Only by the Night is the fourth studio album by American rock band Kings of Leon, released in September 2008 through RCA Records. Writing for the band's fourth album commenced just days after the release of their third, Because of the Times. The album was recorded by producers Jacquire King and Angelo Petraglia in April 2008 at Nashville's Blackbird Studio. Only by the Night experienced commercial success, peaking inside the top 10 of over 10 countries. The album was certified the best-selling album in Australia, certified nine times platinum. It also went on to be the highest selling album of 2008 in Australia, the third best selling album of 2008 in the UK, winning two Brit Awards, and the 18th best-selling album of the 2000s in the UK. The album was nominated for Best Rock Album at the 2009 Grammy Awards, with the song "Sex on Fire" receiving two nominations itself. Worldwide sales of the album exceed 6.2 million copies, according to a press release by the band.
This album is really heavy soft rock. Perfect for the dentist office. None of the songs have definition and all sort of just bleed into each other. Honestly this sounded like one song with breaks throughout to me. It's not really bad or anything. Just nothing ear cathing.
Ummmm wtf is that song 17
When it came out I would have given it 1 I hated it so much. Now that time has passed where I'm not forced to listen to it I can concede that at least the songwriting is quite good. It came at the end of and to me represents a full stop to the mid 00's era of bland mainstream indie bands. Now leave me alone and don't make me listen to it again. 2+/5
I heard it
Went into this with no expectations. Emerged with no opinions. The Lynyrd Skynyrd Coldplay variant? About as much effort as I can muster
This transports me back to the embrace of the passenger seat in my friend D’s old BMW, his decisive right foot, and the enveloping thump of his speakers drowning out the desperate sounds from the car’s trunk as we cut through the North Circular. Salad days, I can still smell the arterial smog. Returning to this record and its forgettable title, I realise this period was marked by rock bands being integrated by producers into a glossy, trip hop-style synthetic aesthetic that favoured few. The famous, silly fiery sex song, the immediately succeeding Use Somebody and a handful of sections aside, this record does not move me - the tunes are not strong enough to hold up the poppy production, which mutes the pleasures the band's rock might otherwise have brought. Had I the time and inclination to listen to music I don't like, I could plot a line from NIN to KoL. I have not heard a record that happily sits in the midpoint of glorious synth and hairy rock. The drums are upfront and fall like a big dead fish thrown onto a slab. Guitar feedback can sound savage or, more rarely, haunting, even bittersweet; here it’s a precision-engineered component inserted with the badge “here’s rock”. A rock song sung by a man that begins with "Oh, she's only seventeen" needs to follow up with deft writing to avoid sounding creepy, which doesn't happen here. Perhaps I just miss that old BMW's sound-system, now distant.
Modern classic
Love, love, love this album! Brought back childhood memories ❤️
One of the last if not the last big crossover rock album hit. Famous singles, widely accessible compared ti previous works, strong production. This nailed it with this one.
Ooft. Those opening few bars of Closer transported me right back to high school. Kings Of Leon really blew up in the late 00s and epitomised the alt-rock sound of that era. With four songs from this album making Triple J's Hottest 100 for the year including "Closer" which didn't even get an official single release goes to show the pull of the Kings at this point in time. Best: Crawl; Sex On Fire; Use Somebody Worst: I Want You
I really like this album. Good indie rock and some very catchy songs. 5/5
Rock's last classic. A masterpiece
Love this album.
Yoo this is on here? Instant 5 "Use Somebody" has such a special place in my heart.
Awesome
Actually a great album front to back
My personal guilty pleasure.
5/5
very melancholy album
4.5
Liked it, especially their hit "Sex on Fire".
The album tracks for the most part were as good as the smash hits. Enjoyable listen.
It's easy to mock Kings of Leon and the whole mid 2000s era of Alt Rock, but I do have to admit this is actually a pretty decent album. The hitters, while overplayed, still hit and some of the deep cuts are better than they get credit for as a band.
(On first song) These vocals kinda good though? Wait I thought this had the quality of the top song but it ain’t? This album might actually be good. I now know why it wasn’t the top song. Turns out Sex On Fire, despite the name, is a very well known song. Still good though. Yeah this is at least 4 stars. Multiple so close to being bangers. Man just one banger and it would’ve been a 4.5. Oh well, 4 stars. Also man the first song wouldv’e been so much better if the backing track didn’t last the entire song. Its distracting at best.
