Lucy Dacus opens her 2018 album Historian with an emotional breakup song called “Night Shift”. It offers a blueprint for surviving a busted romance and how to move on from an ex. She told NPR it was the only breakup song she’d ever written.
“For a long time, I didn’t believe expressing this sort of negativity was productive,” she said. “But it’s less productive to resist the truth of a situation.”
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Though “Night Shift” begins Historian, Dacus said it’s not a breakup album. But with over 10 tracks, it does explore loss while searching for joy in life’s darkest moments.
Working the “Night Shift” To Avoid an Ex
On “Night Shift”, Lucy Dacus attempts to reorient her life to avoid a former lover. The track documents the end of her five-year relationship and an attempt to move beyond the heartbreak.
“I feel no need to forgive but I might as well
But let me kiss your lips so I know how it felt
Pay for my coffee and leave before the sun goes down
Walk for hours in the dark feeling all hell.”
Just after the four-minute mark, Dacus steps on the fuzz pedal and repeats a job metaphor to escape the pain of her breakup. Also, the newness of an original song becoming an old cover represents another hope for time healing her despair.
“You got a nine to five, so I’ll take the night shift
And I’ll never see you again if I can help it
In five years, I hope the songs feel like covers
Dedicated to new lovers.”
Lucy Dacus and her band recorded the album in Nashville and worked with producers Jacob Blizard and Collin Pastore. Historian was mixed by John Congleton, whose credits include St. Vincent and Sharon Van Etten.
Finding New Love in the Land of Oz
Jane Schoenbrun directed the visual, which finds Dacus bored at work while people gather at a Wizard Of Oz-themed convention. She later joins the party dressed as a witch and falls for Dorothy, who’s portrayed by Jasmin Savoy. The music video arrived in 2023, five years after Historian, and accompanied a limited edition red vinyl pressing of the album.
But Lucy Dacus isn’t the only one looking to escape the bitter end of a long-term relationship. Her fans continue spinning “Night Shift”, which remains her most-played song on Spotify.
Photo by Ebru Yildiz
More Behind The Song
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Celine Dion performs the song "Tell Him" from the motion picture "Titanic" during the 40th Grammy Awards at Radio City Music Hall in New York 25 February. Dion was nominated along with Barbra Streisand in the Best Pop Collaboration with vocals categor.(ELECTRONIC IMAGE) AFP PHOTO Timothy A. CLARY (Photo by Timothy A. CLARY and VALERIE MACON / AFP via Getty Images) -
Rock and roll band "America" featuring David Dickey (bass), Willie Leacox (drums), Gerry Beckley (guitar), Michael Woods (lead guitar), Dewey Bunnell (guitar), Jim Calire (keyboards), and Tom Walsh (percussion) perform on "Midnight Special" TV show in October 1980 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ron Eisenberg/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) -
Photo by Pete Hohn/Star Tribune via Getty Images -
American folk rock group The Mamas and the Papas, 15th June 1966. From left to right, they are record producer Terry Melcher, band members John Phillips, Cass Elliot and Denny Doherty, and record producer Lou Adler. (Photo by Watson/Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) -
Christopher Cross 1980 (Photo by Chris Walter/WireImage) -
Travis Tritt during Travis Tritt – September 5, 1992 at Star Plaza Theater in Merrilville, Indiana, United States. (Photo by Paul Natkin/WireImage) -
Brad Paisley and Alison Krauss perform "Whiskey Lullaby" (Photo by M. Caulfield/WireImage for Bragman Nyman Cafarelli)
