"After Last Night" is a song by American superduo Silk Sonic, which consists of Bruno Mars and

Anderson .Paak Brandon Paak Anderson (born February 8, 1986), better known by his stage name Anderson .Paak (), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and drummer. He released his debut mixtape, ''O.B.E. Vol. 1,'' in 2012 and went on to rel ...

, with

Thundercat Thundercat or Thundercats may refer to: * Thundercat (snowmobile), a series of snowmobiles produced by Arctic Cat * Thundercat (musician), stage name of Stephen Lee Bruner, an American musician * ThunderCats, a media franchise, featuring a fictio ...

and

Bootsy Collins William Earl "Bootsy" Collins (born October 26, 1951) is an American bass guitarist and singer. Rising to prominence with James Brown in the early 1970s, and later with Parliament-Funkadelic, Collins established himself as one of the leading n ...

, from their debut studio album, '' An Evening with Silk Sonic'' (2021). The song was written by Mars, .Paak, Thundercat, D'Mile, James Fauntleroy, Jonathan Yip, Ray Romulus, Jeremy Reeves, and Ray Charles McCollough II. The production was handled by Mars, D'Mile, Yip, Romulus, Reeves, and McCollough II, with the latter four credited as

the Stereotypes The Stereotypes are a production team created in 2003, comprising Jonathan Yip, Ray Romulus, Jeremy Reeves and Ray Charles McCullough II. In June 2010, they were listed among the "Top 10 Songwriters and Producers to Watch" in ''Billboard'' magazi ...

. It was released to

urban adult contemporary Urban adult contemporary, often abbreviated as urban AC or UAC, (also known as adult R&B,) is the name for a format of radio music, similar to an urban contemporary format. Radio stations using this format usually would not have hip hop music on ...

radio as the fifth single from the album in the United States on July 5, 2022, by

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...

. The song is a

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...

neo soul Neo soul (sometimes called progressive soul) is a genre of popular music. As a term, it was coined by music industry entrepreneur Kedar Massenburg during the late 1990s to market and describe a style of music that emerged from soul and contempo ...

and R&B ballad, which is about a man who was a player changing his behavior for a woman with whom he is in love. "After Last Night" received positive reviews from most music critics, who noted the sexiness and praised Thundercat and Collins's appearances. The song reached number 68 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number 17 on the

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

chart in 2021. In the following year, upon its single release, the song reached the top spot of the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' Adult R&B Songs chart; this led ''An Evening with Silk Sonic'' to become the second album with four number-one singles on the chart, tying with Toni Braxton's self-titled studio album (1993). Mars and .Paak also sang it during the concert residency, An Evening with Silk Sonic at Park MGM (2022).

Background and release

Bruno Mars and

met in 2017, while touring together on the European leg of Mars'

24K Magic World Tour The 24K Magic World Tour was the fourth concert tour of American singer-songwriter Bruno Mars that was performed in support of his third studio album '' 24K Magic'' (2016) from March 2017 to December 2018. Anderson .Paak was the opening act f ...

(2017–18). The two were in the studio working with

Nile Rodgers Nile Gregory Rodgers Jr. (born September 19, 1952) is an American musician, record producer and composer. The co-founder of Chic, Rodgers has written, produced, and performed on records that have sold more than 500 million albums and 75 million ...

and Guy Lawrence of Disclosure. In late February 2021, Mars and .Paak announced on social media the formation of their new band, Silk Sonic, and revealed the artwork for their debut studio album, titled '' An Evening with Silk Sonic'' (2021). They also announced the release of the first single on March 5, 2021. Mars spoke about "After Last Night" to

Apple Music Apple Music is a music, audio and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users select music to stream to their device on-demand, or they can listen to existing playlists. The service also includes the Internet radio stations Apple M ...

: "That one got a lot of

Bootsy William Earl "Bootsy" Collins (born October 26, 1951) is an American bass guitarist and singer. Rising to prominence with James Brown in the early 1970s, and later with Parliament-Funkadelic, Collins established himself as one of the leading na ...

on it. And my boy

came in and blessed us." He furthered that "everything was built to be played live, so that song is one of those we can keep going for 10 minutes". "After Last Night" was released on July 5, 2022, to US

radio stations by

as the fifth single from ''An Evening with Silk Sonic'' (2021).

