A Bad Night (song)

"A Bad Night" is a song written and recorded by British singer-songwriter Cat Stevens. Stevens was experiencing commercial success during the summer of 1967 with several hit singles, leading to long tours where "A Bad Night" was written. The song is an amalgamation of three compositions, featuring different tempo changes and arrangement. An orchestral pop with experimentation, it features backmasking and flanging effects. "A Bad Night" was recorded on 3 July 1967 at his first session at Olympic Studios with producer Mike Hurst and music director Arthur Greenslade

On 28 July 1967, Deram Records rush-released "A Bad Night" with "The Laughing Apple" on the B-side as Cat Stevens fourth single release. Stevens performed the track on several BBC programs, including Top of the Pops. The single was a relative commercial failure, peaking only at number 20 on the Record Retailer chart in August 1967. It fared better outside of Europe, reaching the top-10 in Malaysia and Rhodesia. "A Bad Night" was excluded from his second studio album New Masters, and received primarily positive reviews in the press. Stevens himself had a mixed opinion over the track retrospectively.