Night of Your Life (David Guetta song)
Encyclopedia
"Night of Your Life" is a song by French disc jockey (DJ)-music producer David Guetta
, featuring additional vocals from American R&B
recording artist Jennifer Hudson
. Taken from the former's fifth studio album, Nothing but the Beat
(2011), the song was written by Cristyle Johnson
, Anthony Preston, Guetta and Giorgio Tuinfort. Production for the song was also handled by Guetta and Tuinfort. "Night of Your Life" was released digitally
on August 22, 2011, as the third and final promotional single from the album, as part of the iTunes Store
's countdown to the album's release.
Musically, "Night of Your Life" is an uptempo
pop
and future-soul
song, with lyrics that feature Hudson demanding to be worshiped like a queen. Music critics generally positively reviewed the song, praising Hudson's vocal performance and noting it as one of the standout tracks from Nothing but the Beat. Critics also compared the song to Rihanna
's "Only Girl (In the World)
" (2010). Commercially, "Night of Your Life" reached the top 10 in Austria and Norway, and the top 20 in Denmark, Finland, Germany and Spain.
, Anthony Preston, David Guetta and Giorgio Tuinfort, and was produced by Guetta and Tuinfort. In an interview with Akshay Bhansali of MTV News
, Guetta revealed that he did not know Jennifer Hudson that well and commented: "I had heard her voice [before] and I fell in love with it. It's a difficult song. You need a really big voice to be able to perform that song. I was like, 'Whoa!' She obviously has an amazing voice, and I think it was a really interesting exercise for her and for me." He further explained, "I always love to take singers and take them out of their boxes and to come with a dance song with her was really exciting." On working with Hudson, Guetta said, "She is beautiful in every way: as a person, as a singer, as a human being. She delivered [the song] like crazy."
"Night of Your Life" was released for digital download
on August 22, 2011, as the third and final promotional single
from the album, as part of the iTunes Store
's countdown to the album's release.
and future-soul
song, that features an infectious beat and clapping snares. According to Melinda Newman from HitFix
, "'Night Of Your Life' opens to the sounds of beats lightly bouncing around like colorful dancing polka dots before exploding into a retro-sounding twirler with Hudson belting loud and clear." According to Trent Fitzgerald from Pop Crush, Hudson "takes control of the track with her commanding vocals as she demands to be worshiped like a queen." Tom Ewing from The Guardian
noted the song bears similarities to Rihanna
's "Only Girl (In the World)
" (2010). Genevieve Koski from The A.V. Club
wrote that on the song, "Jennifer Hudson manage[s] to keep [her] head above the waves of synths ... by amping up [her] vocals to match the outsized beats." Kerri Mason from Billboard
magazine wrote that the song "takes a structure usually reserved for breathy chanteuses—the big-room trance vocal—and adds the firepower of Jennifer Hudson."
wrote that the song was "the album's only comparative highlight", but called it a "bald rip-off" of Rihanna's "Only Girl (In the World)." Robert Copsey from Digital Spy
noted it as one of the album's "standouts", and wrote that "Hudson adds a classy, club classics touch to 'Night of Your Life'". Joe Copplestone from PopMatters
noted that songs on the album such as "Night of Your Life" and "Titanium
", "recall the power" of Guetta's previous collaborations with Kelly Rowland
on "When Love Takes Over
" (2009) and "Commander
" (2010). A writer for Daily Herald wrote, "Hudson's voice is perfect here, with all the right emotion in all the right places. Guetta keeps it simple with a buzzing backbeat and Hudson keeps it lush with vocals that will always have a home on the hottest dance floors."
Pkboo from Samesame.com.au
called "Night of You Life" a "bangin' radio ready single" and wrote that on "Night of Your Life", Hudson delivers "the in control swagger that has become her trademark". He also mentioned that the song was better than anything from her recent second studio album, I Remember Me
(2011). Becky Bain from Idolator
wrote that "it's one of the slickest collaborations" that she's heard from David Guetta so far. Bain also added that it was "refreshing" to hear Hudson "in a euphoric party mood after her more low-key offerings from her last album, I Remember Me." Rich Lopez from Dallas Voice
gave the song a mixed review, and wrote that it "is amateurish and never lives up to her talent." Ben Norman from About.com
wrote that "Night of Your Life" and "Repeat" (featuring Jessie J
), were the two tracks on the album that "lack whatever it was that was necessary for them to be stellar, but I rest that blame firmly in Guetta's court, as I believe the production was lacking the most, not the vocalists' abilities."
