Are you searching for the best songs about the night?
These songs are about the nostalgia for past nights with friends and loved ones, and are sure to evoke those same feelings within you.
This article lists the thirty-three best songs about night and nighttime so that you know what are the best songs to check on.
1. “Night Fever” by Bee Gees
“Night Fever” was written by the Bee Gees for the soundtrack of the film Saturday Night Fever.
It quickly became another dance hit for the group, and was highly acclaimed for its “jumping disco beat”, according to Billboard.
A music video for “Night Fever” was recorded in 1978, but this wasn’t released to the public until 2004.
The song hit the charts in twenty-one different countries, debuting at number one in eight of them.
It has since been awarded platinum certification in the US.
2. “You Shook Me All Night Long” by AC/DC
“You Shook Me All Night Long” is a song about night by the Australian rock band AC/DC and was their first single with lead singer Brian Johnson, who took Bon Scott’s spot after his death in 1980.
Acclaimed for its “havoc wrecking guitar blasts” and “truckload of gravel”, the song has been awarded 7x platinum certification in Australia.
It sold over three million copies in the US and landed at number ten on VH1’s The 100 Greatest Songs of the 80s list.
3. “All Day and All of the Night” by The Kinks
English rock band The Kinks wrote the hit “All Day and All of the Night” in 1964, and it was released on their second album Kinks-size.
The Kinks’ lead guitarist and backing vocalist Dave Davies said the song was where he “found his voice”.
Charting in ten different countries, the song was a worldwide hit and reached number two on the UK Singles Chart.
It has since sold over two hundred and fifty thousand copies in the United Kingdom and has been awarded platinum certification.
4. “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)” by Katy Perry
“Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)” is a hit from Katy Perry’s third album Teenage Dream.
She found inspiration for the song after a so-called “night of wild partying and streaking”, and you can definitely feel that in the lyrics.
The song reached the number-one spot in Canada, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Venezuela, as well as in multiple charts in the US.
In the United States, it sold nearly four million copies and has since been certified 6x platinum by the RIAA.
5. “Nights in White Satin” by The Moody Blues
“Nights in White Satin” is a 1967 song by The Moody Blues that was composed and written by Justin Hayward.
It first appeared on their album Days of Future Passed as part of a segment called “The Night”.
It debuted at number 19 in the United Kingdom and 103 in the United States, but hit number 1 in the Cash Box Hot 100 when it was reissued in 1972.
It has sold over one million copies in the US since then and has become a long-loved hit.
6. “In The Night” by The Weeknd
Canadian singer The Weeknd released “In The Night” as a part of his second studio album Beauty Behind the Madness in 2015.
Critics have compared the hit to some of Michael Jackson’s work, which is a large accomplishment for The Weeknd!
It debuted at number one on the US Billboard Rhythmic Chart and has sold over three million copies in the US alone.
It also hit the charts in an impressive nineteen countries around the world when it was first released.
7. “Dance the Night Away” by Van Halen
“Dance the Night Away” was written in 1979 by the members of Van Halen, for their second studio album Van Halen II.
It is said to be inspired by “Go Your Own Way” by Fleetwood Mac and was reportedly created during recording sessions for their album.
The song was the hard-rock band’s first top-twenty hit in the United States, and it has been dubbed a song that “just makes people feel good”.
It has been named one of the top three best Van Halen releases.
8. “Let’s Spend The Night Together” by The Rolling Stones
Mick Jagger and Keith Richards wrote “Let’s Spend The Night Together” in 1966 as the opening track to The Rolling Stones’ studio album Between the Buttons.
The song debuted at number three in the United Kingdom and Austria.
The song was allegedly supposed to open with the sound of clicking fingers, and they were trying to get the right sound when two policemen showed up.
They suggested their truncheons and created part of the melody with that sound.
See also: Best Rolling Stones Songs
9. “Night Moves” by Bob Seger
“Night Moves” by Bob Seger was released as the title track from his ninth studio album of the same name.
The hit was said to be influenced by a teenage love affair of Seger’s and is supposed to capture the nostalgia when looking back on young love.
“Night Moves” debuted at number four on the US Billboard Hot 100, and has since sold over two million copies in the United States.
It also charted in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.
See also: Best Bob Seger Songs
10. “The Nights” by Avicii
“The Nights” is a worldwide hit by Swedish DJ Avicii, with vocals by Nicholas Furlong.