Reminds me of college
I think three of the first four Kings of Leon albums were all on this list and have subsequently been removed. Funny enough it's their one before this (#3 - Because of the Times) that is my favorite. Still, this is probably my second favorite and where I first discovered the band. I remember when Sex on Fire was all over the radio and I was not interested at first. And then I really listened to it and I loved it. Still do; it never gets old for me. Some of the other songs have got old/tired - Use Somebody is one I now radio surf when I hear it and 17 was always a bit of a reach. But I still love how they open and close the album with Closer and Cold Desert (both eerie and awesomely haunting). And Notion still rocks every time while I Want You is one of those great cheeky songs with an off-kilter beat they seem to have on every album. It's not a perfect album but it's a solid piece of rock during an era where rock was dying (and has continued to die). These guys were a breath of fresh air and this album was massive. I don't think I can bump it up to a 5 because they had already started to blaze a trail in the early 2000's with their first two albums, it's just that North America wasn't paying much attention (England was). But in 20 years when we look back and ask what did we define as rock after 2000-2002 and where did rock go by 2020, this is one of those albums (and bands) where we can say, ah there it is. I'm saving my 5 for album #2 (Aha Shake Heartbreak) where they first really figured out their great sound and were still pretty new.
I knew two songs on the album, which was 2 more than I was expecting. Even without the 2 tracks, I dug the album. It was pretty good. Both "Closer" & "Crawl" worked as opening tracks. They gave you a pretty good idea of what you were in for for the entire album. Then you have the one-two punch of "Sex On Fire" and "Use Somebody". Both pretty good songs, but having them right after each other, thae makes a pretty solid block of music right there. The singer is... limited, let's put it that way. He seems to be yelling more than singing, but at least he's in key. I didn't detect autotune, so that's a start. There wasn't a song on there that I would throw out, but because of the singer's limited range, some of them did start to sound the same. (Although "17" was a little creepy.) So if someone asked me where to start with the band, I would probably say this album would be your best bet. It has two of their biggest songs on it, so it should give you an idea of their sound.
KoL is an under-rated band in my opinion. Especially with this album, they forged a pretty unique sound that is somehow fun and sad and rocky and poetic all at the same time. And they're consistent - a few tracks off this were "hits" but they all sound equally great.
Now finally a Kings of Leon album that deserves to be on there because it's actually good music!
Vocals reminded me of the lead singer of Highly Suspect and Kaleo. Like the synths and instrumentals sounds almost experimental with traditional electric guitar mixed in. After finishing I recognized a lot of the songs featured, but never knew the band.
It's that slow vocals vibe lounge singing vibe. Definitely makes you feel like you're sitting in the rain with flowers in your hand watching your high-school sweetheart kissing the quarterback of the football team vibes.
Multiple listens confirm the strengths of this effort and the band itself – fully committed vocals in a relatable classic rock vein, slightly melancholic undertones to even the wildest songs ("Sex On Fire" sounds is sung like the singer is in fact frightened by the fiery-ness being described). It all works well, if there are only a few tracks that truly jump out to distinguish themselves. Still, seems like this was a real rock and roll band at a time when the market needed one. Indeed, one is pleased that they achieved considerable commercial success, and would even go so far as to say they deserved it.
An album that was everywhere for a while, and rightly so, as it is great! Falls just short of a fifth star, partly cos it is a bit samey, partly cos I prefer their rawer earlier stuff.
Heard before: 'Sex on Fire', 'Use Somebody'. First track in. This is better than I expected from the (alright) singles I knew. Second track in. Both excellent! Favourite songs: 'Closer', 'Crawl', 'Revelry', 'I Want You'. 8/10.
Ah it's a tough one as it was such a big album back at sixth form. Real nostalgia for that period of time and I did bloody love it. I haven't listened to these songs is years and I don't know how to feel about it! Now knowing where Kings of Leon came from, they changed their style a lot and made it much more pop and ballad. I don't respect Biffy Clyro or Coldplay for doing the same thing. I can't deny though I did enjoy the relisten and some of these hold up. Manhattan for example! Sex on Fire and Use Somebody don't ... Agh. 4 stars for nostalgia impact. Don't tell Luke (who kept crying to turn it off when I played this)
Un super album rock assez reent pleinde jits . Un bonne ecoute que je n’aurais jama8s fait fait sans cette liste. 4.85
I feel like a big ol hypocrite writing this. Yesterday I lamented that the trappings of 2000s of mainstream rock held back a Bruce Springsteen album. The difference with Kings of Leon’s Only By the Night is that, uh, they’re a 2000s band so they get away with it? But also this is the best I’ve ever heard them, right down to the assorted bells (“17”), background choirs, *compression* & millennial whoops (“Use Somebody”). I wouldn’t say the rough edges of Youth & Young Manhood needed to be sanded over, but it works. It just works here. HL: “Sex on Fire”, “Revelry”, “Closer”, “Notion” September 12, 2023
Possibly a 3.5 but did start to grow on me a bit
good
Great album some full songs favorites were revelry, notion I want you, and be somebody.
