Album version
Marvin, he was a friend of mine
And he could sing his song, his heart in every line
Marvin sang of the joy and pain
He opened up our minds, I still can hear him say
Oh talk to me so you can see what's going on
Say you will sing your songs forevermore
Gonna be some sweet sounds coming down on the nightshift
I bet you're singing proud, oh I bet you'll pull a crowd
Gonna be a long night, it's gonna be alright on the nightshift (on the nightshift)
You found another home, I know you're not alone on the nightshift
Jackie, hmm hey what you doing now
It seems like yesterday when we were working out
Jackie, you set the world on fire
You came and gifted us, your love it lifted us higher and higher
Keep it up and we'll be there at your side
Oh say you will sing your songs forevermore
Gonna be some sweet sounds coming down on the nightshift (on the nightshift)
I bet you're singing proud, oh I bet you'll pull a crowd
It's gonna be a long night, it's gonna be alright on the nightshift (on the nightshift)
You found another home, I know you're not alone on the nightshift
Gonna miss your sweet voice (sweet voice), that soulful noise on the nightshift
We all remember you, your song is coming through
Gonna be a long night, it's gonna be alright on the nightshift (on the nightshift)
You found another home, I know you're not alone on the nightshift (ooh ooh-ooh ooh)
You found another home, I know you're not alone on the nightshift
On the nightshift (ooh ooh-ooh ooh-ooh)
Oh oh (ooh ooh-ooh ooh-ooh)
On the nightshift
NIGHTSHIFT is a 1985 song by Commodores. See the original Commodores version for more details.
Bruce Springsteen released NIGHTSHIFT on his 2022 album Only The Strong Survive. The above lyrics are for Bruce Springsteen's album version of NIGHTSHIFT as released on Only The Strong Survive.
NIGHTSHIFT is the second single from Only The Strong Survive. It was released on digital platforms on 14 Oct 2022 at midnight in each time zone's local time.
A music video for the song was also released on Bruce Springsteen's YouTube channel on the same day at 12:00 a.m. Eastern Time (4:00 a.m. GMT). It was also included on the Japanese Singles Collection -Greatest Hits- compilation album. The video was shot on 03 Oct 2022 at Samson Stages in Brooklyn, NY and was directed and edited by Thom Zimny.
A press release that accompanied the single release reads:
An essential song selection in the early creation of Only The Strong Survive, the track inspired Springsteen, his producer Ron Aniello and engineer Rob Lebret to christen themselves "The Night Shift" while finishing this new record. "Nightshift" was first recorded by The Commodores on Motown Records in 1985, serving as a tribute to late soul music heroes Marvin Gaye and Jackie Wilson just after they passed.
Besides its release on Only The Strong Survive, NIGHTSHIFT was also issued on a 7-inch single in 2023.
There's no information on when exactly NIGHTSHIFT was recorded, but, just like all other songs on Only The Strong Survive, it was likely cut sometime between late 2020 and mid-2022. See the "Only The Strong Survive" section below for more details.
Track credits:
Bruce Springsteen: lead vocal
Ron Aniello: drums, bass, percussion, guitar, piano, organ, keyboards
E Street Horns: horns
Curtis King Jr.: background vocals
Fonzi Thornton: background vocals
Dennis Colins: background vocals
Only The Strong Survive is Bruce Springsteen's twenty-first studio album. It was officially released on 11 Nov 2022 on Columbia Records. It consists of 15 tracks, all of which are covers. This marks the second time that Springsteen releases a cover album following We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions in 2006.
The album is "a collection of fifteen soul music greats," as described in the press release. It "celebrates soul music gems from the legendary catalogues of Motown, Gamble and Huff, Stax and many more." Springsteen commented: "I wanted to make an album where I just sang. And what better music to work with than the great American songbook of the Sixties and Seventies? I've taken my inspiration from Levi Stubbs, David Ruffin, Jimmy Ruffin, the Iceman Jerry Butler, Diana Ross, Dobie Gray, and Scott Walker, among many others. I've tried to do justice to them all and to the fabulous writers of this glorious music. My goal is for the modern audience to experience its beauty and joy, just as I have since I first heard it. I hope you love listening to it as much as I loved making it."
Only The Strong Survive was tracked at Thrill Hill Recording (Springsteen's home studio) in Colts Neck, NJ, following the sessions for Letter To You, which took place around November 2020. The core recording featured only Bruce Springsteen and producer Ron Aniello. In addition to lead vocals, Springsteen played guitar and keys on some tracks and Aniello played virtually every other instrument. Additional parts, including horns, strings, and background vocals were recorded at Power Station At BerkleeNYC in New York City, NY. Sam Moore makes a guest appearance on the album, singing harmony vocals on two tracks. His parts were recorded at Bullseye Studios in Miami, FL, with Andres Bermudezat engineering. Only The Strong Survive was produced by Ron Aniello with Bruce Springsteen, executive produced by Jon Landau, engineered by Rob Lebret and Ron Aniello at Thrill Hill Recording, mixed by Rob Lebret with Ron Aniello at Thrill Hill Recording, and mixed by Bob Ludwig at Gateway Mastering Studios in Portland, ME.
Only The Strong Survive was officially announced on 29 Sep 2022 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time (02:00 p.m. GMT). The announcement was made by Springsteen himself who addressed fans in a pre-recorded video posted online a few minutes earlier.
In anticipation to the announcement, Springsteen dropped hints on his social media accounts over the course of the previous three days. On 26 and 27 September, he shared each morning a photo of a road and of a steering wheel respectively, without any caption or comment.
On 28 September, he posted a 26-second promo clip of a vintage car FM radio dial turning to different stations and listening in for a few seconds, each station playing a different song from the upcoming album.
Only The Strong Survive is available as a single-disc CD and as a two-disc LP set, as well as digital download and streaming. Three editions of the vinyl release were issued: a regular edition on black vinyl, a limited edition on nightshade green vinyl exclusive to Bruce Springsteen's official webstore, and a limited edition on sundance orange or orbit orange vinyl exclusive to independent retailers.
Side 1:
Side 2:
Side 3:
Japanese Singles Collection -Greatest Hits- is a Bruce Springsteen compilation album released by Sony Music Japan in 2023. The compilation, which was exclusively released in Japan, consists of previously released 35 audio tracks and 62 video tracks. The collection is part of a 26-title reissue campaign to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Bruce Springsteen's debut album. The series, issued in three waves (25 Oct 2023, 22 Nov 2023, and 20 Dec 2023), includes 25 albums originally released between 1973 and 2014 plus a new compilation album that includes all of Springsteen's singles released in Japan from 1975 to 1999. All audio CD's were manufactured using Sony Japan's Blu-spec CD2 format.
Disc 1: (audio CD)
Disc 2: (audio CD)
Disc 3: (DVD)
Disc 4: (DVD)
NIGHTSHIFT was performed off-tour on 14 Nov 2022 at Rockefeller Center in New York City, NY, during the taping of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. The song was played in its full band album arrangement. See the live 14 Nov 2022 version for more details.
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List of available versions of NIGHTSHIFT on this website:
NIGHTSHIFT [Album version]