The house song has been used widely in popular media, including as a theme from the video game FIFA 15 by EA Sports.
The song charted in twenty-nine different countries and was streamed a whopping fifty million times in Japan! It is thought to be one of Avicii’s greatest hits, with the music video being viewed over nine hundred million times.
11. “Night Flight” by Led Zeppelin
“Night Flight” is a track from English rock band Led Zeppelin’s sixth studio album Physical Graffiti.
It is said that the song was written after Robert Plant saw a nuclear bomb news headline, and questioned why there couldn’t be peace and love in the world.
See also: Best Led Zeppelin Songs
12. “When the Night is Over” by Lord Huron
“When the Night is Over” is a hit by Lord Huron, released in 2018 from his album Vide Noir.
The song has been streamed over fifty-six million times on Spotify, making it his fifth most popular track.
13. “Heat of the Night” by Coleman Hell
“Heat of the Night” is a song by Coleman Hell about the warm touch of a lover at night.
The music video has been watched over one hundred million thousand times on YouTube.
14. “Dancing in the Moonlight” by King Harvest
“Dancing in the Moonlight” was originally written in 1969 by Sherman Kelly for his band Boffalongo, but became a hit when the French-American rock band King Harvest released it in 1972.
King Harvest’s version of the song reached number five in Canada, while also shooting to number thirteen on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States for two consecutive weeks.
15. “Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me” by The Smiths
English rock band The Smiths released “Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me” as a part of their final album Strangeways, Here We Come in 1987.
It was written by Morrissey and Johnny Marr, their lead singer, and guitarist respectively.
It has been coined one of their best songs by music critics, despite the fact that it didn’t perform well commercially.
It is also a personal favorite of the bands, being named a “genius song” by Andre 3000 from Outkast.
16. “December 1963 (Oh, What a Night)” by The Four Seasons
“December 1963 (Oh, What a Night)” is a great song by The Four Seasons, featuring their drummer Gerry Polci as a lead vocalist.
It topped the charts in the United States, the United Kingdom, South Africa, and Canada.
The song was originally set to be in 1933, as a celebration of the end of the prohibition, but Franki Valli suggested it be a nostalgic piece about a young love affair.
The song sold over one million records in the United States and was certified Gold by the RIAA.
17. “Spirit in the Night” by Bruce Springsteen
“Spirit in the Night” is a 1963 hit by Bruce Springsteen from his album Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.
It was one of his final songs to be recorded and has been praised for how its narrative and melody fit together perfectly.
By 2020 the song had been performed over 572 times live and remains greatly loved.
18. “Rock the Night” by Europe
The Swedish band Europe released “Rock the Night” in 1986, and it was written in 1984 by vocalist Joey Tempest.
It was the second single from their album The Final Countdown and also debuted in the film On the Loose.
“Rock the Night” charted in eleven different countries, peaking at number two in Belgium and Sweden.
19. “All Night Long (All Night)” by Lionel Richie
“All Night Long (All Night)” was written in 1983 by English hit singer Lionel Richie for his second album Can’t Slow Down.
He performed the song live at the closing ceremonies of the 1984 Summer Olympics, which was held in Los Angeles.
The well-loved hit debuted at number one in eleven different countries around the world, selling over one million copies in both the United States and the United Kingdom.
20. “Nightswimming” by R.E.M.
Alternative rock band R.E.M. released their song “Nightswimming” in 1993 as a part of their eighth studio album Automatic for the People.
Lead singer Michael Stripe draws on early experiences of the bands, singing about skinny dipping and times with friends.
The song hit the charts in Australia, Germany, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, where it sold over two-hundred thousand copies in the UK alone.
Rolling Stone coined it a “masterpiece”, and one of R.E.M.’s best songs.
21. “Out Last Night” by Kenny Chesney
“Out Last Night” was written and released by Kenny Chesney in 2009 for his compilation album Greatest Hits II.
The song topped the charts in the United States and Canada, becoming Kenny Chesney’s seventeenth number-one hit.
In the song, the protagonist relives a great party that he attended with his friend, and Chesney sings about the memories that they made.
22. “Whatever Gets You Thru The Night” by John Lennon
“Whatever Gets You Thru The Night” was written by John Lennon in 1974.
The lyrical content reportedly came from Lennon’s love for late-night channel surfing, where he picked up ideas for lyrics.
