"Night Shift"
Single by Lucy Dacus
from the album Historian
PublishedDecember 12, 2017
GenreIndie rock
Length6:31
LabelMatador Records
Songwriter(s)Lucy Dacus

"Night Shift" is a song by American indie rock musician Lucy Dacus. It was released as the first 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 she 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, having been described by The New Yorker as, "A cathartic, bridge-burning, no-fucks-given breakup song,"[5] by The Spokesman-Review as, "A stunningly clear linear construction,"[6] and by The Fader as, "One of the great breakup songs of all time."[4] Stereogum called it, "a six-and-a-half-minute sprawl that earns every one of those seconds," and, "A marvel of songwriting,"[7] while NPR 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] Independent music magazine No Ripcord was more mixed in its 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 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 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
35
 [19]
NPR The 2010s: NPR Listeners Pick Their Top Songs Of The Decade
14
 [12]
Paste 100 Best Songs of the 2010s
11
 [20]

References

  1. ^ "Lucy Dacus has announced second LP Historian, which she says is the record she "needed to make"". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 2021-07-03.
  2. ^ "Lucy Dacus tells the story behind every song on her new album, 'Historian'". Newsweek. 2018-03-02. Retrieved 2021-07-03.
  3. ^ Grant, Sarah; Grant, Sarah (2018-02-23). "Lucy Dacus: Rock's Reluctant Hero on Her Cathartic New LP". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2021-07-03.
  4. ^ a b "Lucy Dacus made a how-to guide for surviving loss and it sounds really beautiful". The FADER. Retrieved 2021-07-03.
  5. ^ a b "The Excoriating Calm of Lucy Dacus". The New Yorker. Retrieved 2021-07-03.
  6. ^ "Lucy Dacus' 'Night Shift' successfully shifts to softer, more engaging moments | The Spokesman-Review". www.spokesman.com. Retrieved 2021-07-03.
  7. ^ "Lucy Dacus On Her Sophomore Album Historian". Stereogum. 2017-12-12. Retrieved 2021-07-03.
  8. ^ "Lucy Dacus 'Night Shift' Will Be One Of 2018's Great Songs". NPR.org. Retrieved 2021-07-03.
  9. ^ Listen to “Night Shift” by Lucy Dacus, retrieved 2021-07-03
  10. ^ Wilson, Carl (2018-03-07). "Lucy Dacus Has Figured Out How to Keep Listeners From Clicking "Next Track"". Slate Magazine. Retrieved 2021-07-03.
  11. ^ "Historian". No Ripcord. Retrieved 2021-07-06.
  12. ^ a b "The 2010s: NPR Listeners Pick Their Top Songs Of The Decade : All Songs Considered". NPR.org. Retrieved 2021-07-03.
  13. ^ "101 Best Songs of 2018". SPIN. Retrieved 2021-07-06.
  14. ^ "The 100 Best Songs of 2018". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2021-07-06.
  15. ^ Dolan, Brittany Spanos,Rob Sheffield,Will Hermes,Maura Johnston,Suzy Exposito,Simon Vozick-Levinson,Elias Leight,Charles Holmes,Mosi Reeves,Jonathan Bernstein,Christian Hoard,Jon; Spanos, Brittany; Sheffield, Rob; Hermes, Will; Johnston, Maura; Exposito, Suzy; Vozick-Levinson, Simon; Leight, Elias; Holmes, Charles (2018-12-14). "50 Best Songs of 2018". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2021-07-06.((cite web)): CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  16. ^ "The 50 Best Songs of 2018". pastemagazine.com. 2018-11-28. Retrieved 2021-07-06.
  17. ^ "The 100 Best Songs Of 2018 (20-1)". NPR.org. Retrieved 2021-07-06.
  18. ^ "The 200 Best Songs Of The 2010s". Stereogum. 2019-11-05. Retrieved 2021-07-06.
  19. ^ Martoccio, Will Hermes,Brittany Spanos,Christian Hoard,Suzy Exposito,Charles Holmes,Claire Shaffer,Jon Freeman,Joseph Hudak,David Browne,Jon Dolan,Rob Sheffield,Joe Levy,Nick Catucci,Simon Vozick-Levinson,Andy Greene,Brenna Ehrlich,Brendan Klinkenberg,Hank Shteamer,Angie; Hermes, Will; Spanos, Brittany; Hoard, Christian; Exposito, Suzy; Holmes, Charles; Shaffer, Claire; Freeman, Jon; Hudak, Joseph (2019-12-04). "The 100 Best Songs of the 2010s". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2021-07-06.((cite web)): CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  20. ^ "The 100 Best Songs of the 2010s". pastemagazine.com. 2019-10-21. Retrieved 2021-07-06.
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