"All of the Lights" was well received by music critics, who complimented its detailed production and dramatically-themed style. The single was a moderate international success, reaching number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100, was the 59th most popular song of 2011, and number two on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in the United States, being the 12th most popular song on that chart in 2011, while it also attained respectable chartings in several other countries. It won Grammy Awards for Best Rap Song and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration and was nominated for Song of the Year at the 54th Grammy Awards. As of December 2011, the song has sold over 1,561,000 digital units in the US. By August 2013, it had been certified triple platinum by the RIAA.
The song's accompanying music video, directed by Hype Williams, featured strobe-lit images of Rihanna and West, as well as Kid Cudi. It was given a discretionary warning by Epilepsy Action, stating that the video "potentially triggers seizures for people with photosensitive epilepsy". West and Rihanna performed the song at the 2011 NBA All-Star Game, while it was also featured in the promo for the same event.
Background and recording
"All of the Lights" was written by Kanye West, Jeff Bhasker, Malik Jones, Warren Trotter, Stacy Ferguson and Terius Nash. Its production was helmed by West himself and co-produced by Bhasker. Fourteen artists lent their voices as background vocals to the song: Alicia Keys, John Legend, The-Dream, Drake, Fergie, Kid Cudi, Elton John, Ryan Leslie, Charlie Wilson, Tony Williams, La Roux, Alvin Fields, Ken Lewis, and Rihanna, who also sang the song's hook and is labeled as a featured artist on the single version. West and Rihanna previously collaborated with Jay-Z on "Run This Town" (The Blueprint 3, 2009).
The early working title for "All of The Lights" was previously "Ghetto University" when the production on the song was just beginning. During the 2010 MTV Europe Music Awards, on November 10, 2010, Rihanna was interviewed by MTV News' staff. In the interview she explained that, West already played his album to her three months ago and that "All of the Lights" was one of her favorite songs. About it, she further commented, "So when he asked me to come up to the studio at 2 o'clock in the morning, I had to, because I loved it, I knew it was that song."
In an interview for the same publication, Elly Jackson said of the song's vocal layering, "He got me to layer up all these vocals with other people, and he just basically wanted to use his favorite vocalists from around the world to create this really unique vocal texture on his record, but it's not the kind of thing where you can pick it out". Andrew Dawson, Anthony Kilhoffer, Mike Dean, HI and Noah Goldstein recorded West's vocals at Avex Recording Studios in Honolulu, Hawaii and Electric Lady Studios in New York City. Rihanna's vocals were recorded by Marcos Tovar at the Westlake Recording Studios in West Hollywood, California.
In a 2013 interview with The Breakfast Club, West said that the song took two years to finish, and detailed the creation and process of the song;
"'All The Lights' is a futurist song that started out as a Jeezy record with horns on it, then we put in another bridge, then Dream wrote the hook, then Rihanna sang it, and by the time you got it, it was to the level of like, the Nike Flyknit or something like that.
Leaks and release
Even though not fully leaked, "All of the Lights" was featured for the first time on "Runaway"โa 35-minute film about West's "true labor of love" which was released on October 23, 2010. The song was featured in the film together with other songs from West's then-upcoming fifth studio album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010), including "Monster", "Power" and "Lost in the World" among others. The song fully leaked on November 4, 2010, online.
West announced through his Twitter account that "All of the Lights" would be the album's fourth single. Following the album's release, the song debuted at number 92 on the Billboard Hot 100. "All of the Lights" was released as a single on January 18, 2011 in the US and was released in the UK on February 21, 2011. Rihanna was credited as a featured artist for the single when impacting radio. In the United Kingdom, it was included in BBC Radio 1's B-Playlist.
The song was released as fourth and final single from My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. It was sent to British urban radio stations on November 25, 2010, and to Australian contemporary hit and alternative radio stations on December 13. On January 18, 2011, the song was sent to contemporary hit and rhythmic radio in the United States. On February 19, 2011, "All of the Lights" was solicited to mainstream radio stations in the United Kingdom.
Composition
"All of the Lights" is a hip hop song that runs for 4 minutes and 59 seconds. According to the sheet music published by Universal Music Publishing Group at Musicnotes.com, it was composed in the key of B flat minor using common time and a steady groove. Rihanna's vocal range spans from the low note of Ab3 to the falsetto note of F5. Instrumentation is provided by drums, bass, piano and horns. The piano is played by Elton John, who also together with thirteen other vocalists provides the background vocals. American singers Fergie and Alicia Keys, sing the break-downs and Ad-libs, respectively. Alex Deney from NME called the song a "sleb-studded centrepiece".
