Though upbeat in tempo, “In the Night” explores dark themes following a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, similar to the “horror stories” told on The Weeknd’s debut studio album, Kiss Land. The New York Times describes “In the Night” as the album’s most electric moment.

The song is reminiscent of Marilyn Monroe’s survival story – American actress and model was sexually abused as a child and often spoke out about it in the media. Interestingly, Marilyn Monroe was able to use her sexuality as a source of healing, becoming known as “America’s Most Famous Sex Symbol.”

In an interview with GQ, The Weeknd speaks about this inspiration:

Max’s studio used to be Marilyn Monroe’s old house and I came up with the concept for a song called “In the Night” in her bedroom. That was pretty amazing. Unfortunately I couldn’t help but imagine Joe DiMaggio’s sperm everywhere on the floor.

The Weeknd also revealed further inspiration to the The New York Times, stating the song was made in homage to Michael Jackson. When first played for music publisher, Ron Perry, screamed with excitement:

It’s ‘Billie Jean’! It’s ‘Billie [expletive] Jean’!