"Night Shift"
Single by Lucy Dacus
from the album Historian
ReleasedDecember 12, 2017 (2017-12-12)
GenreIndie rock
Length6:31
LabelMatador
Songwriter(s)Lucy Dacus
Producer(s)
  • Lucy Dacus
  • Jacob Blizard
  • Collin Pastore
Lucy Dacus singles chronology
"Strange Torpedo"
(2016)		 "Night Shift"
(2017)		 "Addictions"
(2018)
Music video
"Night Shift" on YouTube

"Night Shift" is a song by American indie rock musician Lucy Dacus. It was released as the lead single from her album Historian on December 12, 2017.[1]

Background

Dacus described the song as, "The only breakup song I've ever written."[2] It was inspired by her relationship with her former bassist, with whom she broke up after finishing the tour for her previous album No Burden.[3] She said that her decision to include it as the opening track on the album was:

Very deliberate! A breakup song is so immediately relatable. A first genuine heartbreak is a look into reimagining what your life is going to look like. If you accommodate somebody else and you think they’re going to be part of your life and then they’re not, you have to reform. The rest of the album has that reforming quality — having the rug pulled out from underneath you, and coming back.[4]

Reception

"Night Shift" was released to critical acclaim. Andrew Marantz of The New Yorker described it as "a cathartic, bridge-burning, no-fucks-given breakup song."[5] Julien Luebbers of The Spokesman-Review wrote that the song was "a vibrant example of linear construction, the song building from soft guitar and vocals to headbanging passion and some seriously impressive singing,"[6] and Layla Halabian of The Fader named it, "One of the great breakup songs of all time."[4] James Rettig of Stereogum called it "A six-and-a-half-minute sprawl that earns every one of those seconds," and, "A marvel of songwriting,"[7] while Bob Boilen of NPR Music's program All Songs Considered declared it "One of 2018's great songs."[8] The song has been praised for its pacing,[9] lyricism,[5] and instrumentation that lies between confessional songwriting and punk.[10] Gabbie Nirenburg of independent music magazine No Ripcord was more mixed in her assessment, saying it "has a memorable chorus and bridge, but it is entirely too predictable to stand up to Dacus’s earlier work."[11]

In 2019, NPR Music listeners picked "Night Shift" as one of the top 25 songs of the decade.[12]

Year-end lists

"Night Shift" on year-end lists
Publication List Rank Ref.
Spin 101 Best Songs of 2018
96
 [13]
Pitchfork The 100 Best Songs of 2018
50
 [14]
Rolling Stone 50 Best Songs of 2018
30
 [15]
Paste The 50 Best Songs of 2018
3
 [16]
NPR Music The 100 Best Songs of 2018
2
 [17]

Decade-end lists

"Night Shift" on decade-end lists
Publication List Rank Ref.
Stereogum The 200 Best Songs of the 2010s
176
 [18]
Rolling Stone 100 Best Songs of the 2010s
74
 [19]
NPR Music The 2010s: NPR Listeners Pick Their Top Songs of the Decade
14
 [12]
Paste 100 Best Songs of the 2010s
11
 [20]

Music video

At the time of the song's release, Dacus and her label did not have the time or funding available to produce a music video. In 2023, five years from Historian's release, Dacus worked with Jane Schoenbrun, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Phoebe Bridgers, and others to release a video featuring Dacus as a hotel employee who stumbles across a fantastical party.[21]

References

  1. ↑ Day, Laurence (December 12, 2017). "Lucy Dacus has announced second LP Historian, which she says is the record she "needed to make"". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
  2. ↑ Schonfeld, Zach (March 2, 2018). "Lucy Dacus tells the story behind every song on her new album, 'Historian'". Newsweek. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
  3. ↑ Grant, Sarah (February 23, 2018). "Lucy Dacus: Rock's Reluctant Hero on Her Cathartic New LP". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
  4. 1 2 Halabian, Layla (February 13, 2018). "Lucy Dacus made a how-to guide for surviving loss and it sounds really beautiful". The Fader. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
  5. 1 2 Marantz, Andrew (February 20, 2018). "The Excoriating Calm of Lucy Dacus". The New Yorker. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
  6. ↑ Luebbers, Julien (June 24, 2021). "Lucy Dacus' 'Night Shift' successfully shifts to softer, more engaging moments". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
  7. ↑ Rettig, James (December 12, 2017). "Lucy Dacus On Her Sophomore Album Historian". Stereogum. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
  8. ↑ Boilen, Bob (December 12, 2017). "Lucy Dacus 'Night Shift' Will Be One Of 2018's Great Songs". All Songs Considered. NPR Music. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
  9. ↑ Horn, Olivia (December 13, 2017). "Listen to "Night Shift" by Lucy Dacus". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
  10. ↑ Wilson, Carl (March 7, 2018). "Lucy Dacus Has Figured Out How to Keep Listeners From Clicking "Next Track"". Slate. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
  11. ↑ Nirenburg, Gabbie (March 14, 2018). "Historian". No Ripcord. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  12. 1 2 Hilton, Robin; Boilen, Bob. "The 2010s: NPR Listeners Pick Their Top Songs Of The Decade". All Songs Considered. NPR Music. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
  13. ↑ SPIN Staff. "101 Best Songs of 2018". SPIN. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  14. ↑ Myers, Owen (December 10, 2018). "The 100 Best Songs of 2018". Pitchfork. page 3; 50. Lucy Dacus "Night Shift". Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  15. ↑ Spanos, Brittany; Sheffield, Rob; Hermes, Will; Johnston, Maura; Exposito, Suzy; et al. (December 14, 2018). "50 Best Songs of 2018". Rolling Stone. 30. Lucy Dacus, "Night Shift". Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  16. ↑ Russell, Scott (November 28, 2018). "The 50 Best Songs of 2018". Paste. 3. Lucy Dacus, "Night Shift". Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  17. ↑ Schlanger, Talia. "The 100 Best Songs Of 2018 (20–1)". NPR Music. 2. Lucy Dacus "Night Shift". Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  18. ↑ Deville, Chris (November 5, 2019). "The 200 Best Songs Of The 2010s". Stereogum. 176. Lucy Dacus – Night Shift. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  19. ↑ Hermes, Will; Spanos, Brittany; Hoard, Christian; Exposito, Suzy; Holmes, Charles; et al. (December 4, 2019). "The 100 Best Songs of the 2010s". Rolling Stone. 40–31, 35. Lucy Dacus, "Night Shift". Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  20. ↑ Russell, Scott (October 21, 2019). "The 100 Best Songs of the 2010s". Paste. 11. Lucy Dacus: “Night Shift”. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  21. ↑ "Lucy Dacus & Jasmin Savoy Brown On 'Night Shift' Video and Friendship". Nylon. March 9, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
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