Production

"After Last Night" was written by Mars, Brandon Anderson, Dernst Emile II, James Fauntleroy, Stephen Bruner, Jonathan Yip, Ray Romulus, Jeremy Reeves, and Ray McCullough II. Its production was handled by Mars, D'Mile, and the latter four as

. Mars played guitar, while D'Mile also played the same instrument, piano, and

Rhodes piano The Rhodes piano (also known as the Fender Rhodes piano) is an electric piano invented by Harold Rhodes, which became popular in the 1970s. Like a conventional piano, the Rhodes generates sound with keys and hammers, but instead of strings, t ...

. Ella Feingold played additional guitars, while Krystal Miles sang background vocals. Thundercat played the

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

and provided guest vocals alongside Bootsy Collins. Glenn Fischbach played cello, Jonathan Kim and Yoshihiko Nakano were on the

viola The viola ( , also , ) is a string instrument that is bow (music), bowed, plucked, or played with varying techniques. Slightly larger than a violin, it has a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of ...

, and Ron Kerber played the

flute The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

. Emma Kummrow, Luigi Mazzocchi, Natasha Colkett, Blake Espy, Tess Varley, and Chris Jusell played violin. Larry Gold did the arrangement and conducting of the

strings String or strings may refer to: *String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...

Milkboy MilkBoy is an American recording studio and entertainment company founded in 1994 by Tommy Joyner. Company headquarters is located at MilkBoy the Studio, at 413 North 7th Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The original "MilkBoy Recording" was lo ...

Studios,

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, Pennsylvania, with Jeff Chestek recording them. Collins's vocals were recorded by Tobe Donohue at Rehab Studio in

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

. Reeves and

Charles Moniz Charles Moniz is a Canadian recording engineer who worked on Bruno Mars's studio albums ''Unorthodox Jukebox'' and ''24K Magic (album), 24k Magic''. Alternatively, he recorded "All I Ask (Adele song), All I Ask" for Adele's 2015 studio album ''25 ( ...

played percussion, while Alex Resoagli played the cabasa. The latter two also engineered and recorded the song at Shampoo Press & Curl Studios. Serban Ghenea mixed "After Last Night" at MixStar Studios in

Virginia Beach Virginia Beach is an independent city located on the southeastern coast of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The population was 459,470 at the 2020 census. Although mostly suburban in character, it is the most populous city ...

, while John Hanes served as the mix engineer and Bryce Bordone as the mixing assistant. The song was mastered by

Randy Merrill Randy Merrill is an American mastering engineer who has worked with international artists including DAY6, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Maroon 5, Harry Styles, One Direction, Adele, Imagine Dragons, Beck, Liam Gallagher, Jonas Brothers, Muse, Cage the ...

Sterling Sound George Marino (April 15, 1947 – June 4, 2012) was an American mastering engineer known for working on albums by rock bands starting in the late 1960s. Biography Marino was born on April 15, 1947, in the New York City borough The Bronx. He at ...

in New York City.

Composition

Musically, "After Last Night" is a

, and R&B slow jam. Its instrumentation features a "subtle" electric guitar and there is a key change towards the end of the song. It starts with a "sensual spoken performance" by Krystal Milesm and as she talks, Thundercat is playing the bass and singing "angelically" in the background. His singing has been described as "tender ''ooos''" that are "the sonic equivalent of a rose-colored scarf over a bedside lamp". At one point, both Mars and .Paak replace Thundercat, both singing about the women they have fallen in love with. As the song goes on, Collins provides amusing lyrics and "swanky spoken word" to complement the song's lyrics. The lyrics describe a woman who is "sweet-sticky/thick and pretty" and able to make a "player try on monogamy". Furthermore, Mars and .Paak affirm they will leave their "player lifestyle" following a pleasurable date. The latter also says he will leave "the velvet smoking jackets and giant sunglasses". He throws away his phone, singing in the second verse, "If I still had my phone I'd call every girl I know/And tell them goodbye", a detail which is added by Mars's "harmonies on the last syllable". "After Last Night" is set in the key of C minor with a

tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (often ...

