This song is about changes that people go through over the course of their lives or even in just one night.
“Night Changes” features a distinct melody with plenty of soul and nostalgic undertones. It’s decadently layered with 1D’s signature vocal harmonies that fill out and create a strong sense of emotion.
This is the seventh song released by the band One Direction for their fourth studio album, which was fittingly called Four. The track was initially planned for a second single release, which was announced on October 29th, 2014. But their release schedule was disrupted due to a leak that allowed fans to hear the entire album later that year on November 7th prior to the official drop. This was the last single that the band put out while Zayn was still a member.
Lyrical Analysis
“We’re only getting older, baby / And I’ve been thinking about it lately / Does it ever drive you crazy / Just how fast the night changes?”
The narrator sings here about how time is going by, and the only way you can go back is in your memory. This simple fact can be enough to drive a person mad sometimes.
The “night” he’s referring to could very well be a literal night and how things can change in an instant. But he might also be talking about significant turning points in a person’s life.
“Everything that you’ve ever dreamed of / Disappearing when you wake up / But there’s nothing to be afraid of / Even when the night changes / It will never change me and you”
The first verse contains a narrative about a young woman wearing provocative clothing that her mom doesn’t approve of. “Everything she never had she’s showing off” could mean that it’s all a facade and that she’s not really the person she’s trying to prove that she is.
This character exhibits reckless behavior, speeding towards a life event that will be unforgettable. Her only desire is to not regret anything.
The fact that it’s the Moon lighting up her skin could signify more than the lunar phase and the fact that it’s nighttime. The Moon can represent anything from mystery to feminine energy to changes of a cycle – a night change, so to speak.
As her hair and skin reflect the moon’s light and the light from the moon illuminates her, it also reflects how she’s feeling inside, revealing the changes happening both within her and without her.
The Rift that Created a Title
“One of the songs on the record came from myself falling out with Julian Bunetta and John Ryan,” co-writer Jamie Scott revealed in an interview with MTV News.
“Night Changes” started with a fight, but while the title is a reference to their falling out, the song’s concept is completely unrelated.
“The song is nothing about that, but the idea and the word came from me coming in the morning, because you get a bit delirious and you never quite know what you’re doing. But it was fine and all was resolved and we had a great song title.”
Scott’s bandmates were night owls and didn’t have a small child like he did. One night in the home studio, the other two powered through their work and pulled an all-nighter. Scott was nonplussed to find that three songs dramatically altered. Scott had been perfectly happy with the way they were when they’d left off as a group, and the title “Night Changes” came of it.
Lyrics
Goin’ out tonight, changes into something red
Her mother doesn’t like that kind of dress
Everything she never had she’s showin’ off
Drivin’ too fast, moon is breakin’ through her hair
She’s headin’ for somethin’ that she won’t forget
Havin’ no regrets is all that she really wants
We’re only gettin’ older, baby
And I’ve been thinkin’ about it lately
Does it ever drive you crazy
Just how fast the night changes?
Everything that you’ve ever dreamed of
Disappearing when you wake up
But there’s nothing to be afraid of
Even when the night changes
It will never change me and you
Chasing it tonight, doubts are runnin’ ’round her head
He’s waitin’, hides behind a cigarette
Heart is beatin’ loud and she doesn’t want it to stop
Movin’ too fast, moon is lightin’ up her skin
She’s fallin’, doesn’t even know it yet
Havin’ no regrets is all that she really wants
We’re only gettin’ older, baby
And I’ve been thinkin’ about it lately
Does it ever drive you crazy
Just how fast the night changes?
Everything that you’ve ever dreamed of
Disappearing when you wake up
But there’s nothing to be afraid of
Even when the night changes
It will never change me and you
Goin’ out tonight, changes into something red
Her mother doesn’t like that kind of dress
Reminds her of the missin’ piece of innocence she lost
We’re only gettin’ older, baby
And I’ve been thinkin’ about it lately
Does it ever drive you crazy
Just how fast the night changes?
Everything that you’ve ever dreamed of
Disappearing when you wake up
But there’s nothing to be afraid of
Even when the night changes
It will never change, baby
It will never change, baby
It will never change me and you
Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Harry Edward Styles / Jamie Scott Baylin / John Henry Ryan / Julian C. Bunetta / Liam James Payne / Louis William Tomlinson / Niall James Horan / Zayn Javadd Malik
Night Changes lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Hipgnosis Songs Group, Peermusic Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group, Words & Music A Div Of Big Deal Music LLC