, before dropping to number 73 the following week. The song debuted at number nine on the Austrian Singles Chart
, peaked at number seven the following week, and spent eight non-consecutive weeks on the chart. It also debuted at number nine on the Norwegian Singles Chart
, where it remained for two consecutive weeks. "Night of Your Life" reached the top 20 on the singles charts of Denmark, Finland, Germany and Spain. In the United Kingdom, "Night of Your Life" debuted at number 35 on the UK Singles Chart
on September 3, 2011. It also charted on the UK Dance Chart
, where it peaked at number nine. In the United States, "Night of Your Life" debuted at number 81 on the Billboard Hot 100
chart on the issue dated September 10, 2011, selling 27,000 digital copies in its first week.
David Guetta
Pierre David Guetta , known professionally as David Guetta , is a French house music producer and DJ. Originally a DJ at nightclubs during the 1980s and 1990s, he co-founded Gum Productions and released his first album, Just a Little More Love, in 2002. Later, he released Guetta Blaster and Pop Life...
, featuring additional vocals from American R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
recording artist Jennifer Hudson
Jennifer Hudson
Jennifer Kate Hudson is an American recording artist, actress and spokesperson. She came to prominence in 2004 as one of the finalists on the third season of American Idol coming in seventh place...
. Taken from the former's fifth studio album, Nothing but the Beat
Nothing but the Beat
Nothing but the Beat is the fifth studio album by French DJ and record producer David Guetta. The album was released on August 26, 2011 through Virgin Records . Released as a double album, the first disc features collaborations with artists from the R&B, hip hop and pop world such as Lil Wayne,...
(2011), the song was written by Cristyle Johnson
Cristyle
Crystal Nicole Johnson, better known by her stage name Cristyle or sometimes credited as Cri$tyle is an American Grammy Award winning songwriter signed with So So Def/EMI Music.-Career:...
, Anthony Preston, Guetta and Giorgio Tuinfort. Production for the song was also handled by Guetta and Tuinfort. "Night of Your Life" was released digitally
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
on August 22, 2011, as the third and final promotional single from the album, as part of the iTunes Store
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
's countdown to the album's release.
Musically, "Night of Your Life" is an uptempo
Tempo
In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
and future-soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
song, with lyrics that feature Hudson demanding to be worshiped like a queen. Music critics generally positively reviewed the song, praising Hudson's vocal performance and noting it as one of the standout tracks from Nothing but the Beat. Critics also compared the song to Rihanna
Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty , better known as simply Rihanna, is a Barbadian recording artist. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, Rihanna moved to the United States at the age of 16 to pursue a recording career under the guidance of record producer Evan Rogers...
's "Only Girl (In the World)
Only Girl (In the World)
"Only Girl " is a song by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna from her fifth studio album, Loud . The song was released as the album's lead single on September 10, 2010 through Def Jam. It was written by Crystal Johnson, Norwegian production duo Stargate and Sandy Vee, and produced by Stargate and Vee...
" (2010). Commercially, "Night of Your Life" reached the top 10 in Austria and Norway, and the top 20 in Denmark, Finland, Germany and Spain.
Background
"Night of Your Life" was written by Cristyle JohnsonCristyle
Crystal Nicole Johnson, better known by her stage name Cristyle or sometimes credited as Cri$tyle is an American Grammy Award winning songwriter signed with So So Def/EMI Music.-Career:...
, Anthony Preston, David Guetta and Giorgio Tuinfort, and was produced by Guetta and Tuinfort. In an interview with Akshay Bhansali of MTV News
MTV News
MTV News is the news division of MTV, one of the first and most popular music television network in the U.S., as well as some of MTV's related channels around the world. MTV News began in the late 1980s with the program The Week In Rock, hosted by Kurt Loder, the first official MTV News correspondent...
, Guetta revealed that he did not know Jennifer Hudson that well and commented: "I had heard her voice [before] and I fell in love with it. It's a difficult song. You need a really big voice to be able to perform that song. I was like, 'Whoa!' She obviously has an amazing voice, and I think it was a really interesting exercise for her and for me." He further explained, "I always love to take singers and take them out of their boxes and to come with a dance song with her was really exciting." On working with Hudson, Guetta said, "She is beautiful in every way: as a person, as a singer, as a human being. She delivered [the song] like crazy."
