The District Sleeps Alone Tonight

2003 single by The Postal Service

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"The District Sleeps Alone Tonight"

Single by The Postal Service

from the album Give Up

B-side

"'Suddenly Everything Has Changed'"

Released

July 8, 2003 (2003-07-08)

Genre

Synth-pop
indietronica
electropop

Length

4:44

Label

Sub Pop

Songwriter(s)

Ben Gibbard, Jimmy Tamborello

Producer(s)

The Postal Service

The Postal Service singles chronology

"Such Great Heights"
(2003)

"The District Sleeps Alone Tonight"
(2003)

"Against All Odds"
(2004)

"The District Sleeps Alone Tonight" is a song by the electronic music band The Postal Service, the second single from their debut album, Give Up, released July 8, 2003 on Sub Pop Records. The single included a cover of "Suddenly Everything Has Changed" by The Flaming Lips, and two remixed tracks.

Background

The song was written by Ben Gibbard and Jimmy Tamborello, and recorded in early 2002. The "District" in the song's title is a reference to Washington, D.C., which is formally named "The District of Columbia" and called "The District" as a colloquial shorthand. Gibbard's girlfriend at the time had recently relocated to the area, and the song was inspired by an evening spent reconnecting when he visited on tour. The cover artwork for the single was designed by Kozyndan.

In 2004, this song was featured in the soundtrack of 2004 film D.E.B.S.

In 2019, this song was featured in the first episode of Hulu limited series Looking for Alaska.^[1]

Cover versions

Allred covered this song on their 2008 album "Covers"
Sharif covered this song on his 2009 record "Kisses and Lies."
Rich O'Toole covers this song on his 2008 CD In a Minute or 2.
Jonna Lee covers this as the b-side on her 2007 single Dried Out Eyes, calling it DC Sleeps Alone Tonight.
Ben Marwood covers the song on his 2011 album "Outside There's A Curse".
The Hampdens covered the song on their album "The Last Party".
In 2011, English musician Birdy covered the song in her debut studio album Birdy, which released on November 4.
Frank Turner covered the song on his 2008 compilation album "The First Three Years"