Lights

"Lights" is a song by English recording artist Ellie Goulding from Bright Lights (2010), the reissue of her debut album, Lights (2010). Written by Goulding,Richard Stannard and Ash Howes, the song was inspired by Goulding's childhood fear of the dark. It was released in the United Kingdom on 13 March 2011 as the album's sixth single overall, and second from Bright Lights. Originally a bonus track on the iTunes edition of Lights, the song was re-edited for inclusion onBright Lights in late 2010, serving as the single version.

"Lights" received critical acclaim from most music critics, who praised the song's production and Goulding's "ethereal" vocals. The song was also a commercial success, reaching the top ten and top twenty in several countries. In the United States, "Lights" was a sleeper hit, reaching number two on theBillboard Hot 100 after thirty-three weeks on the chart, and becoming one of the few songs to have spent more than a year on the Hot 100. The song has sold over four million copies in the US. In late 2012, "Lights" was ranked number five on the Hot 100 year-end chart, while topping the Pop Songs year-end chart.



Contents
[hide]  *1 Background and release  ==Background and release[ edit] == "Lights" was originally announced as a single on 8 September 2010 on Goulding's official Twitter page, with a release date scheduled for 1 November 2010.[1] It was to be released as the lead track from the album's repackaging as Bright Lights.[2]  However, this plan was scrapped in favour of releasing "Your Song" in order to capitalise on the John Lewis Christmas marketing campaign that it was featured in.[3]  This was followed by the reissue of the album Lights as Bright Lights.
 * 2 Composition
 * 3 Critical reception
 * 4 Commercial performance
 * 5 Music video
 * 6 Live performances
 * 7 Track listings
 * 8 Personnel
 * 9 Charts
 * 9.1 Weekly charts
 * 9.2 Year-end charts
 * 10 Certifications
 * 11 Release history
 * 12 See also
 * 13 References
 * 14 External links

It was once again announced in January 2011 that the single version of "Lights" would be released.[4]  A digital EP was released in the UK on 13 March 2011, containing Goulding's acoustic cover version ofRihanna's "Only Girl (in the World)" as performed on BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge on 10 December 2010.[5] [6]