I always preferred Aha Shake but I can see why people love this. Crawl will always be a fave!
I liked the album! I had heard some hits before but not the whole album. I could listen to this again so it’s 4 stars.
Has it all. Love this album!
This album is great. As close to a 5 as it can get.
I adore this album, but it's definitely picked up the 4th star based off of nostalgia
Even though I’m sick and tired of hearing Sex on Fire on the radio all the time, the rest of the album is pretty good!
Rating: 8/10 Best songs: Crawl, Use somebody, Sex on fire, Notion
Nostalgia heavy for me. A couple of duds (wtf 17?) but overall a decent rock record. Closer will always be a standout.
Wish the instrumental were more forward in the sound
More enjoyable than expected tails off in end
AJ: had forgotten I’d heard this album a decent amount when it came out. Pleasantly surprised to remember a lot o the songs. I think they’re great on this. Every instrument sounds so strong, but also shiny. Jangly pop rocks. I like it a lot.
Better than I thought. Solid album, especially the first half.
Great album
Just an awesome album. Lots of soul and a solid rock/blues backbone.
7/10. Feels like a well-tuned alt-rock album. The hit single "Sex on Fire" almost feels out of place compared to the early tracks.
Nostalgic
Honestly this album had some absolute bangers. Overall this is a really nice album, I really liked the soft rock elements plus this album has a lot of teenage memories for me. Stand out tracks: Closer, Sex on Fire, Use Somebody
Not a bad album. I definitely prefer the sound of this era than most others. The vocals leave much to be desired, as it sounds just like any other band out there. My favorite song was 17. Definitely a great representation of the "alternative rock" scene of the mid 2000s.
makes me feel things (mostly positive)
Expected Kings of Leon but not this album. However, on listening again it’s actually very good, great two opening and two closing tracks, good in the middle.
A rock band forgotton by time, I wonder what they're up to these days? Kings of Leon had a couple big hits out of nowhere, both of which are here: Use Somebody and Sex on Fire. I didn't hear of them before or after that. But you know what, the album is pretty great. They've got a nice rock-soul thing going on, and they just did their thing well. I'm glad to have listened to this because I would now say they are a little underrated. Favorite tracks: Use Somebody, Sex on Fire, Closer, Revelry, Notion. Album art: Rorschach-style art, that I really can't interpret. Always seemed like birds or wings at first glance, but I can't be sure. But it's cool, I like the font they used at the top. 4/5
Great album for this list. A sort of lightning in a bottle type of album. I really enjoyed this one back when I was in high school and college. Sex On Fire and Use Somebody have become classics at this point and there are a few others on here I enjoyed like Revelry and Manhattan. Was cool to read their story on the Apple music explanation too. Glad this one made it to the list if only that it isn't the same as everything else we have been getting.
Continuing to evolve from their garage rock beginnings, Kings of Leon incorporates electric effects much like electro-pop and mainstream rock contemporaries, such as Muse. I'm hearing noisy distortion from post-grunge, as well as the anthemic song structures, choruses, and guitar solos of 80s arena rock, as well as tinges of funk and country in certain tracks. At the same time, they retain the minimalist punk style of drumming and repetitive riff patterns. It's a well-produced diverse blend of genres fitting of a modern mainstream rock record. Even the deep cuts have catchy melodies and stick around in your head. I have to give them a lot of credit in a time where rock was heading in different directions. Between the quality, ingenuity, and accessibility, it stands as one of the defining "classic rock" albums of the 21st century.
4.0
I liked it much more than I expected, maybe because "Sex on Fire" was huge on my corner during my teenage years, but we never know. Perhaps I like Kings of Leon.
4/11, 36%
ovo nisam čuo pun kurac, vratilo bi me u srednju, početak.
Meh. Some good songs but did not grab me and scream "Greatness!!".
Started out promising - the first two tracks (Closer and Crawl) had a pretty cool sound. But then the rest of the album (including the "hits" that I'd never heard) got pretty generic 2000s-rock. Not bad or anything, just nothing I'd seek out again. It's removed from the 1001 albums books now, which was a good choice.
Kind of departed from the swamp rock into some almost Springsteen territory. I liked it but like the previous entry from this band found it a little middle-of-the-road alt-rock.
It has the important big hits, but is a bit too waily in a U2 style. Nonetheless not bad.
mehhh
This was everywhere back in '08 and still holds up now as a decent play. Pretty good crossover rock album with some big singles. It does sound same-y at some points, but the music doesn't overstay its welcome.
It starts strong with the hits, but I think it loses steam by the end. This was when they began to sell out.
Maybe a 4.