of 71 beats per minute. The vocal ranges span from the low note of G4 to a high note of F6. Jem Aswad, writing for '' Variety'', described "After Last Night" as "a bedroom ballad with some heavy female breathing and pillow talk". In a similar view, ''

The Harvard Crimson ''The Harvard Crimson'' is the student newspaper of Harvard University and was founded in 1873. Run entirely by Harvard College undergraduates, it served for many years as the only daily newspaper in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Beginning in the f ...

'' Eugene Ye found the sensuality embedded in the song. Andy Kellman from

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

felt similarities between the composition of the song and

the Lonely Island The Lonely Island is an American comedy trio, formed by Akiva Schaffer, Andy Samberg, and Jorma Taccone in Berkeley, California, in 2001. They have written for and starred in the American TV program ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL''). The three ...

's " Dick in a Box" (2009) infused with a "Bootsy-style fantasy sleaze". The lyrics were compared by him to " The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game" (1966) by

the Marvelettes The Marvelettes were an American girl group that achieved popularity in the early to mid-1960s. They consisted of schoolmates Gladys Horton, Katherine Anderson, Georgeanna Tillman, Juanita Cowart (now Cowart Motley), and Georgia Dobbins, who wa ...

. '' Paste'' Candace McDuffie compared the song to the "early-'90s throwback jams a la

Mint Condition Mint condition is an expression used to denote the quality of a pre-owned good as displaying virtually no imperfections and being in pristine condition relative to its original production state. Originally, the phrase related to the way collect ...

and Jodeci". Jon Dolan, for ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'', affirmed that the "stretched-out grooves" of "After Last Night" are so reminiscent of earlier music that the listener expects to hear

Teddy Pendergrass Theodore DeReese Pendergrass (March 26, 1950 – January 13, 2010) was an American soul and R&B singer-songwriter. He was born in Kingstree, South Carolina. Pendergrass spent most of his life in the Philadelphia area, and initially rose to musi ...

at the beginning of the verse.

Reception

Most reviewers gave "After Last Night" positive reviews. Ross Scarano, commenting in '' Pitchfork'', called "After Last Night" one of the highlights of ''An Evening with Silk Sonic'', due to its "slathering elevated technique—all those key changes—with satisfying molten cheese". ''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...

'' A. Harmony found the track to be "seductive" and that Mars channels his charm while singing from "his gut". Similarly, Caleb Campbell of '' Under the Radar'' affirmed that "After Last Night" amplifies the seductiveness of Mars's "smooth lover-man persona". Sophie Williams from ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' found moments of "gorgeously subtle flourishes" in the album, such as "the fluttering intake of breath ...around the mix on 'After Last Night.

Uproxx ''Uproxx'' (stylized in all caps) is an entertainment and popular culture news website. It was founded in 2008 by Jarret Myer and Brian Brater, and acquired by Woven Digital (later renamed Uproxx Media Group) in 2014. The site's target audience ...

's Derrick Rossignol described the song as smooth funky", and "chill". Kyle Eustice from ''

HipHopDX ''HipHopDX'' is an online magazine of hip hop music criticism and news. The website's current president and publisher is Sharath Cherian and the Head Of Content is Jerry L. Barrow. ''HipHopDX'' is the flagship publication of Cheri Media Group. ...

'' praised the feature of Thundercat and Collins, writing that they "pepper the seductive track with their signature touches". Pat Carty, writing for '' Hot Press'', described the single as "sexy" and credited Thundercat and Collins with the song's "horizontal relaxez-vous action". ''

Gigwise ''Gigwise'' is a British online music news site that features music news, photos, album reviews, music festivals, concert tickets and video content. Founded in June 2001, the site is based in London, England. History Gigwise was launched in 2001 ...

