After Last Night

Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak met in 2017, while touring together on the European leg of Mars' 24K Magic World Tour (2017–18). The two were in the studio with Nile Rodgers and Guy Lawrence of Disclosure. In late February 2021, Mars and .Paak announced on social media the formation of their new band Silk Sonic. They revealed the artwork for their debut studio album, An Evening with Silk Sonic (2021) and announced the release of the first single on March 5, 2021. Mars spoke about "After Last Night" to Apple Music: "That one got a lot of Bootsy on it. And my boy Thundercat 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 urban adult contemporary radio stations by Atlantic Records 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 the Stereotypes. Mars played guitar, while D'Mile also played the same instrument, piano, and Rhodes piano. Ella Feingold played additional guitars, while Krystal Miles sang background vocals. Thundercat played the bass guitar and provided guest vocals alongside Bootsy Collins. Glenn Fischbach played cello, Jonathan Kim and Yoshihiko Nakano were on the viola, and Ron Kerber played the flute. 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 at Milkboy Studios, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with Jeff Chestek recording them. Collins's vocals were recorded by Tobe Donohue at Rehab Studio in Cincinnati, Ohio. Reeves and Charles Moniz 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, while John Hanes served as the mix engineer and Bryce Bordone as the mixing assistant. The song was mastered by Randy Merrill at Sterling Sound in New York City. ==Composition==

{{listen Musically, "After Last Night" is a funk, neo soul, and R&B slow jam. Its instrumentation features a "subtle" electric guitar and there is a key change towards the end of the song. 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. 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". 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 Eugene Ye found the sensuality embedded in the song. ==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". 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 found moments of "gorgeously subtle flourishes" in the album, such as "the fluttering intake of breath ...around the mix on 'After Last Night. Uproxx's Derrick Rossignol described the song as smooth[,] funky", and "chill". Gigwise Alex Rigotti characterized the single as "glitzy, glamorous, and totally lovestruck" and a "sexy slow jam". Aswad said the track is "steamy". 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 Billboard Hot 100. ==Personnel==

Credits adapted from the liner notes of An Evening with Silk Sonic: • Bruno Mars – vocals, songwriting, production, guitar • Anderson .Paak – vocals, songwriting, drums • Thundercat – vocals, songwriting, bass • Bootsy Collins – 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 • The Stereotypes – 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 • Charles Moniz – recording, engineering, percussion • Alex Resoagli – engineering assistant, cabasa • Serban Ghenea – mixing • John Hanes – mixing engineering • Bryce Bordone – mixing assistant • Randy Merrill – mastering ==Charts and certifications==