No Light, No Light
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"No Light, No Light" is a song by English
indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...
band
Florence and the Machine Florence and the Machine (stylised as Florence + the Machine) are an English indie rock band formed in London in 2007 by lead vocalist Florence Welch, keyboardist Isabella Summers, guitarist Rob Ackroyd, drummer Christopher Lloyd Hayden and harp ...
from their second studio album, ''
Ceremonials ''Ceremonials'' is the second studio album by English indie rock band Florence and the Machine. It was released on 28 October 2011 by Island Records. The band started working on the album in 2010 and finished it in 2011. The standard edition of ...
'' (2011). The song was written by band members Florence Welch and Isabella Summers while the production was handled by
Paul Epworth Paul Richard Epworth (born 25 July 1974) is an English record producer, songwriter, musician, and remixer. He has worked with artists including Adele, Florence and the Machine, Rihanna, and Maxïmo Park, among many others. He is a member of th ...
.
Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in Jamaica by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in 1959, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, another ...
released the song as the second single from the album on 16 January 2012. The song was the first one written for the album in the band's tour bus in Amsterdam. Lyrically, in the song, Welch expresses frustration about the state of her fragile relationship and further tries to keep it together. "No Light, No Light" received positive reviews by music critics who generally praised Welch's vocals and the
drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a ...
-led instrumentation. It was also placed on several critics' year-end lists of best singles. The song peaked at number 50 on the UK Singles Chart, 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 ...
and number 39 on the US ''Billboard''
Alternative Songs Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks between 1988 and 2009, and Alternative Songs between 2009 and 2020) is a music chart published in the American magazine ''Billboard'' since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-play ...
chart. An accompanying
music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...
for the song premiered on 18 November 2011 and was directed by Icelandic duo Arni & Kinski. It includes shots of Welch singing on a skyscraper and being chased by a contortionist. Upon its release, the video received mixed to positive reviews by critics who praised the dramatic shots, the religion and voodoo references. However, following its online release, several publications and users on various websites commented on the use of
racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one Race (human categorization), race or ethnicity over another. It may also me ...
and racial imagery due to the
black face Blackface is the practice of performers using burned cork, shoe polish, or theatrical makeup to portray a caricature of black people on stage or in entertainment. Scholarship on the origins or definition of blackface vary with some taking a glo ...
of the voodoo man at the beginning, which Welch later denied. "No Light, No Light" was performed live by the band several times on television shows and at the
2012 BRIT Awards Brit Awards 2012 was held on 21 February 2012. This was the 32nd edition of the British Phonographic Industry's annual Brit Awards. The awards ceremony was held at The O2 Arena in London for the second time. The ceremony was presented by Jam ...
held at
The O2 Arena The O2 Arena, commonly known as The O2, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the centre of The O2 entertainment district on the Greenwich Peninsula in southeast London, England. It opened in its present form in 2007. It has the third-highest seat ...
in London. They also performed the song during the encore of their second worldwide Ceremonials Tour (2011–12).


