Here Comes the Night

Here Comes the Night is a song performed by Northern Irish rock band Them, released as a single in March 1965. The song, which was written by Bert Berns, is one of the bands most famous and significant songs in their early success. Led by the inimitable Van Morrison (today), the tune mixes rock, pop and R&B nuances infused with the music's passionate soulfulness of the time.

Release Details

Release Date: March 1965

Genre: Rock, Rhythm and Blues

Label: Decca Records

Side A: "Here Comes the Night"

B-side: "All for Myself"

Length: 2:47

The single was released through Decca Records and demonstrates the group’s strong, bold sound with Van Morrison giving an emotionally-charged vocal performance mixed in the typical Bert Berns' production arrangement. Complementing the introspective yet dramatic “Here Comes The Night” was its B-side, the straightforward rhythm-and-blues number “All For Myself.”

Written and Produced by Bert Berns

An American songwriter and record producer who was active in the 60s, Bert Berns wrote the song. Berns was a rare breed, equally at ease with raw rhythm and blues artists (Solomon Burke, the Isley Brothers, Ben E. King) as he was with pop-influenced performers like the drifters; he melded Latin-inflected grooves to blues-inspired melodies, blowing his contemporaries out of the water. He influenced the sound of rhythm and blues and rock music since the sound born in the 1960s with his distinctive style.

Himself is especially crucial in the construction of Them's sound, particularly here on "Here Comes the Night." Previously, he had penned another hit for the group — “Baby, Please Don’t Go” — that helped establish Them as one of the new acts to watch. Berns had a huge role in not just song writing — but the recording/production. Berns provided a lush setting that permitted Morrison’s passionate vocals to be heard clearly while producing also murkability that people could feel in "Here Comes the Night".

About "Here Comes the Night" And How It Was Made

In the production of "Here Comes the Night," which expressed yearning and sorrow, Berns was attempting to create an atmospheric quality evoking a sort of filmic sound in both lyrics and instrumentation. Lyrically, the song shows an emotional heartache of its kind, as the protagonist loathes how night must come while lost in thoughts about a significant other they no longer have. The repeated, mournful cry of “Here comes the night” drives home this sadness that runs throughout the track.

The success of the song was largely affected by Berns's production style. It seemed to either underpin the tension of the lyric code or feature a layered instrumentation filled with reverberating guitar chords and a driving rhythm section. This added an unusual, atmospheric and deep quality for pop music of that era. The jangling guitar riff and the muted drum beat of the opening notes immediatly set a sinister tone that echoes the heartbreak and loss that the song depicts.

Commercial Success and Legacy

Released, "Here Comes the Night" was a major hit for Them reaching No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart and entering the top 40 in America. Not only did this hit represent a breakthrough for the band, it also launched Van Morrison and Them into the national consciousness while introducing Morrison as a dynamic frontman with an unusual singing style. Bert Berns then emerged as a songster-producer adept at taking raw emotion and presenting it in musical form.

“Here Comes the Night” would later go on to inspire many other artists, as well as cementing itself as a quintessential mid-1960s British rhythm and blues showcase. Since then, it has been covered by diverse artists, such as David Bowie who covered it for his 1973 album Pin Ups. Which is also the reason why Bowie and other covers over the years kept this one alive, seeing as it was never going anywere. Similar to Seasons in The Sun — they just shall refuse to leave history.-

The Legacy of Bert Berns and Its Later Impact

Bert Berns had a pretty short career; he died in 1967 at 38. Even so, he did leave a legacy in the music industry with what is an unfortunately short career. Berns had a gift for creating depth in his compositions that appealed to commercial audiences as well as musicians. Along with "Here Comes the Night" and "Baby, Please Don't Go," Berns wrote and produced such hits as "Twist and Shout (made famous by The Beatles) {and"}Piece of My Heart{" -a later release for Janis Joplin}.

Incorporating the R&B rhythms with the heart and soul lyrical themes of rock & roll, his work as a member of Them and a collaborator with others cemented his lasting influence on rock and soul music. Berns's style of production — known for its lush arrangements and dramatic vocal performances — has inspired countless producers and songwriters for generations. Although best known as an architect behind the work of numerous artists, his legacy looms larger than many give him credit for when it comes to laying the groundwork for pop and rock in the 1960s.

The Song is ‘Van Morrison’Originally by Van Morrison

For Van Morrison, Here Comes the Night was an opportunity to plumb the emotional depths so central to his artistry later on. Morrison shines more than ever here, performing raw and controlled with visceral access to listeners through the track. This kind of emotive, soul-searching vocal delivery became his trademark style as a solo artist and helped develop a reputation for him being one of rock’s greatest soulful vocalists.

Morrison also worked with Berns on "Here Comes the Night", but his solo efforts with Them helped launch his solo career, which followed similar paths as far as songs about love, longing, and more personal themes. The song's success also gave Morrison the confidence and visibility he needed to pursue his own solo career, which would ultimately burst onto the scene with 1968's Astral Weeks.