3 Rock Songs That Sound Like They Were Written After a Very Long Night

These rock songs must’ve been written at night, for how quiet and emotional they are. These aren’t songs that are going to get you ready for the day. Instead, they are tailor-made to soundtrack a moment late at night when your mind is racing, and thoughts are intruding.

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“All Tomorrow’s Parties” — The Velvet Underground

“And where will she go and what shall she do / When midnight comes around / She’ll turn once more to Sunday’s clown / And cry behind the door,” the lyrics to The Velvet Underground’s “All Tomorrow’s Parties” read. This rock song is dejected. The narrator makes it seem like a night out has lost all its magic after coming home from a party and sitting alone with their thoughts.

This song is best played in the quiet hours of night. The lyrics might look ahead to future get-togethers, but they have a lonely undertone. It looks down on the party crowd from a place of true isolation.

“No Surprises” — Radiohead

Speaking of lonely lyrics, Radiohead’s “No Surprises” must have been written in the middle of the night. We’ve all lain awake at night and pondered life’s injustices. We might not say it as poetically as “A heart that’s full up like a landfill / A job that slowly kills you / Bruises that won’t heal,” but we know the general gist of what Radiohead is talking about here.

This isn’t a song for a sunny day at noon. It’s best served with a starry night with nothing to do but let your mind race. The lines “I’ll take a quiet life / A handshake of carbon monoxide / And no alarms and no surprises / No alarms and no surprises” have sent many of us spiraling into pessimism.

“Fade Into You” — Mazzy Star

This dreamy pop-rock song works in a myriad of situations, but a cozy night spent in with someone you love is the best backdrop. Hope Sandoval’s vocals are invigorating but equally as lulling. Every time we listen to this chorus, something stirs within us. But instead of amping us up, it quiets us down for the night.

“I wanna hold the hand inside you / I wanna take the breath that’s true / I look to you, and I see nothing / I look to you to see the truth,” are some of the most introspective and heartfelt lines in alternative rock history. This is arguably the song for getting into your feelings, preferably late at night.

(Photo by Tim Boxer/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)