Background and release

"No Light, No Light" was written by band members Florence Welch and Isabella Summers while the production was handled by
Paul Epworth Paul Richard Epworth (born 25 July 1974) is an English record producer, songwriter, musician, and remixer. He has worked with artists including Adele, Florence and the Machine, Rihanna, and Maxïmo Park, among many others. He is a member of th ...
. The song was recorded in 2011 at the
Abbey Road Studios Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studios) is a music recording studio at 3 Abbey Road, London, Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of ...
. According to Welch, "No Light, No Light" was the first song written for the album. During an interview with
MTV News MTV News was the news production division of MTV. The service was available in the US with localized versions on MTV's global network and an online news team. In 2016, MTV refreshed the MTV News brand to compete with the likes of BuzzFeed and ...
she confirmed the release of the song. Welch further revealed that the intro of the song was written during the tour in Amsterdam, "We had gone out for Rob ckroyds birthday to an all-night restaurant in Brussels called Midnights. We went to this funny restaurant and then got on the tour bus and everyone was a bit drunk and it was like, 'Yeah, let's write a song.'" Welch also said that "No Light, No Light" was also recorded in Amsterdam, "And we recorded the sound of the bus moving, a real drone-y bass sound, and that's the intro, and then the tour bus arrived in Amsterdam nd we were saying 'Let's go toast this song! We will find a bar that will serve us drinks at 7 in the morning! Come!'. ..So we trotted off into Amsterdam and managed to find a sports bar that would only serve us Midori. It was bright-green drinks and me and Isa ummerskind of looking like crazy old ladies." During an interview with ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'', Welch further described the song as "one of the biggest tracks on the album."
Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in Jamaica by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in 1959, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, another ...
released the song as the third single from ''Ceremonials'' on 16 January with two remixes by
Dave Sitek David Andrew Sitek (born September 6, 1972) is an American musician and record producer, known for his work with his band TV on the Radio. He has also worked with bands such as Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Liars, Foals, Celebration, Little Dragon, Wavves ...
and Breakage. Consequence of Sound's Chris Coplan gave a mixed review for the remix by Dave Sitek, saying: "In the able hands of Sitek, 'No Light, No Light' loses some of its melodramatic air, replaced instead with an effervescent, club-ready vibe. Both tracks may be decidedly similar, but they'll evoke wholly unique sets of emotions." A limited 12" vinyl single was released simultaneously with the remix single.


Composition

"No Light, No Light" is an
art rock Art rock is a subgenre of rock music that generally reflects a challenging or avant-garde approach to rock, or which makes use of modernist, experimental, or unconventional elements. Art rock aspires to elevate rock from entertainment to an ar ...
song with an
indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...
bridge. According to the sheet music published on the website Musicnotes.com by
Universal Music Publishing Group Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) is a global music publishing company and is part of the Universal Music Group. Universal Music Publishing has been ranked the #1 music publisher in market share by Billboard for multiple consecutive quart ...
, "No Light, No Light" is written in the key of
A Minor A minor is a minor scale based on A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has no flats or sharps. Its relative major is C major and its parallel major is A major. The A natural minor scale is: Changes needed for the melodic ...
with 132 beats per minute. Welch's vocals range from the note G3 to E5. The song begins with pulsating tribal drums as stated by Kyle Anderson of ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
''. According to ''
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 advertis ...
'' magazine's Jillian Mapes, "A dramatic opening note on the... ongushers in a drum crescendo, followed by a ' Like a Prayer' - style interlude." During the
choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...
-led chorus, Welch sings the lines, "You can't choose what stays and what fades away/ And I'd do anything to make you stay/ No light, no light/ Tell me what you want me to say" over "thundering tribal" beats and harp strings that "grow louder and louder". Lyrically, in the song she is expressing frustration about the state of her fragile relationship and she further tries to keep it together. Ryan Dombal of the website
Pitchfork Media ''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music magazine founded in 1996 by Ryan Schreiber in Minneapolis. It originally covered Alternative rock, alternative and independent music, and expanded to cover genres includin ...
commented that "No Light, No Light" was one of the songs where Welch "sets aside her usual flighty, dreamy, goth-y lyrical go-to's-- ghosts, graveyards, devils, angels, myths, drowning-- for something a bit more personal." During the musical bridge of the song, Welch sings the lines "Would you leave me, if I told you what I'd become. 'Cause it's so easy to sing it to a crowd/ But it's so hard, my love/ To say it to you out loud", which according to Mapes shows Welch "on her knees, begging her lover not to go". Alix Buscovic of
BBC Online BBC Online, formerly known as BBCi, is the BBC's online service. It is a large network of websites including such high-profile sites as BBC News and BBC Sport, Sport, the on-demand video and radio services branded BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds, t ...
compared the song with Florence and the Machine's earlier song " Cosmic Love", while ''
Newsday ''Newsday'' is a daily newspaper in the United States primarily serving Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, although it is also sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. The slogan of the newspaper is "Newsday, Your Eye on LI" ...
''s Glenn Gamboa compared "No Light, No Light" with
Kate Bush Catherine Bush (born 30 July 1958) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, and dancer. Bush began writing songs at age 11. She was signed to EMI Records after David Gilmour of Pink Floyd helped produce a demo tape. In 1978, at the ...
's songs. Sam Wolfson of ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' joked that the song talks about
Tess Daly Helen Elizabeth "Tess" Daly (born 29 March 1969) is an English television presenter and former model. Since 2004, she has co-presented the BBC One dancing competition show '' Strictly Come Dancing''. Early life Helen Elizabeth Daly was born o ...
.