This album had it’s moment and is still a good listen.
It's a bit pompous and overblown but it also does an epic rock thing that gets pretty catchy. They're no guns and roses but it's still a 3/5.
This is a nicely crafted straight up rock album that is a solid listen, if not super memorable. Fave Songs: Use Somebody, Sex on Fire, Manhattan, Closer
Fairly boring but some songs were quite good
Étonnamment not bad at all. Use somebody et sex on fire très connus sur cet album. J'ai bien aimé la première moitié, mais la 2ème un peu moins.
Really surprised to see this band on here. I remember listening to a few of their songs when I was a kid and never would have painted them as a super influential or well-received band. This is an ok album. Nothing really screams that this is something that would belong on this list. "Use Somebody" was a huge song for a while, and still gets used in shitty TV. This kind of feels like a band that got bastardized by the music industry and Hollywood corporations. It's either that or they got fed up with all that and decided to make music that appealed to the band members instead of the music labels or whatever. This is a solid 3/5
B Closer 4 Crawl 3 Sex On Fire 4 Use Somebody 4 Manhattan 3 Revelry 3 17 4 Notion 4 I Want You 3 Be Somebody 3 Cold Desert 3 This was actually much better than I expected. It was pretty close to a 4. 17 was my favorite song.
Closer - 3.5 Crawl - 3 Sex on fire - 2.5 Use somebody - 3 Manhattan - 3.5 Revelry - 4 17 - 3.5 Notion - 2 I want you - 3 Be somebody - 2 Cold desert - 2
Not to be vulgar, but sex would be ablaze if I were doing it to "Revelry". Entire house flattened. Everything else was, as I predicted, vanilla.
Sigh. I guess it's not that bad but it's just the moment Kings of Leon got bad in my eyes. Sex on Fire is quite a shit song really. Use Somebody is fine but it's hard to enjoy these days as it was so overplayed back in the day.
Oui ok le sexe est en feu mais à part ça qu'avez vous de concret à nous proposer les rois lions au juste ??
Le sexe est en feu mais ne le sera jamais autant que celui de Bobby Womack.
Do I like this version of Kings of Leon better than the cowpunk, idie-Americana version of Youth and Young Manhood? I don't think so. Both have good songs but there's a looseness and lack of pretense with the earlier music that fits my aesthetic better. This is a review of this album and on this album they hit the mark on 3 or 4 tracks which is enough for me to give it 3.5 stars
Disco de rock suave que, aunque no es malo, no me ha llamado especialmente la atención, quizás por la voz del cantante. Algún tema, muy reconocible. De las últimas hornadas de rock americano
Have obviously heard some of the hits, and as a whole liked the album better than expected. However, I can't give this one more than 3/5 because Use Somebody has to be the most dead, dry, aimlessly written song that somehow radio stations still think people want to hear right now. I've been waiting a long time to say my piece about that fucking song and am glad I finally got a chance to do it
This was a pretty good album. "Use Somebody" was one that I didn't know was them. "Closer" was a really good track. The rest is good enough to play the entire album again. However, I can see why these guys never became huge.
First track is a nice intro. Sound not too varied throughout but it's pleasant. Enjoyed the last couple tracks.
The opening to Sex on Fire made me physically cringe, so I guess I'm not over that song being everywhere. On the whole, not bad, but also why is this here? Best track: Idk. Cold Desert
First time hearing the album. Standouts: Sex on Fire, Use Somebody Others: Crawl, Revelry, Notion, 17. 3.5
My first time listening to Kings of Leon. Great sound.
There was a summer that me and a couple of friends did a lot of cruising around in one of the guy's pickup truck. None of us were old enough to buy beer and it was a small town so there wasn't really much else to do but drive around, eat fast food and listen to whatever cassette the truck guy had in his tape deck. I'm sure we listened to more than one album but for whatever reason, the one I remember was Ozzy Osbourne's No More Tears. It wasn't Ozzy's best album but it felt right that summer. Whatever the modern version of that summer is for kids today, this album feels like the modern equivalent, it contains what have to be Kings of Leon's biggest selling singles so far (I'm pretty confident, without looking at the numbers, Mama I'm Coming Home and No More Tears' title track were Ozzy's best sellers, with the help of MTV) and its a well produced, slightly psychedelic, mainstream rock album. Is my comparison a stretch? Quite possibly but my guy tells me I'm right. Anyone own this on cassette?
This is excellent stadium rock.
Yep it’s the Kings of Leon alright
Fully realized 2008 ‘alternative’ radio rock
If you fit loads of energy into something the size of a barn, it will be buzzing. You spread that energy over something the size of a stadium, and it may be middling at best. That is what went wrong with the Kings of Leon.