com. Retrieved January 16, 2013.
  52. ^ "Best of 2012 - Alternative Songs 1-10". Billboard.com. Retrieved January 16, 2013.
  53. ^ "Best of 2012 - Adult Pop Songs 11-20". Billboard.com. Retrieved January 16, 2013.
  54. ^ "Best of 2012 - Pop Songs 21-30". Billboard.com. Retrieved January 16, 2013.
  55. ^ Vulpo, Michael (13 August 2012). "YouTube Stars Collaborate for Cover of Fun's 'Some Night [VIDEO]". Some Nights. Los Angeles, California: Ryan Seacrest Productions. Retrieved 16 August 2012. On Air with Ryan Seacrest
  56. ^ Coco, Jake. "Some Nights - Fun - Official YouTuber Music Video - Jake Coco & Friends". Some Nights. Jake Coco: Official YouTube Channel. Archived from the original (Video) on 13 October 2012. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
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