Reception
"All of the Lights" received critical acclaim. AllMusic's Andy Kellman stated "At once, the song features one of the yearโs most rugged beats while supplying enough opulent detail to make Late Registration collaborator Jon Brion's head spin". Alex Denney of NME called it "the sleb-studded centrepiece", commenting that "In anyone elseโs hands itโd be an A-list circle-jerk of horrid proportions, but through Kanyeโs bar-raising vision it becomes a truly wondrous thing". Zach Baron of The Village Voice found the song's lyrics relevant to the "year of economic suffering", writing that "West interrupted his own wealthy anomie to pen 'All of the Lights,' an incongruously star-stuffed song about a disoriented parolee trying to beat a restraining order and see his daughter, working out a brief reunion with her estranged mother: 'Public visitation, we met at Borders'". Chicago Sun-Times writer Thomas Conner viewed that "as crowded as 'All of the Lights' is [,] it maintains an almost operatic drama, telling a tale of adultery and its aftermath that winds up being quite moving". The Guardian's Kitty Empire cited the song as "the album's most magnificent high", writing that it "backs up operatic levels of sound with great drama".
Ann Powers of NPR included "All of the Lights" in her list of the Top 10 Top 40 singles of 2011, commenting "its like an action painting: the artist scatters elements across its canvas to form a whole that's all motion and colorful build." Slant Magazine named it the best single of 2011, describing the song as "perhaps the most acute example of Kanye Westโs pitched mania for theatrical expressions of manic-depressive instability, his mixture of self-destruction and self-love", they later listed it second in their list of the best singles of the 2010s in 2019.
Tampa Bay Times named it the second best pop song of the decade, proclaiming "Everything Kanye West has ever believed himself to be came to life in this song: The stadium-sized horns, the chilling Rihanna hook, the snarl of cockiness in his voice, the insane list of uncredited cameos .. Itโs the moment King Midas figured out how to use his touch." Elsewhere, Nothing but Hope and Passion listed it 13th on its list of "100 Must Listen Songs of the 2010s". Time Out named it the 13th best song of all-time in 2016.
Music video and remix
The music video for "All of the Lights" was filmed in January 2011 and directed by Hype Williams. It features strobe-lit images of Rihanna and West, Kid Cudi in a red leather suit, and visual references to Gaspar Noรฉ's 2009 film Enter the Void. The video premiered through West's Vevo channel on February 19, 2011. After reports of the video's images causing seizures with epileptic viewers and a public response from British organization Epilepsy Action, an alternate video was released that includes a discretionary warning that the video "potentially trigger seizures for people with photosensitive epilepsy", and removed its opening prologue and neon credits. In 2015, the video faced controversy when Gaspar Noรฉ commented the similarities between the video and Enter the Void, especially when Hype Williams featured his name in the title and credit sequences over and over again.
An earlier version of the song's remix was leaked in 2010, featuring a verse by Drake. On March 14, 2011, an unfinished version of the remix was leaked to the internet, featuring guest verses from Lil Wayne, Big Sean, and Drake, a different verse from the leak. It did not feature West himself, though he did write a verse for it, according to Big Sean.
Media
In 2016, the song was used in a Gatorade commercial starring Serena Williams. The song is also featured in the game NBA 2K14 as part of the soundtrack chosen by LeBron James. In 2019, The song was featured in a Peloton TV commercial, entitled; Our Kind of Joy. Liverpool F.C. used the song during their medal collection and trophy lift after winning the 2019โ20 Premier League, and played the song last in the dressing room before matches throughout the season.
