"Red Lights" is a song by Dutch DJ and record producer
Tiësto
Tijs Michiel Verwest (; born 17 January 1969), known professionally as Tiësto ( ), is a Dutch DJ and music producer from Breda. He was voted "the Greatest DJ of All Time" by '' Mix'' magazine in a 2010/2011 poll amongst fans. In 2013, he was v ...
. The song features uncredited vocals from
Michel Zitron
Michel Henry Allan Zitron (; born June 29, 1981) is a Swedish record producer, singer-songwriter and DJ. He has, along with his main music partner John Martin, worked with Avicii, Alesso, Afrojack, Martin Garrix, Taio Cruz, Tinie Tempah and m ...
, who co-wrote the song with Tiësto,
Wayne Hector
Wayne Anthony Hector is a British songwriter who is best known for his work with pop artists such as Nicki Minaj, One Direction, the Wanted, Toše Proeski and Olly Murs. He co-wrote seven of Westlife's number one singles, including "World of O ...
,
Carl Falk,
Rami Yacoub and Måns Wredenberg. "Red Lights" was first released on 13 December 2013 by
PM:AM Recordings as the lead single from Tiësto's fifth studio album, ''
A Town Called Paradise'' (2014).
"Red Lights" is mostly a musical change from Tiësto's previous releases as it departs from his trademark trance influenced sound and sees him experimenting with new genres through the incorporation of acoustic elements into his music, which highlights his ability to adapt to the expanding
EDM market.
"Red Lights" received generally mixed reviews from contemporary music critics and performed moderately well in most major music markets. It became Tiësto's first number-one hit in
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...
, his first top ten hit in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...
and his highest-charting single in
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...
and
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...
. Additionally, "Red Lights" also became Tiësto's second highest-charting single in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
, where it has peaked at number fifty-six on the US
''Billboard'' Hot 100. The song also peaked at number-two on the US ''
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 adverti ...
''
Dance Club Songs
Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as t ...
and number-six on the US ''Billboard''
Dance/Electronic Songs
The Dance/Electronic Songs chart has been published weekly by ''Billboard'' since January 2013. It is the first chart to be published that ranks the most popular dance and electronic songs according to audience impressions, digital downloads, s ...
charts.
On May 12, 2017, Tiësto released an official remix of "Red Lights" by electronic production duo
Hungry Man Fun Man.
Background and release
Tiësto's fifth studio album, ''
A Town Called Paradise'' was released on 13 June 2014. While little was initially known regarding Tiësto's collaborators for the album, it had been revealed that the album would mark a departure from Tiësto's "traditional trance sound". "Red Lights" was eventually released as the album's lead single on 13 December 2013 after making its premier on 29 November 2013 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 ...
. The song's release coincided with Tiësto's move to
Republic Records
Republic Records is a New York City–based American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). It was founded by Avery Lipman and Monte Lipman as an independent label in 1995, and was acquired by UMG in 2000. Republic was initially an ...
and his announcement of plans to release an "artist album" in 2014. Tiësto stated that "Red Lights" would be one of two songs unveiled prior to the release of "Footprints", another one of his songs which premiered at the TomorrowWorld Festival in September 2013.
During an interview with the ''Miami NewTimes'', Tiësto revealed that the original version of "Red Lights" had been developed two and a half years prior to its release. Swedish record producer
Rami Yacoub brought the song to Tiësto's attention by playing its chorus to him. Tiësto reflected on this experience by commenting, "I was like, Wow, this is so uplifting and euphoric! This is so me! And I knew that I wanted to work on the track. It was a very long process, but it was definitely worth it".
Reception
Bill Lamb from
About.com spoke positively about "Red Lights", describing it as a "wistful dance track that brings all the audio excitement of club music without any lyrics likely to offend" and subsequently ranked the song tenth on his list of "Top 10 Clean Party Songs for Kids". However, the song was not as well received by Joe Bish of ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...
''. In his review of newly released songs during the final week of February 2014, Bish initially praises the track, calling it "real
dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded da ...
" but ultimately concludes that "it will come back to haunt you. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon, and for the rest of your life".
Music video
The song's accompanying
music video
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing devic ...
was released on 10 February 2014 and runs for approximately three minutes and thirty-two seconds. Tiësto describes "Red Lights" as a song about “letting loose of your inhibitions and running free" and states that the song's music video is a reflection of this. The video centres on two close friends who embark on a
road trip
A road trip, sometimes spelled roadtrip, is a long-distance journey on the road. Typically, road trips are long distances travelled by automobile.