American rapper Lupe Fiasco sampled the Bassnectar remix of "Lights" for his song "Lightwork", from his 2011 mixtape Friend of the People: I Fight Evil.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[7]  "Lights" also appears as a bonus track on the international edition of Goulding's second album, Halcyon.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[8] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-9" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[9]  The song is included on the soundtrack to the 2012 film Spring Breakers and is played during the ending credits.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-10" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[10]  American new wave bandBlondie performs the song as an intro to "Atomic" since 2012,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[11]  and included it on two live albums.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-12" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[12] ==Composition<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Sony/ATV Music Publishing, "Lights" is written in the key of G-sharp minor with a moderate pop tempo of 120 beats per minute. Goulding's vocals span from F<span class="music-symbol" style="font-family:'ArialUnicodeMS','LucidaSansUnicode';">♯ <sub style="line-height:1;">3  to D<span class="music-symbol" style="font-family:'ArialUnicodeMS','LucidaSansUnicode';">♯ <sub style="line-height:1;">5  while the song follows a chord progression of G<span class="music-symbol" style="font-family:'ArialUnicodeMS','LucidaSansUnicode';">♯ m−F<span class="music-symbol" style="font-family:'ArialUnicodeMS','LucidaSansUnicode';">♯ −E−C<span class="music-symbol" style="font-family:'ArialUnicodeMS','LucidaSansUnicode';">♯ m7.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-13" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[13]  Lyrically, the song discusses the fear of the dark that Goulding had as a child, and how she could only sleep with the lights on. In an interview with 97.1 AMP Radio in late July 2012, Goulding stated, "Sometimes if I've had a couple of drinks and I come back and just like lie on my bed and fall asleep I wake up and realize that there isn't a light on and I have to turn a light on."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-14" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[14]  She also explained, "It can be seen as something like a lighthouse that kind of always guides you home. I've always felt comfort sleeping with the light on, and I've always felt comfort being with my siblings."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-15" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[15] ==Critical reception<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">"Lights" received mostly positive reviews from critics. Horatia Harrod of The Daily Telegraph commented that the song is "threaded with dark thoughts, but set to an airy pop production bordering on polite. Her voice is the real star. She has the magical ability, not unlike her heroine, Björk, to sing with a sort of controlled tremulousness: her voice aches with vulnerability but never breaks."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-16" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[16]  The Guardian reviewer Johnny Dee described the song as "a welcome return to her patented folky-pop-with-some-tasteful-drum-and-bass-wobble sound".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-17" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[17]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Genevieve Koski of The A.V. Club was also positive of the song, giving it an A− and praising the song's "organic-sounding" production and Goulding's "ethereal, restrained" vocals, while Steven Hyden of The A.V. Club gave it a C, claiming that Goulding sounds too "restrained" and "aloof to the point of emotional constipation".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-18" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[18]  About.com's Bill Lamb rated the song three-and-a-half out of five stars, calling it "a pleasing, catchy slice of electro-pop" and noting that "Goulding's voice has an edge of sadness and vulnerability that sets the song apart from standard dance pop", but concluded, "In a pop music world dominated by distinctive vocalists, it is too easy for a song like 'Lights' to feel polite and get lost in the shuffle."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-19" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[19] ==Commercial performance<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">"Lights" debuted at number 111 on the UK Singles Chart for the week ending 18 December 2010, based on digital sales from Bright Lights.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-20" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[20]  Three months later, on the issue dated 12 March 2011, the single entered the top 100 for the first time at number ninety-one.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-21" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[21]  The following week, it rose to number sixty-four, eventually peaking at number forty-nine in its sixth week on the chart.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-UKpeak_22-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[22]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">On the issue dated 20 August 2011, "Lights" debuted at number eighty-five on the Billboard Hot 100 and at number eighty-nine on the Canadian Hot 100, becoming Goulding's first single to chart in North America.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-23" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[23] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-24" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[24]  The song re-entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number ninety-nine for the week of 14 January 2012.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-25" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[25]  When "Lights" reached number forty in its nineteenth week, on the issue dated 12 May, the song attained the third slowest climb to the top forty by a female artist, after Norah Jones's "Don't Know Why" and KT Tunstall's "Suddenly I See".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-26" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[26]  In its twenty-ninth week, the song made Hot 100 history by achieving the longest climb to the chart's top five not aided by country-to-pop crossover success or multiple releases.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-27" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[27]  The single reached number two in its thirty-third chart week, on the issue dated 18 August 2012, and held that position for two weeks, behind "Call Me Maybe" by Carly Rae Jepsen and "Whistle" by Flo Rida, respectively.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-28" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[28] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-whistle_29-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[29]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">"Lights" ascended to number one on the Radio Songs chart on the issue dated 25 August 2012, making Goulding the first female solo artist to send a debut Radio Songs entry to number one since Adele led the list in 2011 and 2012 with her singles "Rolling in the Deep", "Someone Like You" and "Set Fire to the Rain".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-whistle_29-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[29]  The song also topped Pop Songs during the same week, matching Pink's "U + Ur Hand" (twenty-three weeks, 2006–07) for the longest climb to number one by a woman in the chart's almost-twenty-year history.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-30" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[30]  The single also made a re-entry on the Canadian Hot 100 on 28 April 2012, reaching a peak position of number seven on 22 September.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-CANpeak_31-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[31]  In late December 2012, "Lights" spent its fifty-second week on the Hot 100 at number forty-three, becoming the thirtieth in the chart's history to spend a year on the tally.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-32" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[32]  "Lights" was certified quadruple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on 21 August 2013,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-riaa_33-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[33]  with over four million copies sold in the US by June 2013, becoming the fifth best-selling digital hit by a British female solo artist.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-yahoo2013_34-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[34]  The single had sold 4,212,000 copies in the US as of January 2014.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-USsales_35-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[35]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">"Lights" saw moderate success in mainland Europe, charting at number one in Poland,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-pl_36-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[36]  number eight in Austria,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-bel_37-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[37]  number ten in Belgium and Slovakia,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-bel_37-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[37] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-slo_38-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[38]  number eleven in Germany,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-bel_37-2" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[37]  number fourteen in Switzerland,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-bel_37-3" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[37]  number twenty-two in the Czech Republic<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-cz_39-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[39]  and number twenty-nine in France.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-bel_37-4" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[37]  In New Zealand, the song debuted at number twenty-five on the RIANZ Singles Chart on 25 June 2012, reaching number sixteen in its fifth and ninth weeks on the chart.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-nz_40-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[40] ==Music video<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">The music video for "Lights" was filmed by Sophie Muller in late September 2010 before the lead single from the Bright Lights re-release was changed to "Your Song".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-41" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[41]  It was officially released on Goulding's YouTube channel on 20 January 2011.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-42" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[42]  The video shows Goulding dancing, playing the drums and the tambourine whilst different lighting effects including lasers surround her as she sings. It also shows her in numerous scenes swinging different hand-held lights and torches around giving the impression of a light painting, whilst the camera produces a bullet time effect like those used in The Matrix. The lighting rig in the video was created by a small group of students from Middlesex University.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-43" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[43] ==Live performances<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Goulding performed the song live on Alan Carr: Chatty Man on 21 February 2011.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-44" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[44]  She performed a Saturday Session on Dermot O'Leary's BBC Radio 2 afternoon show on 26 February 2011, where she sang "Lights".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-45" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[45]  She also performed "Lights" on BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge on 12 March 2011, along with a cover of José González's version of The Knife's "Heartbeats".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-46" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[46]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">As part of promotion in the US, Goulding performed the song on Saturday Night Live on 7 May 2011, along with "Your Song".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-47" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[47]  On 18 January 2012, she performed the single on Late Show with David Letterman.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-48" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[48]  On 11 April 2012, she performed it on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-49" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[49] ==Track listings<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == ==Personnel<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Credits adapted from the liner notes of Bright Lights.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-54" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[54]

==Charts<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == ==Certifications<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == ==Release history<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] ==
 * Ellie Goulding – vocals, guitar
 * Ash Howes – drums, keyboards, mixing, production
 * Steven Malcolmson – programming
 * Richard "Biff" Stannard – bass, keyboards, mixing, production