All of the Lights
Kanye West Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(Lights, lights) All of the lights
Turn up the lights in here, baby
Extra bright, I want y'all to see this
Turn up the lights in here, baby
You know what I need, want you to see everything
Want you to see all of the lights
Fast cars, shooting stars
All of the lights, all of the lights
Until it's Vegas everywhere we are (all of the lights)
If you want it, you can get it for the rest of your life
If you want it, you can get it for the rest of your life
Somethin' wrong, I hold my head
MJ gone, our nigga dead
I slapped my girl, she called the feds
I did that time and spent that bread
I'm heading home, I'm almost there
I'm on my way, headed up the stairs
To my surprise, a nigga replacing me
I had to take him to that ghetto university
(All of the lights) Lights
Cop lights, flashlights, spotlights
Strobe lights, street lights
(All of the lights, all of the lights)
Fast life, drug life, thug life
Rock life every night (all of the lights)
Turn up the lights in here, baby
Extra bright, I want y'all to see this
Turn up the lights in here, baby
You know what I need, want you to see everything
Want you to see all of the lights
Restraining order, can't see my daughter
Her mother, brother, grandmother hate me in that order
Public visitation, we met at Borders
Told her she take me back, I'll be more supportive
I made mistakes, I bumped my head
Them courts sucked me dry, I spent that bread
She need her daddy, baby, please
Can't let her grow up in that ghetto university
(All of the lights) Lights
Cop lights, flashlights, spotlights
Strobe lights, street lights
(All of the lights, all of the lights)
Fast life, drug life, thug life
Rock life every night (all of the lights)
Turn up the lights in here, baby
Extra bright, I want y'all to see this
Turn up the lights in here, baby
You know what I need, want you to see everything
Want you to see all of the lights
I'm gettin' mine, baby
Gotta let these niggas know, yeah
Gettin' right, babe
You should go and get your own
I'm gettin' mine, baby
Gotta let these niggas know, yeah
Gettin' right, babe
You should go and get your own
Unemployment line, credit card declined
Did I not mention I was about to lose my mind? (My mind, my mind, my mind)
And also was about to do that line (line, line, line)
'Kay, okay, you know we going all the way this time (time)
We going all the way this time
We going all the way this time
We going all the way this time
We going all the way this time
Turn up the lights in here, baby
Extra bright, I want y'all to see this
Turn up the lights in here, baby
You know what I need, want you to see everything
Want you to see all of the lights
Whoa, whoa, oh
(I tried to tell you, but all I could say was, oh)
Whoa, whoa, oh
(I tried to tell you, but all I could say was, oh)
Whoa, whoa, oh
(I tried to tell you, but all I could say was, oh)
Whoa, whoa, oh
(I tried to tell you, but all I could say)
"All of the Lights" by Kanye West is a high-energy anthem that deals with themes of struggle, redemption, and fame. The song begins with Kanye calling for the lights to be turned up so that everyone can see what he has to show them. He wants to be seen for who he is, flaws and all. Kanye references Michael Jackson's death and his own personal struggles with the law and his relationships. He admits to making mistakes and spending all of his money, but he still wants to be there for his daughter. The song also touches on the fast-paced, glamorous lifestyle of fame and how it can be both thrilling and dangerous.
The chorus of the song, "All of the lights," is repeated throughout, and it refers to the different types of lights that can be seen in the world. Cop lights, flashlights, strobe lights, and street lights are all mentioned, as well as the lights that represent the good and bad of life. The song also features a vocal performance by Rihanna, who sings the refrain "turn up the lights in here, baby" repeatedly, creating a sense of urgency and excitement.
Overall, "All of the Lights" is a song that celebrates the highs and lows of life, fame, and redemption. It is an energetic and powerful composition that showcases Kanye's unique style and his ability to bring multiple artists and themes together into a cohesive narrative.
Line by Line Meaning
All of the lights (all of the lights)
The lights are symbolic of fame and success, and the singer wants everyone to see and recognize his accomplishments.
(Lights, lights) All of the lights
The repetition of 'lights' emphasizes their importance and how they are everywhere the singer goes.
Turn up the lights in here, baby
The singer wants the lights to be even brighter to increase his visibility and showcase his success.
Extra bright, I want y'all to see this
The artist wants everyone to fully understand and appreciate his success and wealth.
You know what I need, want you to see everything
The artist wants validation and attention from others to feel secure in his accomplishments.
Want you to see all of the lights
The singer wants everyone to recognize and appreciate the full extent of his success, not just a few key aspects.
Fast cars, shooting stars
The singer is experiencing the high life associated with fame and success, with fast cars and extravagant experiences.
All of the lights, all of the lights
The repetition of 'all of the lights' emphasizes that the artist is surrounded by the trappings of fame and success everywhere he goes.
Until it's Vegas everywhere we are (all of the lights)
The artist feels like he is living in a constant state of excess, as if the entire world is a Las Vegas-style neon experience.
If you want it, you can get it for the rest of your life
The artist believes that fame and success are easy to attain, and that anyone with enough ambition can have them for a lifetime.
Somethin' wrong, I hold my head
The singer is feeling overwhelmed by the stresses and pressures of fame and success, and is holding his head in despair.
MJ gone, our nigga dead
The artist is lamenting the loss of Michael Jackson and other influential figures who have passed away.