'' Alex Rigotti characterized the single as "glitzy, glamorous, and totally lovestruck" and a "sexy slow jam". Ye found the vocals and instrumentation "sexy". ''

HotNewHipHop ''HotNewHipHop (HNHH)'' is an online publication that covers daily news about hip hop and pop culture, including streetwear, sports, and sneakers. In addition to its editorial content, HotNewHipHop also produces the video serieses; ''How to Roll ...

'' writer Joshua Robinson called the track "lush", while Roisin O'Connor from ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' described it as "sultry". Aswad said the track is "steamy". In a mixed review for ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

'', Sheldon Pearce praised Sonic's "perfect synchronization" as their voices are indissoluble until their solo parts. Nevertheless, Pearce pointed out that "the figure outside the spotlight is always close behind with something to add". Joe Rivers from ''No Ripcord'' said the song was "the furthest Silk Sonic deviate from their rigid template", adding that Thundercat's "aqueous bassline" shows a "glimpse" of what the song could have been. Following the release of ''An Evening with Silk Sonic'' in 2021, "After Last Night" debuted at number 68 on the US ''

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

. It also entered the US

chart at number 17. The song charted at number 92 on the

Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music industry record chart in Canada for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. The Canadian Hot 100 was launched on the issue dated March 31, 2007, and is currently the standard record chart in Canada; a n ...

. It debuted at number eight on the New Zealand Hot Singles, which acts as an extension of NZ Top 40 Singles Chart and peaked at number 78 on the ''Billboard'' Global 200. In 2022, following its single release, "After Last Night" topped the Adult R&B Songs chart, becoming the fourth single of Sonic's debut album to do so. This achievement led ''An Evening with Silk Sonic'' to become the second album with four number-one singles on the chart, tying with Toni Braxton's self-titled studio album (1993).

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''An Evening with Silk Sonic'': * Bruno Mars – vocals, songwriting, production, guitar * Anderson .Paak – vocals, songwriting, drums *

– vocals, songwriting,

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

– vocals * Krystal Miles – background vocals * James Fauntleroy – songwriting * Johnathan Yip – songwriting * Ray Romulus – songwriting * Jeremy Reeves – songwriting * Ray McCullough II – songwriting * D'Mile – songwriting, production, piano, guitar,

rhodes Rhodes (; el, Ρόδος , translit=Ródos ) is the largest and the historical capital of the Dodecanese islands of Greece. Administratively, the island forms a separate municipality within the Rhodes regional unit, which is part of the So ...

The Stereotypes The Stereotypes are a production team created in 2003, comprising Jonathan Yip, Ray Romulus, Jeremy Reeves and Ray Charles McCullough II. In June 2010, they were listed among the "Top 10 Songwriters and Producers to Watch" in ''Billboard'' magazi ...

– production * Ella Feingold – additional guitars * Glenn Fischbach – cello * Jonathan Kim – viola * Yoshihiko Nakano – viola * Ron Kerber – flute * Blake Espy – violin * Chris Jusell – violin * Tess Varley – violin * Emma Kummrow – violin * Luigi Mazzocchi – violin * Natasha Colkett – violin * Jeremy Reeves – percussion * Larry Gold – strings conduction, arrangement * Jeff Chestek – strings recording * Tobe Donohue – vocal recording of Bootsy Collins *

– recording, engineering, percussion * Alex Resoagli – engineering assistant, cabasa * Serban Ghenea – mixing * John Hanes – mixing engineering * Bryce Bordone – mixing assistant *

– mastering

Charts

References

{{Anderson .Paak 2020s ballads 2021 songs 2022 singles Silk Sonic songs Anderson .Paak songs Bruno Mars songs Bootsy Collins songs Contemporary R&B ballads Funk ballads Neo soul songs Songs written by Anderson .Paak Songs written by Bruno Mars Songs written by D'Mile Songs written by James Fauntleroy Songs written by Thundercat (musician) Songs written by Jonathan Yip Songs written by Ray Romulus Songs written by Jeremy Reeves Songs written by Ray Charles McCullough II Song recordings produced by the Stereotypes Soul ballads Aftermath Entertainment singles Atlantic Records singles