"Lights and Sounds" is a song by American
pop punk
Pop punk (or punk pop) is a rock music genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop. It is defined for its emphasis on classic pop songcraft, as well as adolescent and anti-suburbia themes, and is distinguished from other pu ...
band
Yellowcard
Yellowcard is an American rock band that formed in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1997 and was based in Los Angeles beginning in 2000. The band is recognized for having a distinct sound in their genre, primarily due to the prominent use of a violin ...
. The song was written collaboratively by all the band members for their fifth album, ''
Lights and Sounds
''Lights and Sounds'' is the fifth studio album by American Rock music, rock band Yellowcard, released on January 24, 2006, in the United States through Capitol Records. ''Lights and Sounds'' is Yellowcard's first concept album, which was inspire ...
'' (2006). The track is built around a guitar riff, which is then followed with a repetitive drumming beat, then it is followed by a roaring guitar sound. The song's lyrics are based on the band coping with the success they were enduring when writing songs for their second album. It is also based on how they have aged in the process. "Lights and Sounds" also goes with what vocalist
Ryan Key
William Ryan Key (born December 17, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He is best known as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the pop punk band Yellowcard. He is the owner/operator of a recording studio in Jacksonvil ...
described as when he was preoccupied with making the album.
The song was released on November 15, 2005, and peaked at number four on ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
''s
Alternative Songs
Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks (1988–2009) and Alternative Songs (2009–2020)) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-played ...
chart, their highest-charting song to date. It also appeared at number twenty-six on the
Hot Digital chart. The song peaked at number 50 on ''Billboard''s
Hot 100
The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...
and
Pop 100
The Pop 100 was a songs chart that debuted in February 2005 and was released weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States until its discontinuation in 2009. It ranked songs based on airplay on Mainstream Top 40 radio stations, singles s ...
in the 42 spot. Internationally, the track appeared for one week in the UK Singles Chart at number 56. It also appeared in the Australian and New Zealand charts, respectively.
"Lights and Sounds" was well received by music critics, who noted the track's general sound. The song won the 2006
Spike Video Game Award
The Spike Video Game Awards (in short VGAs, known as the VGX for the final show) was an annual award show hosted by American television network Spike from 2003 to 2013 that recognized the best computer and video games of the year. Produced by ' ...
in the category for Best Song, after it was featured in the video game, ''
Burnout Revenge
''Burnout Revenge'' is a racing video game developed by Criterion Games and published by Electronic Arts for PlayStation 2, Xbox and Xbox 360.
Similar to its predecessor '' Burnout 3: Takedown'', ''Revenge'' focuses on a mixture of racing in th ...
''. During promotion for the band's album, the music video for "Lights and Sounds" was featured in a
Verizon Wireless
Verizon is an American wireless network operator that previously operated as a separate division of Verizon Communications under the name Verizon Wireless. In a 2019 reorganization, Verizon moved the wireless products and services into the divi ...
V-cast commercial. The music video was shot in October 2005 and the video is a performance-only video, in which the band play in a dark room with thin lights, a homage to the song's title.
Background
In an interview with ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' magazine in June 2005, Yellowcard vocalist
Ryan Key
William Ryan Key (born December 17, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He is best known as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the pop punk band Yellowcard. He is the owner/operator of a recording studio in Jacksonvil ...
revealed that the song was written "really late in the process" when development of the album began.
Key also talked about the sound featured in the song, saying: "...it's got such an amazing, driving, rock-&-roll vibe to it, with none of that frickin' pop-punk and alternative rock stigma. Secondly, I hate Yellowcard being tagged as an alternative rock band. It's just a great rock song. That's something we've been striving to write for a long time, so when we were done, it was a relief."
In another ''Rolling Stone'' interview, the band explained the meaning of the title track, saying that is based on a "whirlwind rocker about the pressures on the band members" and how they have changed as they have aged.
Bassist
Peter Mosely
Peter Michael Mosely (born June 6, 1980) is an American rock musician. He is one of the two guitarists and vocalists and the pianist for the American punk rock band Inspection 12, as well as the former bassist for the American pop punk band Yel ...
, in discussion of this, said: "We're older than people think we are.
..We go through months of serenity, and then there'll be this one night where there will be evil."
In another interview discussion about "Lights and Sounds", Key noted that it is "about a band like us coming into a career that we didn't think we'd have. You find yourself surrounded by a lot of false people, a lot of people who are not doing it for the same reasons you are. That song is about the struggle of not giving in to that."