Critical reception

"No Light, No Light" received widespread critical acclaim from music critics. Ryan Dombal of the website Pitchfork Media praised the song, saying that the lines "double as a snippet of self-criticism." He added: "Perhaps Welch finds it 'so easy' to sing her tunes to thousands because they often lack an individual touch that could send them even further skyward-- the same touch that comes so naturally to fellow UK chart queen
Adele Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (; born 5 May 1988) is an English singer-songwriter. Regarded as a British cultural icon, icon, she is known for her mezzo-soprano vocals and sentimental songwriting. List of awards and nominations received by Adele, ...
." ''Spin''s Rob Harvilla commented that "No Light, No Light" was "a desperate lovers' quarrel, all agitated strings and galloping drums (no broken jaws or burning beds this time, alas)." '' Clash'' magazine's Laura Foster called the song "uplifting" and "typically Florence-sounding" further putting it in her list of "six massive anthems" on ''Ceremonials''. Alex Buscovic of the website BBC Online called "No Light, No Light" a "drum-chased, harp-gilded and hook-jawed" song. However, Buscovic commented that its "epic proportions are too much." Randall Roberts of ''Los Angeles Times'' called the song an anthem, which according to him, was "as overpowering as '
Dog Days Are Over "Dog Days Are Over" is a song by English indie rock band Florence and the Machine from their debut album ''Lungs'' (2009). It was originally scheduled for release on 24 November 2008 through Moshi Moshi Records in the UK as the album's second ...
.'" In his review of ''Ceremonials'', Jillian Mapes of ''Billboard'' wrote "'I'd do anything to make you stay / Tell me what you want me to say,' she pleads atop the album's most pulsating tribal drumbeat. Musically, the song exudes utter strength; lyrically, Welch is on her knees." In a review of the album, Rebecca Nicholson of ''The Guardian'' commented,
"A wonky piano, a choir and the return of the harp, as well as more
Phil Collins Philip David Charles Collins (born 30 January 1951) is an English musician, songwriter, record producer and actor. He was the drummer and later became the lead singer of the rock band Genesis (band), Genesis and had a successful solo career, ac ...
-ey drums, in the tale of what appears to be a humdinger of a domestic – ' Kiss with a Fist', but more grown-up, and colder. 'I'd do anything to make you stay,' she sings, before switching tack: 'You want a revelation, no light no light in your bright blue eyes.' Like the rest of these tracks, it's kitchen sink and then some, but there's a little more texture here."
In the review of the album, Lewis Corner of the website Digital Spy said that the song "manages to sound knee-quiveringly epic". Later, in a separate review of the single he graded it with five stars out of five commenting that "she pleads to her beau in her unmistakable folk-tinged timbre". ''
The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...
''s Mesfin Fekadu noted that Welch's vocals were "impeccable throughout" and "sounding bossy" in the track. Luren Murphy of ''
The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It was launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is Ireland's leading n ...
'' reviewed the song positively saying that it's "providing the huge choruses and skyscraping vocals we’ve come to expect of Florence and the Machine". However, Eoin Butler of the same publication rated the song with two out of five stars commenting, "Like most of Florence's recent singles, this bombastic effort sounds as though it was intended to be enjoyed not on an
iPod The iPod is a series of portable media players and multi-purpose mobile devices that were designed and marketed by Apple Inc. from 2001 to 2022. The iPod Classic#1st generation, first version was released on November 10, 2001, about mon ...
or
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but rather sitting in Row 198 in the local EnormoDome." Priya Elan of ''NME'' noted that the song was "the most traditionally Florence-like track" further comparing it with "
Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up) "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)" is a song by English indie rock band Florence and the Machine from their debut studio album ''Lungs (album), Lungs'' (2009). It was released as the album's third Single (music), single on June 21, 2009, by Island Re ...
" (2009) and with songs by
Björk Björk Guðmundsdóttir ( , ; born 21 November 1965), known mononymously as Björk, is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress. Noted for her distinct voice, three-octave vocal range, and eccentric public per ...
. A writer of the website
Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New Yor ...
said, "The album is steeped in melodrama, with pump organs, choirs, and strings expertly deployed as pure pomp on...'No Light, No Light.'" ''
Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'' placed the song at number one on their list of "Top 10 Songs of 2011". The writer further commented: "In another context, this 'No Light, No Light' could be the sound of a religious revival. Florence Welch's rich voice has never sounded better than on this track; her fervent, even rapturous, lamentations about her partner's lost love resonate like requests for salvation made by a faltering believer with arms raised to the sky. 'Heaven help me, I need to make it right' she wails, but gets no reply. Replete with harps and a tribal drum beat, 'No Light, No Light' operates as a plea for salvation that will soon have you running to your deity of choice." On the
Triple J Hottest 100 The Triple J Hottest 100 is an annual music poll presented by the publicly-funded Australian youth radio station Triple J. Members of the public are invited to vote for their favourite Music of Australia, Australian and alternative music of th ...
list, "No Light, No Light" was ranked at number 36. It was also ranked at number 343 on ''
The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first Alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, ...
''s year-end
Pazz & Jop Pazz & Jop was an annual poll of top musical releases, compiled by American newspaper ''The Village Voice'' and created by music critic Robert Christgau. It published lists of the year's top releases for 1971 and, after Christgau's two-year abse ...
singles list.