I slapped my girl, she called the feds
The singer has acted violently towards his partner, which resulted in police involvement.
I did that time and spent that bread
The singer faced legal consequences for his violent actions and was forced to spend money on legal fees and fines.
I'm heading home, I'm almost there
The singer is returning home after a difficult period and is looking forward to being in a place of comfort and safety.
I'm on my way, headed up the stairs
The artist is returning to his home and is climbing the steps to his apartment or house.
To my surprise, a nigga replacing me
The artist is shocked to find someone new and unfamiliar in his home, possibly an intruder or an unexpected guest.
I had to take him to that ghetto university
The singer had to use force or violence to remove the intruder or unwanted guest from his home.
(All of the lights) Lights
The lights mentioned previously are still present, emphasizing the singer's success and fame.
Cop lights, flashlights, spotlights
The variety of lights mentioned symbolize different kinds of attention, including police scrutiny, the media, and personal recognition.
Strobe lights, street lights
The artist is present in a space where there are strobe and street lights, suggesting a party or nightclub setting.
(All of the lights, all of the lights)
The repetition of 'all of the lights' emphasizes the immersive and overwhelming nature of the artist's surroundings.
Fast life, drug life, thug life
The glamorous and dangerous aspects of fame and success are present in the singer's life, including drugs and criminal activity.
Rock life every night (all of the lights)
The artist is living a rock star lifestyle, with all its glitz and glamour, and wants everyone to recognize and appreciate his success.
Restraining order, can't see my daughter
The singer is legally prohibited from seeing his child due to a restraining order.
Her mother, brother, grandmother hate me in that order
The singer's former partner's family is hostile towards him, with the mother being the most aggressive.
Public visitation, we met at Borders
The singer is only allowed to see his child in public spaces, and in this case, they met up at a bookstore.
Told her she take me back, I'll be more supportive
The artist is trying to convince his former partner to take him back by promising to be more helpful and supportive in their relationship.
I made mistakes, I bumped my head
The artist acknowledges that he has made errors in his life and has suffered the consequences of those mistakes.
Them courts sucked me dry, I spent that bread
The legal system has financially drained the singer due to his past mistakes.
She need her daddy, baby, please
The singer is pleading with his former partner to allow him to see their child, emphasizing the importance of parental involvement.
Can't let her grow up in that ghetto university
The artist wants to provide a better life for his child and does not want their upbringing to be associated with violence or hardship.
I'm gettin' mine, baby
The artist is focused on achieving his own success and is determined to do so at all costs.
Gotta let these niggas know, yeah
The artist feels like he needs to prove himself to others in order to gain respect and recognition.
Gettin' right, babe
The singer is working towards achieving his goals and becoming successful.
You should go and get your own
The artist is encouraging others to pursue their own success and not rely on his fame or wealth for their accomplishments.
Unemployment line, credit card declined
The singer is experiencing financial hardship, with no job and credit cards that have been declined.
Did I not mention I was about to lose my mind? (My mind, my mind, my mind)
The singer feels like he is on the brink of insanity due to the stress and pressure of his life.
And also was about to do that line (line, line, line)
The singer is on the verge of using drugs as a way to cope with his problems.
'Kay, okay, you know we going all the way this time (time)
The artist is determined to achieve success, no matter what it takes.
We going all the way this time
The repetition of this line emphasizes the artist's confidence and determination to succeed.
Whoa, whoa, oh
The singer is expressing intense emotions, possibly frustration or excitement.
(I tried to tell you, but all I could say was, oh)
The singer is struggling to communicate his feelings, and the word 'oh' is an expression of that struggle.
Lyrics ยฉ BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, O/B/O DistroKid, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Jeff Bhasker, Stacy Ferguson, Kanye West, Malik Yusef Jones, Scott Mescudi, Warren Trotter, Terius Nash
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@indigo7301
The ending was meant to finish off any living epileptics that survived the video
@donkeykong2858
There is no other explanation
@sugediddy2439
CyanRabbit ๐คฃ๐คฃ๐คฃ
@brunolance2551
Lol
@shivaandevraj8600
Lmfao Fukn Hell Exce!!!!
@rainie9948
๐คฃ๐คฃ๐คฃ
@PPhaus
We need more of this type of music. This is what defined my childhood. It deeply saddens me to see this energy fade away in the industry.
@mctrapster
donda Friday ๐
@zgubYouTube
This takes epic to a whole new level
@chuyozuna2398
@@mctrapster lets hope