"Night of Your Life" was released for digital download
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
on August 22, 2011, as the third and final promotional single
Promotional recording
A promotional recording, or promo, is an audio or video recording distributed for free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available...
from the album, as part of the iTunes Store
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
's countdown to the album's release.
Composition
"Night of Your Life" is an uptempo popPop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
and future-soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
song, that features an infectious beat and clapping snares. According to Melinda Newman from HitFix
HitFix
HitFix, or the HitFix.com is an entertainment news website that launched in December 2008 specializing in breaking entertainment news, insider information and providing reviews and critiques of film, music and television...
, "'Night Of Your Life' opens to the sounds of beats lightly bouncing around like colorful dancing polka dots before exploding into a retro-sounding twirler with Hudson belting loud and clear." According to Trent Fitzgerald from Pop Crush, Hudson "takes control of the track with her commanding vocals as she demands to be worshiped like a queen." Tom Ewing from The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
noted the song bears similarities to Rihanna
Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty , better known as simply Rihanna, is a Barbadian recording artist. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, Rihanna moved to the United States at the age of 16 to pursue a recording career under the guidance of record producer Evan Rogers...
's "Only Girl (In the World)
Only Girl (In the World)
"Only Girl " is a song by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna from her fifth studio album, Loud . The song was released as the album's lead single on September 10, 2010 through Def Jam. It was written by Crystal Johnson, Norwegian production duo Stargate and Sandy Vee, and produced by Stargate and Vee...
" (2010). Genevieve Koski from The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
wrote that on the song, "Jennifer Hudson manage[s] to keep [her] head above the waves of synths ... by amping up [her] vocals to match the outsized beats." Kerri Mason from Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
magazine wrote that the song "takes a structure usually reserved for breathy chanteuses—the big-room trance vocal—and adds the firepower of Jennifer Hudson."
Critical reception
Scott Shetler from Pop Crush called "Night of Your Life" "one of the most impressive tracks" on Nothing but the Beat, and noted that Hudson "sounds like a dance floor diva" on the song. Eric Henderson from Slant MagazineSlant Magazine
Slant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...
wrote that the song was "the album's only comparative highlight", but called it a "bald rip-off" of Rihanna's "Only Girl (In the World)." Robert Copsey from Digital Spy
Digital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
noted it as one of the album's "standouts", and wrote that "Hudson adds a classy, club classics touch to 'Night of Your Life'". Joe Copplestone from PopMatters
PopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
noted that songs on the album such as "Night of Your Life" and "Titanium
Titanium (song)
"Titanium" is a song recorded by French disc jockey -music producer David Guetta, featuring vocals by Australian recording artist Sia. Taken from the former's fifth studio album, Nothing but the Beat, the song was written by Sia Furler, Guetta, Giorgio Tuinfort and Afrojack. Production was also...
", "recall the power" of Guetta's previous collaborations with Kelly Rowland
Kelly Rowland
Kelendria Trene "Kelly" Rowland is an American singer, songwriter, actress, dancer, and television personality. She rose to fame as one of the founding members of the American girl group Destiny's Child...
on "When Love Takes Over
When Love Takes Over
"When Love Takes Over" is a song by French disc jockey -music producer David Guetta from his fourth studio album, One Love. It was released as the lead single from the album on 21 April 2009 by Virgin Records...
" (2009) and "Commander
Commander (song)
"Commander" is a song performed by American recording artist Kelly Rowland from her third studio album, Here I Am . It serves as the project's international lead single and her debut release with Universal Motown...
" (2010). A writer for Daily Herald wrote, "Hudson's voice is perfect here, with all the right emotion in all the right places. Guetta keeps it simple with a buzzing backbeat and Hudson keeps it lush with vocals that will always have a home on the hottest dance floors."