The band explained that the lyrics, "Make it new but stay in the lines / Just let go but keep it inside / Smile big for everyone / Even when you know what they've done / They gave you the end but not where to start / Not how to build, how to tear it apart", were written because of that particular reason.
Key also revealed that the lyrics, "They gave you the end / But not where to start / Not how to build / But how to tear it apart", were references to bands
Nofx
NOFX () is an American punk rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1983. Vocalist/bassist Fat Mike, guitarist Eric Melvin and drummer Erik Sandin are original founding and longest-serving members of the band, who have appeared on every ...
and
Bad Religion
Bad Religion is an American punk rock band that formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1980. The band's lyrics cover topics related to religion, politics, society, the media and science. Musically, they are noted for their melodic sensibilitie ...
.
Key also explained that when he was preoccupied by distractions, in which he referred to them as "lights and sounds", which ultimately resulted in the band naming the album and track title just that. Key also revealed that it was because that is how it surrounded the band, when working on the album.
Release and reception
Yellowcard released "Lights and Sounds" in the United States on November 15, 2005, as the
lead single
A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date.
Release s ...
of their fifth album. The song peaked at number four on ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
's''
Hot Modern Rock Tracks
Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks (1988–2009) and Alternative Songs (2009–2020)) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-played ...
chart.
It also charted on ''Billboard's''
Hot 100
The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...
and
Pop 100
The Pop 100 was a songs chart that debuted in February 2005 and was released weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States until its discontinuation in 2009. It ranked songs based on airplay on Mainstream Top 40 radio stations, singles s ...
, reaching numbers 50 and 42, respectively.
Internationally, the song was released in the United Kingdom on March 6, 2006, and appeared on the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
at number 56 for one week.
"Lights and Sounds" was released in Australia on January 16, 2006, reaching number 24 on the
ARIA Singles Chart.
The track peaked on the New Zealand
RIANZ Singles Chart
Recorded Music NZ (formerly the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ)) is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell recorded music in New Zealand. Membership of Recorded Mu ...
at number 23. Afterward, the song spent 11 weeks on the chart, before leaving on April 19.
The song received positive reception from critics. In the ''
Blender
A blender (sometimes called a mixer or liquidiser in British English) is a kitchen appliance, kitchen and laboratory appliance used to mix, crush, purée or emulsion, emulsify food and other substances. A stationary blender consists of a blender ...
'' magazine review of the album, critic Andy Greenwald, wrote: "The title track
ights and Sounds bursting with buzzing distortion, builds into a satisfying anti-glitz rant." Tom Beajour of ''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'' reported that the song "crams all of the genre's essential tropes — distorted power chords, abrupt dynamic shifts, and singsong melodies — into three and a half minutes of radio-friendly fire."
Chris Saunders of MusicOMH noted that the song is laden with "memorable hooks, quiet/loud dynamics and emotive lyrics which will no doubt cut through to many a disenchanted youth: 'They gave you the end but not the where to start / not how to build, how to tear it apart.'" Saunders concluded that the song "is as lively and rousing as most of their best tracks."
Sputnikmusic
Sputnikmusic is an American music community website offering music criticism and music news alongside features commonly associated with wiki-style websites. The format of the website is unusual in that it includes both professional and amateur c ...
wrote: "The adventure is only on the second track
ights and Soundsand the guys of Yellowcard are just getting started. This is by far the best tune on the album." Bart Gottula of ''
The Clarion'' wrote: "The album's single and title cut, 'Light's and Sounds', follows with an amazing performance by every band member. The song provides a quick, hard-hitting beat that brings back Yellowcard's hybrid punk and emo music that the band explored in its previous single, '
Way Away
"Way Away" is the debut single by American band Yellowcard. It is the opening track of their fourth album ''Ocean Avenue''. "Way Away" was released to radio on July 22, 2003. The song and music video both reflect the band's choice about leaving th ...
'."
"Lights and Sounds" was featured on a
Verizon Wireless
Verizon is an American wireless network operator that previously operated as a separate division of Verizon Communications under the name Verizon Wireless. In a 2019 reorganization, Verizon moved the wireless products and services into the divi ...
Vcast commercial around the time of the album's release. The song was also featured in the
video game
Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
''
Burnout Revenge
''Burnout Revenge'' is a racing video game developed by Criterion Games and published by Electronic Arts for PlayStation 2, Xbox and Xbox 360.
Similar to its predecessor '' Burnout 3: Takedown'', ''Revenge'' focuses on a mixture of racing in th ...
