Their self-titled album was chosen as one of Amazon.com's Top 100 Editor's Picks of 2005. In the Future was a finalist for the 2008 Polaris Music Prize and was also nominated for "Best Alternative Album" in the 2009 Juno Awards. The song "Stay Free" from In the Future was featured on the Spider-Man 3 soundtrack.
In 2005 the band opened for Coldplay on their Twisted Logic Tour for three weeks, with their final opening in San Diego.
In September 2010 Black Mountain performed in an amphitheater located in the woods of Oisterwijk at the Incubate (festival) in Tilburg, Netherlands.
Leader Stephen McBean also heads another similarly named band, Pink Mountaintops, who are the more experimental side of McBean's musical abilities. Black Mountain is the front line band for Black Mountain Army, a collective of musicians, artists and friends in Vancouver. In an interview the band said "Black Mountain is just the five of us. The Black Mountain Army… which has kind of gotten blown out of proportion, it was kind of just a joke, because everybody thought we were this hippie collective, like we all lived in one house. But it’s basically just our friends at home in Vancouver, just our extended family of creative people that we know."
Several members of the band have, for as long as a decade, worked for organizations that meet the basic living requirements of the chronically poor, drug addicted and mentally ill in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside neighborhood, such as Insite. In an interview, the band said: "After work we all try not to think too hard about the effect it has on our lives. It keeps us grounded."
Wilderness Heart was named as a longlisted nominee for the 2011 Polaris Music Prize.
March 11, 2014 The Black Mountain song "Wucan" was featured on season 2 of the FOX drama "The Following" during the eighth episode entitled "Messenger".
The Black Mountain song "Druganaut" is featured in a June, 2014 Father's Day commercial for J.C. Penney.
Bright Lights
Black Mountain Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Light bright
Bright light
Light bright
Bright light
Light bright
We love the night and all the witchery
Hurried
Hunters
Helpless
Hitting
Horror
Hit
Hard
Holy
Halo
Hurried
Hunters
Helpless
Hitting
Hard
Helpless
Hurting
Holy
Halo
Helpless
Hurting
Holy
Halo
Bright light
Light bright
Bright light
Light bright
Light bright
Total nightmare
Darkness
Lightning crawls
Destruction
Human war
Misleading like you led the blind
Total nightmare
Darkness
Lightning crawls
Misleading like you led the blind
The song "Bright Lights" by Black Mountain is a mysterious yet powerful ode to the night-time and everything it entails. The repetitive chorus of "Bright light, light bright" sets a tone of hypnotism, possibly alluding to the intoxicating feeling of being caught in the blaze of the city lights. This is then contrasted with the lines, "We love the night and all the witchery," which conjure an image of the darker, supernatural side of the night. The use of witchery is especially significant, as witches are often associated with spells and rituals that take place in the darkness of night.
The song then takes a sharp turn, diving into a stanza that is a rhythmic catalog of words starting with "H." At first, these words may seem nonsensical, but upon closer inspection they are words that are all rooted in violence and destruction. "Hit," "hard," "horror," and "Hunters" all conjure an image of the primal, savage side of humanity. The stanza ends with a juxtaposition of "Holy/Halo," suggesting that even in the darkest and most violent moments, there is always a glimmer of hope or redemption.
The final verse of the song brings things full circle, repeating the earlier lines about the "total nightmare" of darkness and lightning crawling. However, this verse also takes a more judgmental tone, accusing those who mislead and take advantage of others in the darkness of "leading the blind." It is unclear who or what is being referred to here, but the general sense of danger and unpredictability of the darkness is palpable throughout the entire song.
Line by Line Meaning
Bright light
An upbeat opening line that is repeated throughout the song
Light bright
Another way of saying the same thing, it sounds good and evokes the sensation of brightness
We love the night and all the witchery
A statement that defines the band's enjoyment of the darker side of existence, which themes the music they create
Hurried
A quick motion of something moving, like a group of people running
Hunters
Living beings that are looking or searching for something, possibly during the night
Helpless
In a state of being vulnerable or incapable of defending oneself, the hunters could be prey themselves
Hitting
A sudden and violent action, possibly related to the hunters pursuing what they chase
Horror
Something terrifying or disturbing
Hit
A reference to an action that is violent of intense, circling back to the hunting scene
Hard
An adjective referring to something that is difficult or unbearable
Holy
Something divine, pure or of the utmost importance for spiritual growth
Halo
A circle of light that might surround something considered sublime or holy, like the moon or stars
Hurried
Once again referring to a group moving fast, but this time the context is unclear as the lyrics are repetitive
Hunters
Recurring themes in the song, the meaning of the term is explained above
Helpless
Recurring themes in the song, the meaning of the term is explained above
Hitting
Recurring themes in the song, the meaning of the term is explained above
Hard
Recurring themes in the song, the meaning of the term is explained above
Helpless
Recurring themes in the song, the meaning of the term is explained above
Hurting
Suggesting pain or emotional distress
Holy
Recurring themes in the song, the meaning of the term is explained above
Halo
Recurring themes in the song, the meaning of the term is explained above
Helpless
Recurring themes in the song, the meaning of the term is explained above
Hurting
Recurring themes in the song, the meaning of the term is explained above
Holy
Recurring themes in the song, the meaning of the term is explained above
Halo
Recurring themes in the song, the meaning of the term is explained above
Bright light
Repetition of the upbeat opening line, heightening the pace of the song
Light bright
Repetition of the same style of wording
Bright light
Repetition of the same style of wording
Light bright
Repetition of the same style of wording
Light bright
Repetition of the same style of wording
Total nightmare
A sense of fear and impending doom
Darkness
The absence of light, the mood is getting darker
Lightning crawls
An image of towering storm clouds sending down bolts of electricity
Destruction
The result of intense violence and force
Human war
Conflict and death due to decisions made by people
Misleading like you led the blind
A person who has misled and caused others harm, possibly related to the darkness and destruction described
Total nightmare
Repetition of the earlier phrase, circling back to the feeling of fear
Darkness
Repetition of a theme, suggesting the continuation or worsening of the somber tone
Lightning crawls
Repetition of a phrase, emphasizing the destructive force of nature
Misleading like you led the blind
Repetition of a phrase, reminding the listener of the human responsibility in creating chaos
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Amber Erica Webber, Jeremy Victor Schmidt, Joshua Mark Wells, Matthew Camirand, Stephen Gordon McBean
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
K K
Now every time I go longboarding I find myself singing "Bright light, bright light, bright light"
Edd Díaz
Omg I cracked
Morrison Lover
el mayor temazo que haya escuchado en mi vida!!!
David.Mansilla
si tal cual!!
E. Clark
Just read an interview with John Campbell from LoG and he said this was one of his favorite songs. Kind of an older interview, so it may have changed by now, but I must say, it's fucking way heavy, glad I listened to it. Some Pink Floyd in there, a little Sabbath, Deep Purple.....
It's good.....
USAlien234
I just read the same article haha
This song is awesome ✌️† 🎸🤘
yardtechbrando
The way this is put together sounds like it may have a little influence from Pink Floyd. Sounds nothing like Pink floyd but the way it is all one song with different parts that sound totally different then each other. For example the way Shine on you crazy diamond differs, from part to part or the way echoes does, etc...
der wanderer
about influences , pink floyd , jefferson airplane, led zeppelin... :-)
yardtechbrando
It's pretty awesome I think!
whiskyboy
I'm here because I discovered this