The "Night Song"

Do you ever hear a song and go "oh that's a night song?"

I remember one night a few years ago, I had just finished my shift at Outback Steakhouse and I was hanging out in the parking lot with some co-workers before we all went home. It was a beautiful summer night, post 10pm, and I had my windows down in my car and the radio on. A song I had heard a few times before but never investigated came on, and it felt like the best fitting song for a nighttime soundtrack. The song was "Use Somebody" by Kings of Leon. I'll even go back a few years earlier to when I was driving around town in my friends car and "Say It Right" by Nelly Furtado was playing on the radio...another night song.

I can try to describe what this means for those of you who may not know these songs or simply have no idea what the hell I'm talking about. Channel your inner imagination for a second. Do I call a song a "night song" because I heard it for the first time at night, or only heard it on the radio in the dark? Maybe, but it's the vibe the song gives out. Like when the world is settling down for the evening and you're still up, driving on the road or hanging out with friends and a song plays that makes you feel like you're hiding even though you're not. It's the kind of song that makes you wish all the other cars on the road would disappear. For the people who don't want to party like it's 1999 in the club, it's the song that makes you feel relaxed when the world is winding down. My family has driven many times to Florida through the night, and whether it's 11pm or 2am, if I wake up, a "night song" is the type of song I would expect to hear on the radio as we cruise down the empty highway. The radio isn't blasting but the song is EXPLODING in my heart, making me feel a kind of longing or excitement without the uppers. That's a night song. So, what would you consider a "night song?"