"When the Lights Go Out" is the second single released from British group

Five 5 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 5, five or number 5 may also refer to: * AD 5, the fifth year of the AD era * 5 BC, the fifth year before the AD era Literature * ''5'' (visual novel), a 2008 visual novel by Ram * ''5'' (comics), an awa ...

's debut studio album, ''

''. It was released in early 1998. The song was co-written by the group alongside

Eliot Kennedy Eliot Kennedy (born 29 March 1969) is an English songwriter and record producer based in Sheffield. He has worked with artists such as Billie Piper, The Spice Girls, Mary J. Blige, Donny Osmond, Bryan Adams, Lulu (singer), Lulu, S Club 7, Five ( ...

, Tim Lever and Mike Percy (from the band Dead or Alive), and John McLaughlin. It was co-produced by Eliot Kennedy, Tim Lever and Mike Percy. "When the Lights Go Out" is the band's only top ten hit in the United States. An alternate version of the song, in which J's rap is replaced by Abz's rap, was made exclusively for the US release; there are separate videos for each version. Five's biggest hit to date internationally, "When the Lights Go Out" is considered somewhat to be their debut single in most countries (except in the UK), peaking at number two in Australia, reaching the Top 30 in the US on 23 June 1998 and eventually spending seven nonconsecutive weeks at its peak of number 10, starting 21 July 1998. The song also spent six months on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and sold 800,000 copies in the US alone.

Critical reception

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 ...

'' wrote, "Does pop radio need yet another clique of young, videogenic harmonizers? The answer was a resounding no ... until the onset of

, a U.K. quintet of cuties who swagger with undeniably sharp vocal precision and an appealing degree of soul. 'When The Lights Go Out' chugs with faux-

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...

authority and a crackling pop

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

. You will be irreversibly hooked on this tasty guilty pleasure long before the track reaches its conclusion. Voted best new act of 1997 by the teenybopper readers of ''

Smash Hits ''Smash Hits'' was a British music magazine aimed at young adults, originally published by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006, and, after initially appearing monthly, was issued fortnightly during most of that time. The name survived as a brand fo ...

'' in the U.K., Five are the first real reason the

Backstreet Boys Backstreet Boys (often abbreviated as BSB) are an American vocal group consisting of Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, AJ McLean, and cousins Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson. Lou Pearlman formed the group in 1993 in Orlando, Florida. The gr ...

have had to look over their shoulders in a serious sweat." Can't Stop the Pop said that with the song, "Five demonstrated a sense of personality, identity and charisma far beyond that of just good marketing." ''

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 ...

'' ranked it number 67 in their list of ''75 Greatest Boy Band Songs of All Time'' in 2020.

Music videos

The UK version (directed by duo Liam & Grant) starts with a woman using a VR machine and sees the members as they dance together and in separate rooms with each getting a distinct color: Abs in teal, Scott in orange, Ritchie in purple, Sean in blue and J in red. Through the woman's perspective, the viewers sees the members with a given number and their horoscope sign respectively. The US version (directed by

Nigel Dick Nigel Dick (born 21 March 1953) is a British music video and film director, writer and musician from Catterick, England, now based in Los Angeles, California. He directed the Britney Spears videos " ...Baby One More Time" and " Oops!... I Did I ...

) takes place at night in a closed bowling alley, where Abs takes control of the place and allows the other members and himself to hang out with a couple girls they brought along with them. One of the girls is played by

Bethany Joy Lenz Bethany Joy Lenz (born April 2, 1981) is an American actress, singer-songwriter and filmmaker. She is known for her portrayal of Haley James Scott on The WB / The CW television drama ''One Tree Hill'' (2003–2012). She also starred as Michell ...

of ''

Guiding Light ''Guiding Light'' (known as ''The Guiding Light'' before 1975) is an American radio and television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the third longest-running drama in television in American history. ''Guiding Light'' a ...

'' and ''

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 ...

'' fame.

Track listings

UK CD1 # "When the Lights Go Out" (radio edit) # "When the Lights Go Out" (extended mix) # "When the Lights Go Out" (The Drummers mix) # "When the Lights Go Out" (

Loop Da Loop Nicolas Jean-Pierre Dresti (born 5 March 1975), better known by his stage name Space Cowboy, is a French-British singer-songwriter, DJ, and producer. Born in France and raised in England, Dresti first recorded in 1992 under the names of Vibes ...

full vocal mix) # "When the Lights Go Out" (video) UK CD2 # "When the Lights Go Out" (radio edit) # "When the Lights Go Out" (

Blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...

R&B rub) # "

Slam Dunk (Da Funk) "Slam Dunk (Da Funk)" is a song by British boy band Five, released in late 1997 as the first single from their debut album, ''Five'' (1998). Featuring a blend of pop and rap, the single was written and produced by Jake Schulze, Max Martin, and ...

" (extended mix) # Interview UK cassette single # "When the Lights Go Out" (radio edit) # "When the Lights Go Out" (extended mix) European CD single # "When the Lights Go Out" (radio edit) # "When the Lights Go Out" (Blacksmith R&B rub) US CD and cassette single # "When the Lights Go Out" (US remix) – 4:20 # "Straight Up Funk" – 3:57 US maxi-CD single # "When the Lights Go Out" (US remix) – 4:20 # "When the Lights Go Out" (hip hop mix) – 6:19 # "When the Lights Go Out" (R&B rub mix) – 4:24 # "Shake" – 3:25 US 12-inch single :A1. "When the Lights Go Out" (radio mix) :A2. "When the Lights Go Out" (R&B rub mix) :B1. "When the Lights Go Out" (hip hop mix) :B2. "Shake" Australian CD single # "When the Lights Go Out" (radio edit) # "When the Lights Go Out" (extended mix) # "When the Lights Go Out" (Blacksmith R&B rub) # "When the Lights Go Out" (The Drummers mix) # "When the Lights Go Out" (Loop Da Loop full vocal mix) * The Japanese CD single contains a sixth track: a shorter radio edit of "When the Lights Go Out".

Credits and personnel

Credits are lifted from the ''

'' album booklet. Studio * Recorded at Steelworks Studios (

Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...

, England) Personnel *

– writing, production, mixing *

Tim Lever Dead or Alive were an English pop band that released seven studio albums from 1984 to 2000. The band formed in 1980 in Liverpool and found success in the mid-1980s, releasing seven singles that made the UK top 40 and three albums on the UK to ...

– writing, production, mixing * Mike Percy – writing, production, mixing * John McLaughlin – writing * Five – writing

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications and sales

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:When The Lights Go Out 1997 songs 1998 singles Five (band) songs Music videos directed by Nigel Dick Song recordings produced by Eliot Kennedy Songs written by Abz Love Songs written by Eliot Kennedy Songs written by Jason "J" Brown Songs written by Mike Percy (musician) Songs written by Sean Conlon Songs written by Tim Lever