Our daughters Eliana and Sophie grew up in a house filled with music. They heard folk music, show tunes and loud rock and roll. We danced to John Hiatt in the kitchen, and all sang along together to the Joseph and His Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat soundtrack in the car. We introduced them to the joy of the Beatles, the wry humor of Lyle Lovett, and the great storytelling of The Sound of Music.
And then as they grew up, they each developed their own tastes, introducing us to music they were discovering and enjoying. We always did our best listen, to appreciate, and to express our gratitude.
Picking the girls up from summer camp in 2012 (always a great place for any young person to discover new music), 14 year-old Sophie could not wait for us to hear a song she and her friends had been enjoying all summer.
“It’s anthemic!” She announced. She was right.
We hooked up the iPod to the car, and immediately heard the breathtaking a capella chorus intro.
“Some nights, I stay up cashing in my bad luck
Some nights, I call it a draw
Some nights, I wish that my lips could build a castle
Some nights, I wish they’d just fall off
But I still wake up, I still see your ghost
Oh Lord, I’m still not sure what I stand for, oh-oh
(Oh-ooh-woah) what do I stand for?
(Oh-ooh-woah) what do I stand for?
Most nights, I don’t know anymore”
“Some Nights,” by the group fun. (yes, the lowercase word “fun” followed by a period) was a big, joyous song that dominated the airwaves that summer. The song immediately grabs your attention while giving you something intimate and scary to think about.
Fun. was a trio featuring Nathan Ruess on vocals, Jack Antonoff (not yet famous for the band Bleachers, or as the “go-to” producer for everyone from Taylor Swift to Kendrick Lamar) on guitar, and Andrew Dost on drums.
Written by Ruess, “Some Nights” is a sweet confessional. A cavernous exposition. A quiet reflection.
The song begins with no instruments, but all three members of the band singing together in perfect harmony about the conflicting feelings so many of us struggle with as we lie alone and awake in the dark of day’s end. We then hear the drums crash in, marching us on to battle. A call to action. Decisions to be made.
‘This is it, boys, this is war
What are we waiting for?
Why don’t we break the rules already?
I was never one to believe the hype
Save that for the black and white
Try twice as hard, and I’m half as liked
But here they come again to jack my style’
Some nights, we are ready to face the fight. We are ready to break the rules. In this case, the “black and white” is the structure in which we are forced to lead our lives, but there is no black and white. There is only gray. If we try to break the rules, we risk alienation from our friends and family. If we try to break the rules, we risk being pushed back in line.
Whoever we are trying to be, maybe we should be someone else. If there is something we are trying to do, maybe we should do something else. There are always decisions to be made, doubts to be addressed, and convictions to be embraced.
The music quiets down, and he finds a moment of appreciation for the woman by his side, helping him on his journey.
“That’s alright (that’s alright)
I found a martyr in my bed tonight
She stops my bones from wondering just who I am, who I am, who I am
Oh, who am I?”
But the conflicting feelings continue as the drums come crashing in again. The massive vocals clarifying that even with this martyr by his side, telling him that everything is going to be ok, he still does not know what he wants.
Well, some nights, I wish that this all would end
‘Cause I could use some friends for a change
And some nights, I’m scared you’ll forget me again
Some nights, I always win (I always win)
But I still wake up, I still see your ghost
Oh Lord, I’m still not sure what I stand for, oh-oh
(Oh-ooh-woah) what do I stand for?
(Oh-ooh-woah) what do I stand for?
Most nights, I don’t know
The song ends with maybe the only tangible truth he knows, his love for his nephew. The father may not be around, and maybe even some mistakes were made, but his nephew is there, and that alone is an amazing thing.
My heart is breaking for my sister
And the con that she called “love”
And then I look into my nephew’s eyes
Man, you wouldn’t believe
The most amazing things
That can come from
Some terrible nights
With some amazing auto-tune vocal effect thrown in for good measure, “Some Nights” may sound a little dated to some, but I think it’s perfect. A big, powerful song that is an honest, sincere statement of fact and doubt and reflection and emotion and love.
Thank you Sophie and Eliana for always introducing us to great, new music. Keep it coming!
“Some Nights”
Written by Jeff Bhasker, Nate Ruess, Andrew Dost, Jack Antonoff
Performed by Fun.
Released June 4, 2012
All Together Now 
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