The hit peaked at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, the Cashbox Top 100, and the Record World Top 100 Singles chart.
It also charted in Australia, Canada, Italy, the Netherlands, the UK, and South Africa.
23. “Champagne Night” by Lady A
Country music trio Lady A, formerly known as Lady Antebellum, released the song “Champagne Night” in 2020.
The hit helped them to win the Songwriter of the Year award at the Canadian Country Music Association ceremony in 2021.
It topped the country charts in Canada and the United States and sold over five-hundred thousand copies in the US.
24. “Friday Night” by Lady A
“Friday Night” is another Lady A hit, written by Eric Paslay, Rose Falcon, and Rob Crosby in 2011.
Lady Antebellum released the single on their album Own the Night. Paslay also released the hit on his own self-titled album in 2013.
Lady A’s version sold over five-hundred thousand in the United States and subsequently got certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.
It also charted at number eight in Canada.
25. “Wild Night” by Van Morrison
Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison wrote the hit “Wild Night” for his fifth studio album Tupelo Honey in 1971.
It charted in Belgium, Canada, the Netherlands, and the United States, and has been covered by many artists since its release.
In 2022 the song peaked at number twenty-one on the Canadian radio airplay chart.
26. “Sad Tonight” by Chelsea Cutler
“Sad Tonight” is a song about night by Chelsea Cutler, released on her studio album How to Be a Human.
The music video has been streamed almost four million times on YouTube, and the song has proved very popular among listeners.
27. “One More Night” by Maroon 5
Pop rock band Maroon 5 released their hit single “One More Night” in 2012 as a part of their album Overexposed.
It has reggae influences and discusses the fact that the heart, the body, and the mind often don’t agree on what they want.
It charted in thirty-two different countries around the world and reached the number-one spot in eight of those charts.
It was awarded 6x platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America after selling over six million copies in the United States.
28. “Saturday Nights” by Khalid and Kane Brown
“Saturday Nights” was originally released as a solo by Khalid in 2018, but was re-released in 2019 with vocals sung by Kane Brown.
It was included as a track on his second album Free Spirit.
It charted in fourteen countries worldwide and landed in five year-end charts.
It sold three million copies in the United States and got certified 3x Platinum in the US and 4x Platinum in Canada.
29. “In The Air Tonight” by Phil Collins
“In The Air, Tonight” was drummer Phil Collins’ debut solo single, released on his debut studio album Face Value in 1981.
He said he wrote the lyrics spontaneously, with no real direction in mind.
I topped six different charts around the world and sold over three million copies in the United States, subsequently being awarded triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.
30. “Heartache Tonight” by the Eagles
“Heartache Tonight” is a song that was released in 1979 by the Eagles for their album The Long Run.
It was written by Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Bob Seger, and J. D. Souther, and features Glenn Frey on vocals.
The song came from a jam session in which Souther and Frey, with Seger, came up with the chorus over the phone.
It reached the charts of twelve different countries worldwide, peaking at number one on the Canada Top Singles chart and the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.
31. “Midnight City” by M38
“Midnight City” is a 2011 track from the studio album Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming by French electronic music band M38.
Anthony Gonzalez found inspiration for the song after observing Downtown Los Angeles at night.
It was ranked number one on the Pitchfork Top 100 Tracks of 2011 list and the PopMatters 75 Best Songs of 2011 list.
“Midnight City” reached number one in multiple charts in Belgium and Canada.
32. “I Gotta Feeling” by The Black Eyed Peas
“I Gotta Feeling” is a well-known song about night by The Black Eyed Peas.
It was released as a part of their fifth studio album The E.N.D. in 2009 and was produced by David Guetta.
It peaked at the top of twenty-six weekly charts around the world, as well as landing at number one on five different year-end charts.
It was certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America after selling over ten million copies in the United States!
33. “DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love” by Usher ft. Pitbull
“DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love” is a 2010 hit single by Usher, featuring vocals from rapper Pitbull.
It has sold nearly five million copies in the United States alone and was certified 6x Platinum in Australia.
The song was released on Usher’s EP, Versus, and peaked in the top ten of over fifteen countries.
Best Songs About Night & Nighttime – Final Thoughts
The songs in this article are the best out there if you’re looking back over fun memories about the nights you spent with friends.
The artists who wrote these songs captured that nostalgia perfectly, and we hope you enjoy listening.
You may also like: Best Songs About Sleep