Commercial performance

"No Light, No Light" debuted at number 67 on the UK Singles Chart dated 28 January 2012. It eventually peaked at number 50 for the week ending 3 March 2012 following the band's performance at the
2012 BRIT Awards Brit Awards 2012 was held on 21 February 2012. This was the 32nd edition of the British Phonographic Industry's annual Brit Awards. The awards ceremony was held at The O2 Arena in London for the second time. The ceremony was presented by Jam ...
, selling 6,909 copies. On the Hungarian Airplay Chart, the song debuted at number 40 on 6 February 2012 and later peaked at number 36 for the week ending 27 February 2012. On 1 March 2012, "No Light, No Light" debuted at number 50 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 ...
and failed to re-enter the chart. On the
ARIA Singles Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...
, the song debuted and peaked at number 95 for the week commencing 30 January 2012. On the Belgian Ultratip Singles Chart, the song peaked at number 10 on 21 January 2012. In the US, the song debuted at number 39 on the ''Billboard''
Alternative Songs Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks between 1988 and 2009, and Alternative Songs between 2009 and 2020) is a music chart published in the American magazine ''Billboard'' since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-play ...
chart. On the chart issue dated 25 April 2012, the song debuted at number 48 on the US ''Billboard''
Rock Songs Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (formerly known as Rock Songs and Hot Rock Songs) is a record chart published by ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' magazine. From its debut on June 20, 2009, through October 13, 2012, the chart ranked the airplay of ...
chart.


Music video


Background and release

An accompanying music video for the song was released on Florence and the Machine's official
Vevo Vevo LLC ( , an abbreviation for "Video Evolution", stylized in all caps until 2013) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational video hosting service, best known for providing music videos to YouTube. The service is also available ...
account on 18 November 2011. It was directed by Icelandic duo Arni & Kinski. A teaser was also uploaded on their Vevo account on 15 November 2011. During an interview with MTV News, Welch revealed some of the stories behind the inspiration of the music video saying, "When irectors Arni and Kinskipitched it to me, I loved the idea of stained glass ... and this falling thing, to do it on a New York skyline was really important to me, and there's some weird stuff with my grandmother about New York that's kind of too dark to go into... The idea of falling from a great height in New York is intense ... because my grandmother, she died in New York, and I literally didn't think about it until we were filming and I was like, 'This is kind of insane.'"


