"Lights Out" is a song by American musician
Santigold
Santi White (born September 25, 1976), known professionally as Santigold (formerly Santogold), is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. '' Billboard'' presented her in 2022, saying: "Spanning punk rock, hip-hop, and dance music, S ...
(then Santogold). It was released on August 11, 2008, through
Downtown
''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business distric ...
,
Lizard King and
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...
as the third single from her debut studio album, ''
Santogold'' (2008).
Release and reception
On July 4, 2008, "Light Out" was announced to be released on August 11 as the third single from ''Santogold''. The song, as well as an exclusive remix, was used to promote
Bud Light Lime
Anheuser-Busch, a wholly owned subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV, is the largest brewing company in the United States, with a market share of 45 percent in 2016.
The company operates 12 breweries in the United States and nearly 20 in othe ...
, with the remix being available as a free download from the brand's official website. Santi promoted the song on
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...
's popular
Live Lounge
The Live Lounge is a segment on the British radio stations BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 1Xtra. It was originally hosted by Simon Mayo, and later by Jo Whiley on her weekday mid-morning, and later weekend lunchtime radio shows, then by Fearne Cotton ...
programme, hosted by
Jo Whiley
Johanne Whiley-Morton (born 4 July 1965), better known by her professional name Jo Whiley, is an English radio DJ and television presenter. She was the host of the long-running weekday later weekend '' Jo Whiley Show'' on BBC Radio 1. She curre ...
. She performed "Lights Out" and a cover of
Adele
Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (, ; born 5 May 1988), professionally known by the mononym Adele, is an English singer and songwriter. After graduating in arts from the BRIT School in 2006, Adele signed a reco ...
's "
Hometown Glory
"Hometown Glory" is the debut single by English singer-songwriter Adele, released on 22 October 2007 in the United Kingdom. The song appears on her debut studio album '' 19'' (2008). In 2008, the song was re-released as her fourth single. Adele ...
". Lights Out also appeared in hit TV show Grey's Anatomy.
''
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 ...
'' compared "Lights Out" to "a lost
Pretenders
Pretenders may refer to:
* The Pretenders, a rock band
** ''Pretenders'' (album), the 1980 debut album by the group
* ''Pretenders'' (TV series), a 1972 British television series
* ''The Pretenders'' (play) (Norwegian: ''Kongs-Emnerne''), an 18 ...
single." ''
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'', meanwhile, said the song "harkens back to the sleek ’80s
new wave of
The Cars
The Cars were an American rock band formed in Boston in 1976. Emerging from the new wave scene in the late 1970s, they consisted of Ric Ocasek ( rhythm guitar), Benjamin Orr (bass guitar), Elliot Easton (lead guitar), Greg Hawkes (keyboards), ...
." ''
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 ...
'' seconded the comparison, saying the "butterfly fragile" song uses "chunky Cars guitars and a plaintive early-MTV synth" as a "shy come-on". "Lights Out" also received comparisons to
Pixies
A pixie (also pisky, pixy, pixi, pizkie, and piskie in Cornwall and Devon, and pigsie or puggsy in the New Forest) is a mythical creature of British folklore. Pixies are considered to be particularly concentrated in the high moorland areas arou ...
;
''
The List'' said that the "uplifting
indie rock
Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...
number 'Lights Out' – the track most generously endowed with those hooks White speaks so proudly of – recalls The Pixies." ''
The Village Voice
''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the crea ...
'' stated it "channel
the Pixies
icwith a
punk-pop
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 ...
sound fueled by spare guitar plucks, simple drum patterns, and lyrics delivered in a talk-sing stutter with random falsetto breaks." It "finds a fascinating middle ground between the Pixies and
the Go-Go's
The Go-Go's are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1978. Except for short periods when other musicians joined briefly, the band has had a relatively stable lineup consisting of Charlotte Caffey on lead guitar and keyboards, Belind ...
", according to ''
Pitchfork
A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves.
The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...
''. ''Pitchfork'' placed it at #422 on its "Top 500 Tracks of the 2000s" list.
PopMatters
''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...
simply called the song "a sweet and eerie lullaby".
ILikeMusic said that "under a pure fire pop chorus the track is as irresistible as gravity."
The ''
Manchester Evening News
The ''Manchester Evening News'' (''MEN'') is a regional daily newspaper covering Greater Manchester in North West England, founded in 1868. It is published Monday–Saturday; a Sunday edition, the ''MEN on Sunday'', was launched in February 201 ...
'' went as far to call the song "perfect, faultless: a complete peach."
Music video
The "Lights Out" music video was directed by Kim Gehrig. The music video premiered via ''Pitchfork'' on August 11, 2008.
It features Santigold performing in front of various colored walls and patterns —
zebra
Zebras (, ) (subgenus ''Hippotigris'') are African equines with distinctive black-and-white striped coats. There are three living species: the Grévy's zebra (''Equus grevyi''), plains zebra (''E. quagga''), and the mountain zebra (''E. zeb ...
print, black-and-yellow
gingham
Gingham, also called Vichy check, is a medium-weight balanced plain-woven fabric typically with striped, check or plaid duotone patterns, in bright colour and in white made from dyed cotton or cotton-blend yarns. It is made of carded, medium or ...
, a
tropical
The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in
the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...
theme,
cheetah
The cheetah (''Acinonyx jubatus'') is a large cat native to Africa and central Iran. It is the fastest land animal, estimated to be capable of running at with the fastest reliably recorded speeds being , and as such has evolved specialized ...
and
tiger
The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus '' Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on u ...
prints,
flamingo
Flamingos or flamingoes are a type of Wader, wading bird in the Family (biology), family Phoenicopteridae, which is the only extant family in the order Phoenicopteriformes. There are four flamingo species distributed throughout the Americas ...
es,
feather
Feathers are epidermal growths that form a distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on both avian (bird) and some non-avian dinosaurs and other archosaurs. They are the most complex integumentary structures found in vertebrates and a premier ...
s, and others.
In popular culture
*The song is in the soundtrack for the movie
Bellflower
Track listing
*UK CD single
#"Lights Out" (radio edit) – 3:13
*UK digital EP
#Lights Out – 3:13
#Lights Out (Tepr Club Remix) – 5:40
#Lights Out (Tepr Emo Remix) – 3:37
#Lights Out (Kid Gloves Remix) – 7:30
#Lights Out (Dave Rubato Remix) – 3:16
(iTunes only)
Official versions and remixes
* Album Version — 3:12
* Radio Edit — 3:13 (same as the album version)
* Video Version — 2:30
* Bud Light Remix — 2:32
* Dave Rubato Remix — 3:16
* Diplo's Panda Bear Remix — 2:22
(appears on ''Top Ranking
''Top Ranking: A Diplo Dub'' is the first mixtape by American musician and singer Santigold (then going by ''Santogold'') and Philadelphia-based DJ Diplo, released on July 15, 2008.
Background
''Top Ranking'' features remixes of songs from Santo ...
'')
* Kid Gloves Remix — 7:30
* Tepr Club Remix — 5:40
* Tepr Emo Remix — 3:37
References
{{authority control
2008 singles
Santigold songs
Songs written by John Hill (record producer)
Songs written by Santigold
Song recordings produced by John Hill (record producer)
2008 songs
Atlantic Records singles