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Childish Gambino and RCA Recording recently delivered the second single, In The Night, off his upcoming final studio album which is being released as the official soundtrack for Bando Stone & The New World.
On the night of this single's release, the rapper took to social media to upload a BTS clip of him in the studio recording In The Night. A few hours later Childish Gambino uploaded the official cover art for the record on his Instagram announcing its release.
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The new song features guest performances from English singer-songwriter Jorja Smith and Ghanaian-American singer-songwriter, Ama Serwah Genfi, professionally known as Amaarae. Gambino takes the lead on In The Night which has a complete runtime of 3:49 minutes.
Before this song, Childish Gambino released Lithonia on July 2, 2024, which was distributed to all major streaming platforms via RCA Records, under an exclusive license from mcDJ Recording.
Breaking down Childish Gambino's latest single 'In The Night (Feat. Amaarae x Jorja Smith)'
Childish Gambino teams up with producers DJ Dahi and Kurtis McKenzie to assist with the ambient production of In The Night. This single is fueled by warm synths, paced drum sequences, and a deep bass rhythm over which each artist directs their lyricism toward themes of desire and love.
Other more notable themes noticed while listening to In The Night have been listed below:
- Love
- Relationships
- Intimacy
- Unfaithfulness
- Happiness
- Desire
Disclaimer: This review is rated explicit. Reader's discretion is advised.
(Verse 1)
"I'm just a country boy from Georgia (Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh) / Your body's made for California, my love (Oh, oh, oh, oh) / Your man does nothin' but adore ya (Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh) / But I wonder, what would he say? (Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh)"
The song opens with Childish Gambino delivering the first verse with assistance from Jorja Smith, who serenades the entire verse with backing vocals that bring the rapper's emotional delivery to life.
Gambino starts In The Night by speaking to a woman he admires and finds himself proclaiming his love for her even though she's already in a relationship with another man.
"You look so good, I can't afford ya (Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh) / He kissed your lips, it looked like torture for you (Oh, oh, oh, oh) / Just 'cause you're sweet don't make you loyal (Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh) / And I wonder, what would he say? (Oh, oh, oh, oh)"
The rapper proceeds to highlight the various physical aspects of this woman that he's attracted to while simultaneously citing how her expensive lifestyle is something that he can't "afford".
Childish Gambino ends the verse by hoping this woman cheats on her relationship before pondering on what her partner would "say" or feel about this situation.
(Chorus)
"If in the night, I dream of you (Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh) / Doesn't matter what I do (Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh) / In the night, I dream of you (Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh) / Every night, I dream of you"
Listeners are then immediately led into the song's hook where Gambino explains his reasoning behind this record's title.
With an emotional cadence, Childish Gambino states how he dreams about this woman "in the night," almost every day. His lyrics appear to imply a longing for deep, yet secretive, intimacy with this individual.
(Post Chorus)
"I had to sneak around / 'Cause he could never know that / I never wanted happiness / I just wanna be with you / I know you'd drag me down / But you know I know that / You need me too / In the night"
Jorja Smith then opens on In The Night, with Childish Gambino providing backing vocal assistance, on the song's post-chorus. The singer appears to be speaking from "the unnamed woman's perspective" highlighting how she too is in love with Gambino and wants to be with him.
The unfaithful lyricism is interesting as it highlights a longing for love with Jorja explaining the cost of "sneaking around" her relationship for an individual who would only "drag" her down.
(Verse 2)
"I'm smiling in his face all daily (Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh oh) / Last night, I said it was his baby (Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh) / Oh, no, I'm tryna see you when I close my eyes (Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh) / If he finds out, he might go crazy (Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh)"
With the post-chorus acting as the intro to her verse, Jorja opens the second verse with a single bar where she tries to explain the desires she highlighted previously.
It appears that Jorja's character has been putting up fake smiles and a wall between herself and her current partner, indicating their relationship isn't going to last. She ends the verse by citing how although she can't be with Childish Gambino's character yet, she hopes to spend time with him in her dreams instead.
The chorus and post-chorus return with Jorja taking the lead before Amaarae delivers the third and final verse of the song.
(Verse 3)
"Are you okay? (Okay) / Seen you with that n---a, I said no way (Oh, way) / Creepin' and I caught that b---h in 4K (4K) / Kissin' b---hes, now you goin' both ways, (Okay, Oh, oh-oh, Yeah)"
Amaarae's performance is wildly different from Childish Gambino and Jorja's verses, as the singer explains actually witnessing her partner being unfaithful after catching them "in 4K" while seemingly out at a party.
Rae appears to have caught her partner cheating on their relationship with both men and women, which is why she highlights her surprise in finding out about her partner's s*xuality.
"Are you okay? (Okay) / Your pocket baby girl, and is that cocaine? (Cocaine) / You know he's just a friend, that's what they all say (All say) / B---h, you know you got to see me on my off day (Off day)"
The final bar in this verse finds Amaarae's character unable to accept the reality of what she witnessed, hoping for closure by questioning if her partner's actions were drug-induced.
The end of her verse explains how although she caught her partner being unfaithful she'll continue to pursue their relationship, which is evident from the last line where Amaarae reminds her partner that they have a date set up on her "off day".
Childish Gambino and Jorja Smith's chorus and post-chorus repeat one more time before In The Night officially ends.
More recently, Childish Gambino took to social media to announce the complete tracklist for his upcoming sixth and final studio album Bando Stone & The New World, which drops on all DSPs on Friday, July 19.