History
First road trips by automobile
The world's first recorded long-distance road trip by ...
to
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Veg ...
to attend one of Tiësto's shows in
Hakkasan.
Track listing
Credits and personnel
*
Songwriting –
Wayne Hector
Wayne Anthony Hector is a British songwriter who is best known for his work with pop artists such as Nicki Minaj, One Direction, the Wanted, Toše Proeski and Olly Murs. He co-wrote seven of Westlife's number one singles, including "World of O ...
,
Carl Falk,
Michel Zitron
Michel Henry Allan Zitron (; born June 29, 1981) is a Swedish record producer, singer-songwriter and DJ. He has, along with his main music partner John Martin, worked with Avicii, Alesso, Afrojack, Martin Garrix, Taio Cruz, Tinie Tempah and m ...
,
Rami Yacoub,
Tijs Verwest, Måns Wredenberg
*
Production – Tiësto, Carl Falk, Rami Yacoub
*Additional production – John Amatiello, Dean Gillard and
Matt Ward
*Mixing – Dean Gillard and
Matt Ward
*All instruments played and programmed by
Rami Yacoub,
Carl Falk, Dean Gillard and
Matt Ward
*Additional guitars – Carl Fark
*Vocals –
Michel Zitron
Michel Henry Allan Zitron (; born June 29, 1981) is a Swedish record producer, singer-songwriter and DJ. He has, along with his main music partner John Martin, worked with Avicii, Alesso, Afrojack, Martin Garrix, Taio Cruz, Tinie Tempah and m ...
*Mastered by Stuart Hawkes at Metropolis Studios, London
Chart performance
"Red Lights" has performed moderately well worldwide, reaching the top forty on most of the charts it has entered. In
the Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
, "Red Lights" debuted at number sixty-eight and eventually peaked at number forty-two on the
Mega Single Top 100.
In
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...
, "Red Lights" debuted at number forty-four and eventually peaked at number eight on the Australian
ARIA
In music, an aria ( Italian: ; plural: ''arie'' , or ''arias'' in common usage, diminutive form arietta , plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompa ...
Singles Chart, becoming Tiësto's first top ten single there. It has been certified Platinum by the
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replac ...
(ARIA) for shipments in excess of 70,000 copies.
"Red Lights" also became Tiësto's highest-charting single in
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...
and his first top ten hit in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...
when it debuted at number three and number six on the
Irish Singles Chart
The Irish Singles Chart is the Republic of Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) and compiled on their behalf by the Official Charts Company. Chart rankings are bas ...
and
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 ...
s respectively. Elsewhere in the world, "Red Lights" has reached number-one in
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...
, the top ten in
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
,
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
and
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark
...
, the top twenty in
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
and
Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...
and the top forty in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
,
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
and
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
(Flanders and Wallonia).
In the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
, "Red Lights" debuted at number ninety-seven on the US
''Billboard'' Hot 100 and eventually peaked at number fifty-six. It also topped the US
Dance/Mix Show Airplay
Dance/Mix Show Airplay (formerly Hot Dance Airplay) is a monitored electronic dance music radio chart that is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine.
History
The chart came about as a result of the small but influential impact of electronic d ...
and reaching the top three of the US
Dance/Electronic Songs
The Dance/Electronic Songs chart has been published weekly by ''Billboard'' since January 2013. It is the first chart to be published that ranks the most popular dance and electronic songs according to audience impressions, digital downloads, s ...
and top ten of the US
Dance Club Songs
Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as t ...
charts. In August 2014, "Red Lights" was certified Gold by the
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA) for shipments in excess of 500,000 copies.
"Red Lights" enjoyed similar success in
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
, peaking at number forty-one on the
Canadian Hot 100
The Canadian Hot 100 is a music industry record chart in Canada for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. The Canadian Hot 100 was launched on the issue dated March 31, 2007, and is currently the standard record chart in Canada; a n ...
.
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
References
{{Tiësto
Tiësto songs
2013 songs
2013 singles
Number-one singles in Scotland
Songs written by Michel Zitron
Songs written by Wayne Hector
Songs written by Carl Falk
Songs written by Rami Yacoub
Songs written by Tiësto