Considering how their sound had come to be defined by the ballads of Lionel Richie, not many gave The Commodores much chance of matching their previous level of success once Richie left. But they did just that in 1985 when they rose to the Top 5 on the pop charts on “Nightshift”.
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The song took its inspiration from a pair of soul greats who had recently passed away. And it benefited from the talents of a pair of lead vocalists, one of whom had just joined the band.
Lionel-Less
When The Commodores hit the scene in 1974 with their debut album, Machine Gun, they mostly played up-tempo, funk-inspired rhythm and blues. But it wasn’t long before the smooth balladry of Lionel Richie started to dominate the proceedings. That was understandable, because he had a knack for churning out crowd-pleasing slow ones.
Richie decided to leave the band in search of solo stardom following The Commodores’ 1981 album In The Pocket. The remaining members regrouped for Commodores 13 in 1983, but the LP failed to generate much interest, either in terms of album sales or airplay for the singles.
The Commodores added a new singer in 1985 in J.D. Bertrand, who had previously been in the band Heatwave. They also chose a new producer, as Dennis Lambert took over the reins. But it all came down to the band delivering a memorable song to help them bounce back. “Nightshift” turned out to be just the ticket.
Honoring Heroes
The deaths of Marvin Gaye and Jackie Wilson in 1984 provided the impetus for Commodores member Walter Orange to begin writing “Nightshift”. These dual tragedies shook the world of soul music, so it was only natural that they were on the mind of Orange.
Producer Dennis Lambert pitched in with the music, while Franne Goode helped out on the lyrics. Specifically, she came up with the title that helped to tie the tributes together. Lambert originally wanted Orange to sing lead for the entire song.
But Orange pushed for J.D. Bertrand to sing one of the verses, since he wanted to introduce the band’s new singer on a single. “Nightshift” not only put The Commodores back on top of the R&B world, but it also gave them one of their biggest pop hits. It peaked at No. 3 in 1985.
Behind the Lyrics of “Nightshift”
“Nightshift” dedicates a verse apiece to Marvin Gaye and Jackie Wilson. References are made to their classic songs. Orange quotes from Gaye’s “What’s Going On” and mentions how he would sing with “his heart in every line”.
Bertrand sings of Wilson, “You came and gifted us/Your love, it lifted us higher and higher”, alluding to his most famous hit. In the chorus, Orange and Bertrand come together to imagine an afterlife where the two are on the mic. “Gonna be some sweet sounds,” they promise. “Comin’ down on the night shift.”
This song recently received a second life when Bruce Springsteen made it a part of his 2022 album of soul covers Only The Strong Survive. The Commodores rose to the challenge of honoring two monumental artists on “Nightshift”, and they gave their own career a much-needed rejuvenating boost in the process.
Photo by John Mahler/Toronto Star via Getty Images
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