Smith's music relies heavily on digital sampling and crosses many genres, forming a combination of "glitchy hip-hop beats, buzzing synth lines, and vintage funk and soul samples.". Pretty Lights' sound is generated by manipulating samples and organic beats using the Novation X-Station, monome and the Akai MPD32. Smith uses these digital controllers to program the music production software Ableton Live 8. When performing live, Smith uses two Macbook Pros running Ableton Live 8 and two Akai MPD32s. Smith usually considers his music as "Electro Hip-Hop Soul", a mix between elements of electronic based music, and beats from hip-hop and soul music.
Pretty Lights released A Color Map of the Sun on July 2, which is Grammy nominated for the Best Dance/Electronic Album . The two-CD collection contain the 13-song album A Color Map of the Sun plus a second album, Live Studio Sessions From A Color Map of the Sun.
A Color Map of the Sun builds on the original Pretty Lights sound and style that Smith pioneered. He spent a year composing and recording music and vocals that emulated genres and time periods that spanned the last century, then pressed it to vinyl. He used that vinyl along with a custom built analog modular synth to create A Color Map of the Sun. The resulting album is analog electronica β soulful, electro hip-hop that pays respect to musicβs immense power to touch listeners emotionally, kinetically and inspirationally.
For more information and to download all Pretty Lights albums at no cost, visit http://www.prettylightsmusic.com.
Flitting between moody downtempo and upbeat, densely layered material geared for club play, Colorado's Pretty Lights was the project of Derek Vincent Smith. Smith spent his high school years making hip-hop and ultimately dropped out of his freshman year at the University of Colorado at Boulder to focus on his music. He made his recorded debut as Pretty Lights in 2006 with the full-length Taking Up Your Precious Time, which he supported with gigs for acts including STS9, the Disco Biscuits, and Widespread Panic. From there, he kept up a busy release schedule for the rest of the 2000s, issuing the double album Filling Up the City Skies in 2008 and another full-length, Passing by Behind Your Eyes, the following year. In 2010, Pretty Lights went on an extensive North American tour, playing that year's Coachella, Ultra, Movement, and Electric Zoo festivals, among other stops. Smith continued touring into 2011 and also developed his Pretty Lights Music imprint, releasing albums by Michal Menert, Gramatik, and Eliot Lipp. In 2012, Smith appeared in the music documentary Re:GENERATION Music Project and began work on Pretty Lights' fourth album. Instead of sampling existing recordings, Smith worked with longtime drummer Adam Deitch, Soulive's Eric Krasno, the Harlem Gospel Choir, and members of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and the Treme Brass Band to create vintage-sounding original music that he then refashioned into the Pretty Lights sound. The results were 2013's A Color Map of the Sun, which became the first Pretty Lights album to be released physically and digitally at the same time. ~ Heather Phares & Andy Kellman, Rovi
Let the World Hurry By
Pretty Lights Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We're no strangers to love
You know the rules and so do I
A full commitment's what I'm thinking of
You wouldn't get this from any other guy
I just wanna tell you how I'm feeling
Never gonna give you up
Never gonna let you down
Never gonna run around and desert you
Never gonna make you cry
Never gonna say goodbye
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you
We've known each other for so long
Your heart's been aching, but you're too shy to say it
Inside, we both know what's been going on
We know the game and we're gonna play it
And if you ask me how I'm feeling
Don't tell me you're too blind to see
Never gonna give you up
Never gonna let you down
Never gonna run around and desert you
Never gonna make you cry
Never gonna say goodbye
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you
Never gonna give you up
Never gonna let you down
Never gonna run around and desert you
Never gonna make you cry
Never gonna say goodbye
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you
(Ooh, give you up)
(Ooh, give you up)
Never gonna give, never gonna give
(Give you up)
Never gonna give, never gonna give
(Give you up)
We've known each other for so long
Your heart's been aching, but you're too shy to say it
Inside, we both know what's been going on
We know the game and we're gonna play it
I just wanna tell you how I'm feeling
Gotta make you understand
Never gonna give you up
Never gonna let you down
Never gonna run around and desert you
Never gonna make you cry
Never gonna say goodbye
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you
Never gonna give you up
Never gonna let you down
Never gonna run around and desert you
Never gonna make you cry
Never gonna say goodbye
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you
Never gonna give you up
Never gonna let you down
Never gonna run around and desert you
Never gonna make you cry
Never gonna say goodbye
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you
These lyrics are actually the first verse and chorus of Rick Astley's hit song "Never Gonna Give You Up" from 1987, which was later popularized as a "rickroll" meme. However, in this context, they are likely being used ironically or playfully by the artist Pretty Lights as a sample or reference in their song "Let the World Hurry By."
The lyrics themselves are about a person expressing their love and commitment to their partner, promising to never hurt or leave them. The repetition of the chorus reinforces the sincerity and strength of these promises. The line "we're no strangers to love" suggests that the couple has been together for some time and knows each other well.
The use of these lyrics in Pretty Lights' song could be interpreted in a few ways. It could be seen as a tongue-in-cheek nod to the cheesy or sentimental nature of love songs. Alternatively, it may be a way for the artist to subvert or remix nostalgic pop culture references, using them in new and unexpected ways. The juxtaposition of the upbeat and recognizable chorus with the downtempo and atmospheric electronic production of the rest of the song creates a sense of contrast and surprise that may be intentional.
Line by Line Meaning
We're no strangers to love
We have been here many times before
You know the rules and so do I
We are familiar with how things work
A full commitment's what I'm thinking of
I am ready to fully invest myself in this
You wouldn't get this from any other guy
No one else can love you the way I do
I just wanna tell you how I'm feeling
I want to express my emotions to you
Gotta make you understand
I need you to comprehend my intentions
Never gonna give you up
I will not betray or abandon you
Never gonna let you down
I will always be there for you
Never gonna run around and desert you
I will not flee from our challenges
Never gonna make you cry
I will not be the source of your pain
Never gonna say goodbye
I will not leave you
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you
I will not deceive you and cause harm
We've known each other for so long
We have history together
Your heart's been aching, but you're too shy to say it
You are hurting but hesitant to verbalize it
Inside, we both know what's been going on
We are aware of the underlying issues
We know the game and we're gonna play it
We understand the rules and will abide by them
And if you ask me how I'm feeling
If you inquire about my emotions
Don't tell me you're too blind to see
You should be able to comprehend my emotions
Never gonna give, never gonna give
I will never give up
(Give you up)
I will not abandon you
Contributed by Isaac Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@andrewhontz3327
I think this is my favorite PL song...at least itβs the one I keep coming back to a decade later. The way he plays with the tone of that 4-note synth theme first heard at 0:55 just keeps me wanting more, and when it reverts back to the original tone/texture at 4:57 just drives me to play the song over and over again.
@samaireoctober5584
I have to say this.....this song blows my mind, the bass, the vocals, so beautifully blended.
@SammyGFilms
One of the dopest songs PL has ever done.. But it's hard to say which is dopest because all this shit is so dope. I get faded from your tunes
@chhhhhhhhhhhhhhase13
Those piano arpeggios make me feel surrounded by the mood entirely.
@ryanyorde3957
I didn't hear piano in this song once..
@seanpalatial940
Yes the melody is unreal
@seanpalatial940
β@@ryanyorde3957are you deaf?
@seanpalatial940
Wow it's been years since I've heard this one holy shit that piano is so cold
@manonice89
"These are the times I try to not to make it hurry by so much..." Las Vegas was the start of a new movement in PL and my life . Love you Derek
@CekyHDa
I love this track so much .........