Pkboo from Samesame.com.au
Samesame.com.au
Samesame.com.au is an Australian LGBT website created by Tim Duggan and a partner. The website is run by Sound Alliance in the Sydney suburb of Surry Hills...
called "Night of You Life" a "bangin' radio ready single" and wrote that on "Night of Your Life", Hudson delivers "the in control swagger that has become her trademark". He also mentioned that the song was better than anything from her recent second studio album, I Remember Me
I Remember Me (album)
I Remember Me is the second studio album by American recording artist Jennifer Hudson, released March 22, 2011, on Arista Records. Hudson worked with a variety of producers and writers on the album, including Alicia Keys, Rich Harrison, Ne-Yo, R.Kelly, Harvey Mason, Jr., Ryan Tedder, Diane Warren,...
(2011). Becky Bain from Idolator
Idolator (website)
Idolator is a music blog. Created by the blog network Gawker Media in August 2006, Idolator was later sold to rival blog network Buzz Media, which also owns music blog Stereogum. From the 2007 departure of original head writer Brian Raftery until November 2009, the blog's head writer was Maura...
wrote that "it's one of the slickest collaborations" that she's heard from David Guetta so far. Bain also added that it was "refreshing" to hear Hudson "in a euphoric party mood after her more low-key offerings from her last album, I Remember Me." Rich Lopez from Dallas Voice
Dallas Voice
Dallas Voice, founded in 1984, is a newspaper for the gay community in Dallas, Texas . It is published by the Voice Publishing Company, Inc....
gave the song a mixed review, and wrote that it "is amateurish and never lives up to her talent." Ben Norman from About.com
About.com
About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
wrote that "Night of Your Life" and "Repeat" (featuring Jessie J
Jessie J
Jessica Ellen Cornish , better known by her stage name Jessie J, is an English recording artist currently signed to Island Records. She began her career as a songwriter for artists including Chris Brown and Miley Cyrus. Her debut single, "Do It Like a Dude", was released in November 2010 and peaked...
), were the two tracks on the album that "lack whatever it was that was necessary for them to be stellar, but I rest that blame firmly in Guetta's court, as I believe the production was lacking the most, not the vocalists' abilities."
Chart performance
"Night of Your Life" debuted at number 27 on the French Singles ChartSyndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique
The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry...
, before dropping to number 73 the following week. The song debuted at number nine on the Austrian Singles Chart
Ö3 Austria Top 40
Ö3 Austria Top 40 is the name of the official Austrian singles chart, as well as the radio show which presents it, aired Fridays on Hitradio Ö3. The show presents the Austrian singles, ringtones and downloads chart. It premiered on 26 November 1968 as Disc Parade and was presented by Ernst Grissemann...
, peaked at number seven the following week, and spent eight non-consecutive weeks on the chart. It also debuted at number nine on the Norwegian Singles Chart
VG-lista
VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by...
, where it remained for two consecutive weeks. "Night of Your Life" reached the top 20 on the singles charts of Denmark, Finland, Germany and Spain. In the United Kingdom, "Night of Your Life" debuted at number 35 on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
on September 3, 2011. It also charted on the UK Dance Chart
UK Dance Chart
The UK Dance Chart is a chart compiled by The Official Charts Company from sales in record stores and digital downloads. Although the chart does not currently receive any airplay on the radio or television, the chart can be viewed on the BBC Radio 1 and The Official Charts Company website.Digital...
, where it peaked at number nine. In the United States, "Night of Your Life" debuted at number 81 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart on the issue dated September 10, 2011, selling 27,000 digital copies in its first week.
Credits and personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes for Nothing but the Beat.- David Guetta – songwritingSongwriterA songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, productionRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music... - David Hachour – masteringAudio masteringMastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...
- Jennifer Hudson – lead vocals
- Cristyle JohnsonCristyleCrystal Nicole Johnson, better known by her stage name Cristyle or sometimes credited as Cri$tyle is an American Grammy Award winning songwriter signed with So So Def/EMI Music.-Career:...
– songwriting - Anthony Preston – songwriting
- Florent Sabaton – mastering
- Giorgio Tuinfort – songwriting, production
Charts
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada (Canadian Hot 100 Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007... ) |
30 |
| Slovakia (Rádio Top 100 Oficiálna Rádio Top 100 Oficiálna Rádio Top 100 Oficiálna is the name of the Slovakian national airplay chart published by the IFPI Czech Republic on a weekly basis since the cancellation of the Slovakian national section on December 31, 2009.... ) |
76 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... (Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... ) |
81 |