Synopsis

The video begins with Welch lying next to a
crystal skull Crystal skulls are human skull hardstone carvings made of clear, milky white or other types of quartz (also called "rock crystal"), claimed to be pre-Columbian Mesoamerican artifacts by their alleged finders; however, these claims have been refut ...
. Several scenes showing a masked and shirtless
contortion Contortion (sometimes contortionism) is a performance art in which performers called contortionists showcase their skills of extreme physical flexibility. Contortion acts often accompany acrobatics, Circus (performing art), circus acts, street ...
ist sitting on a chair follow and soon after he starts to dance and takes his mask off. The video then moves into a church where a choir consisting of kids ( The Trinity Boys Choir) starts singing the song. Welch is then seen atop of a building as the contortionist takes a voodoo doll in his hands. He puts a needle in the doll and Welch falls from the building. She later falls in the church where she is being caught and held by the choir. Welch then ends up in the arms of her love interest, played by actor Torstein Bjorklund. Shots of Welch being chased by the contortionist in a town are interspersed amongst the other elements of the video.


Reception

Marc Hogan of ''
Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spin (physics) or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles * Spin quantum number, a number which defines the value of a particle's spin * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thr ...
'' concluded that the video, "touches on the fine line between spiritual ecstasy and reckless abandon." Jillian Mapes of ''Billboard'' magazine commented that the video is exploring a "territory between Christianity and voodoo spirituality." Mapes further praised the video for being dramatic, but he wrote that "more than that, it's completely absurd." A writer of ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' concluded: " he videodoes not shy away from matching the music's melodramatic intensity. In addition to contrasting overtly Christian iconography with images of some kind of voodoo priest, the harrowing climax is paired with footage of Florence Welch falling from the top of a skyscraper." Writing for '' Dose'', Leah Collins found "seriously life-threatening juju going on in No Light, No Light
ideo IDEO () is a design firm, design and consulting firm with offices in the U.S., England, and China. It was founded in Palo Alto, California, in 1991. The company's 500 staff uses a design thinking approach to design products, services, environmen ...
Nick Neyland of ''Prefix Magazine'' wrote: "That song No Light. No Light"just got a suitably opulent video, which is full of religious imagery, Florence perched atop a building in Manhattan, and a strange masked figure. What does it all mean? We have no idea, but anyone who's afraid of heights may want to look away when Florence starts flinging herself across that rooftop and ultimately takes to the skies and starts flying (seriously)." Eoin Butler of ''The Irish Times'' praised the boys dressed as priests comparing the scenes with a Catholic version of 1976 film ''
Bugsy Malone ''Bugsy Malone'' is a 1976 gangster musical comedy film written and directed by Alan Parker (in his feature film directorial debut). A co-production of United States and United Kingdom, it features an ensemble cast, comprising only child actor ...
''.


Controversy

Following the online release of the video, several publications and users on various websites commented on the use of
racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one Race (human categorization), race or ethnicity over another. It may also me ...
and racial imagery due to the
black face Blackface is the practice of performers using burned cork, shoe polish, or theatrical makeup to portray a caricature of black people on stage or in entertainment. Scholarship on the origins or definition of blackface vary with some taking a glo ...
of the voodoo man at the beginning. During an interview with MTV News, when asked by James Montgomery if she was a part of the Illuminati as online accusations claim, Welch responded, "That's ridiculous. Really? So people hink that?I'm definitely not member It's just not true."