''
and won the 2006
Spike Video Game Award
The Spike Video Game Awards (in short VGAs, known as the VGX for the final show) was an annual award show hosted by American television network Spike from 2003 to 2013 that recognized the best computer and video games of the year. Produced by ' ...
for Best Song. The song is also featured in the 2010 video game ''
Tony Hawk: Shred'', and an episode of the teen drama ''
One Tree Hill One Tree Hill may refer to:
* "One Tree Hill" (song), a 1987 song by U2 referencing One Tree Hill, New Zealand volcanic peak
* ''One Tree Hill'' (TV series), a 2003–2012 American drama series named for the U2 song
** ''One Tree Hill'' (soundtr ...
''.
Music video
The video for "Lights and Sounds" was shot on a
Van Nuys, California
Van Nuys () is a neighborhood in the central San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. Home to Van Nuys Airport and the Valley Municipal Building, it is the most populous neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley.
History
In 1909, ...
sound stage in October 2005.
Originally, the video was supposed to be directed by Ryan Key,
when the time came to start production, it was instead directed by
Marc Webb
Marc Preston Webb (born August 31, 1974) is an American music video director and filmmaker. Webb made his feature film directorial debut in 2009 with the romantic comedy ''500 Days of Summer'', and went on to direct ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' in ...
, who had previously worked with Yellowcard on their 2004 video for "
Ocean Avenue".
The video premiered on November 7, 2005, on
MTV2
MTV2 (formerly M2) is an American pay television Cable television, channel owned by the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global.
The channel launched initially as an all-music video service, once the original MTV had started to sh ...
.
In an interview with
MTV News
MTV News is the news production division of MTV. The service is available in the US with localized versions on MTV's global network. In February 2016, MTV Networks confirmed it would refresh the MTV News brand in 2016, to compete with the likes ...
, Webb revealed that the band wanted a "performance video" and that they wanted to go back to their "rock roots".
When asked the concept behind the video, Webb said: "They provided the sound and I provided the lights. A whole lot of lights. We used the same guy who did the lighting setup for
Lenny Kravitz's '
Are You Gonna Go My Way?
Are commonly refers to:
* Are (unit), a unit of area equal to 100 m2
Are, ARE or Åre may also refer to:
Places
* Åre, a locality in Sweden
* Åre Municipality, a municipality in Sweden
** Åre ski resort in Sweden
* Are Parish, a municipa ...
' and
Coldplay
Coldplay are a British rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer Will Champion and creative director Phil Harvey. They met at University Col ...
's '
Speed of Sound
The speed of sound is the distance travelled per unit of time by a sound wave as it propagates through an elastic medium. At , the speed of sound in air is about , or one kilometre in or one mile in . It depends strongly on temperature as w ...
.' But it's also rough around the edges — we used a bunch of different processes when developing the film."
He also concluded with, "...it's a big performance video. But it's them performing inside of this wind-tunnel of light. It's a lot of smoke and mirrors, and a lot of camera tricks. There's a big light wall, streaks of light, xenon lighting effects and strobe lights.
..But it's all wrapped around this very simple performance environment".
The video opens with a scene of the band in a stage room with a tunnel light, which is accompanied by the song playing in the background. The scene moves to the band grabbing their instruments, respectively. The band proceeds in performing the song. The scene then shifts to Key when he begins to sing. The camera shifts all around the room with different color lights, including a bullet hole scenery, as it then shifts to the band, as they continue performing. When Key sings "'Cause nobody's there" the light wall changes into a bright purple background. As the video shows the band continuing the song still at a fast pace, the effect is followed by a slow motion sequence. In the middle of the song, the lights are turned off, leaving the room pitch black. This is followed with the camera switching to the band members as they begin to play, once more, only with a bright yellow light on the tip of their instruments; the tips of the drum sticks that Parsons is holding also have yellow lights. As Key sings "I've got a way to work this out" blue lights emerge in the wall behind the group. The video ends with a focus on Key's microphone.
Track listings
Australian CD single
# "Lights and Sounds" – 3:28
# "Three Flights Down" – 4:44
# "When We're Old Men" – 3:32
# "Lights and Sounds" (live) – 3:38
UK CD single
# "Lights and Sounds" – 3:30
# "When We're Old Men" – 3:32
# "Lights and Sounds" (live) – 6:08
# "Lights and Sounds" (video)
UK 7-inch single
:A. "Lights and Sounds"
:B. "Three Flights Down"
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
References
External links
Official websiteThe Yellowcard Wiki
{{Authority control
2005 songs
2005 singles
Yellowcard songs
Capitol Records singles
Songs written by Ryan Key
Music videos directed by Marc Webb
Song recordings produced by Neal Avron
Songs written by Ben Harper