Live performances

The band performed the song live for the first time during the show '' Later... with Jools Holland'' on 1 November 2011. Matthew Perpetua of ''Rolling Stone'' praised the performance saying: "Florence Welch is backed by her full band plus a string section, but as overwhelming as the sound gets, her incredible voice remains the focal point of the performance." Later, on 20 November 2011, they performed the song on ''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...
''. On 14 January, the band performed the song on '' The Jonathan Ross Show''. The performance aired on ITV and its regional counterparts at 9:30 pm on 14 January 2012. Nick Neyland of ''Prefix Magazine'' praised the performance saying, "Here, Florence delivers an efficient version of the track, via an extremely stoic performance in which she appears clad all in black and barely moves for the duration. The lavish musical backing and her impressive pipes do that talking here, creating the kind of anthemic feel that fast became her M.O. from day one." They performed the song at the
2012 BRIT Awards Brit Awards 2012 was held on 21 February 2012. This was the 32nd edition of the British Phonographic Industry's annual Brit Awards. The awards ceremony was held at The O2 Arena in London for the second time. The ceremony was presented by Jam ...
at
The O2 Arena The O2 Arena, commonly known as The O2, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the centre of The O2 entertainment district on the Greenwich Peninsula in southeast London, England. It opened in its present form in 2007. It has the third-highest seat ...
in London backed by twenty dancers dressed in a white and gold gown.< After the event, the live performance was made available for digital download through the iTunes Store in the United Kingdom. Michael Hogan of ''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...
'' compared the dancing during the performance with the dancing by Kate Bush and comparing it with a "tad drama school". He further called the performance "over-the-top" but noted that "Florence Welch's vocals included one hell of a long held note, though". Ann Lee of '' Metro'' described their performance as "rousing". However, Andy Gill of ''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'' was more negative about the performance saying that "Florence brought along her Machine, but... forgot to pack a decent tune with them." On 23 April 2012, the band performed the song on the second season of the show '' The Voice'' while being backed by the group mentored by Cee Lo Green. Jennifer Still of the website Digital Spy praised the performance, calling it "incredible". Florence and the Machine also added the song to the
set list A set list, or setlist, is typically a handwritten or printed document created as an ordered list of songs, jokes, stories and other elements an artist intends to present during a specific performance. A setlist can be made of nearly any materi ...
during their second worldwide Ceremonials Tour where the song was performed during the encore of the concerts along with " Never Let Me Go".


Uses on television

The song's Spector Ryan Gosling remix was featured in
The CW The CW Network, LLC (commonly referred to as The CW or simply CW) is an American commercial broadcast television network which is controlled by Nexstar Media Group through a 75% ownership interest. The network's name is derived from the firs ...
series '' The Secret Circle'', at the end of the sixteenth episode ("Lucky"). The original version was also prominently featured at the end of the sixteenth episode ("Rest in Pieces") of the tenth season of the
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...
series '' CSI: Miami''. The song was used in the
Fox Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...
series '' The Mob Doctor'', in the fourth-season finale of Syfy's ''
Warehouse 13 ''Warehouse 13'' is an American science fiction television series that originally ran from July 7, 2009, to May 19, 2014, on the Syfy network, and was executively produced by Jack Kenny and David Simkins for Universal Cable Productions. Des ...
'' and in promotional commercials for
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
's ''
Revolution In political science, a revolution (, 'a turn around') is a rapid, fundamental transformation of a society's class, state, ethnic or religious structures. According to sociologist Jack Goldstone, all revolutions contain "a common set of elements ...
''. The song was featured in the fifth episode of the ninth and final season of The CW series One Tree Hill.


Track listing

*;UK digital single #"No Light, No Light" – 4:34 #"No Light, No Light" ( Breakage's One Moment Less For Mortimer Mix) – 4:14 #"No Light, No Light" ( DAS Remix) – 4:39 *;US digital single #"No Light, No Light" (Breakage's One Moment Less For Mortimer Mix) – 4:14 #"No Light, No Light" (DAS Remix) – 4:39 *;Limited 12" single #"No Light, No Light" – 4:34 #"No Light, No Light" (DAS Remix) – 4:39 *;2012 Brit Awards #"No Light, No Light" (Live from the BRITs) - 4:03


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Certifications


References


External links

* {{Authority control 2011 songs 2012 singles Florence and the Machine songs Island Records singles Music video controversies Song recordings produced by Paul Epworth Songs written by Florence Welch Songs written by Isabella Summers