"Lights Out" is a song by American musician

Santigold Santi White (born September 25, 1976), known professionally as Santigold (formerly Santogold), is an American singer and songwriter. Her debut studio album, '' Santogold'' (2008), was released by Atlantic Records and met with widespread critica ...

(then Santogold). It was released on August 11, 2008, through

Downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in American and Canadian English to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ( ...

, Lizard King and

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over the course of its first two decades, starting from the release of its first recor ...

as the third single from her debut studio album, '' Santogold'' (2008).

Release and reception

On July 4, 2008, "Light Out" was announced to be released on August 11 as the third single from ''Santogold''. The song, as well as an exclusive remix, was used to promote Bud Light Lime, with the remix being available as a free download from the brand's official website. Santi promoted the song on

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...

's popular

Live Lounge The Live Lounge is a segment on the British radio stations BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 1Xtra. It was originally hosted by Simon Mayo, and later by Jo Whiley on her weekday mid-morning, and later weekend lunchtime radio shows, then by Fearne Cott ...

programme, hosted by

Jo Whiley Johanne Whiley-Morton (born 4 July 1965), better known professionally as Jo Whiley, is an English radio DJ and television presenter. She was the host of the long-running '' Jo Whiley Show'' on BBC Radio 1 and has since been presenting her weekd ...

. She performed "Lights Out" and a cover of

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, ...

's "

Hometown Glory "Hometown Glory" is a song by English singer-songwriter Adele. It was released on 22 October 2007 in the United Kingdom as her debut single, and appears on her debut studio album '' 19'' (2008). In 2008, the song was re-released as her fourth s ...

". Lights Out also appeared in hit TV show Grey's Anatomy. ''

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 ...

'' compared "Lights Out" to "a lost

Pretenders Pretenders may refer to: Film * ''Pretenders'' (2018 film), an American drama film * ''The Pretenders'' (1916 film), a lost American silent film * ''The Pretenders'' (1981 film), a Dutch film Literature * ''Cemetery Girl – Book One: The P ...

single." ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'', meanwhile, said the song "harkens back to the sleek ’80s new wave of

The Cars The Cars were an American Rock music, rock band formed in Boston in 1976. Emerging from the New wave music, new wave Subculture, scene in the late 1970s, they consisted of Ric Ocasek (rhythm guitar), Benjamin Orr (bass guitar), Elliot Easton (l ...

." ''

Blender A blender (sometimes called a mixer (from Latin ''mixus, the PPP of miscere eng. to Mix)'' or liquidiser in British English) is a kitchen and laboratory appliance used to mix, crush, purée or emulsify food and other substances. A stationary ...

'' seconded the comparison, saying the "butterfly fragile" song uses "chunky Cars guitars and a plaintive early-MTV synth" as a "shy come-on". "Lights Out" also received comparisons to

Pixies Pixies may refer to: * Plural of Pixie * Pixies (band) The Pixies are an American alternative rock band from Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1986 by Black Francis (vocals, rhythm guitar, songwriter), Joey Santiago (lead guitar), Kim ...

; '' The List'' said that the "uplifting

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 ...

number 'Lights Out' – the track most generously endowed with those hooks White speaks so proudly of – recalls The Pixies." ''

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, ...

'' stated it "channel the Pixies icwith a

punk-pop Pop-punk (also punk-pop, alternatively spelled without the hyphen) is a rock music fusion genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop music, pop. It is defined by its fast-paced, energetic tempos, and emphasis on classic pop s ...

sound fueled by spare guitar plucks, simple drum patterns, and lyrics delivered in a talk-sing stutter with random falsetto breaks." It "finds a fascinating middle ground between the Pixies and

the Go-Go's The Go-Go's are an American all-female Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1978. Except for short periods when other musicians joined briefly, the band has had a relatively stable lineup consisting of Charlotte Caffey on lead guitar ...

", according to ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

''. ''Pitchfork'' placed it at #422 on its "Top 500 Tracks of the 2000s" list.

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, ...

simply called the song "a sweet and eerie lullaby". ILikeMusic said that "under a pure fire pop chorus the track is as irresistible as gravity." The ''

Manchester Evening News The ''Manchester Evening News'' (''MEN'') is a regional daily newspaper covering Greater Manchester in North West England, founded in 1868. It is published Monday–Saturday; a Sunday edition, the ''MEN on Sunday'', was launched in February 20 ...

'' went as far to call the song "perfect, faultless: a complete peach."

Music video

The "Lights Out" music video was directed by Kim Gehrig. The music video premiered via ''Pitchfork'' on August 11, 2008. It features Santigold performing in front of various colored walls and patterns —

zebra Zebras (, ) (subgenus ''Hippotigris'') are African equines with distinctive black-and-white striped coats. There are three living species: Grévy's zebra (''Equus grevyi''), the plains zebra (''E. quagga''), and the mountain zebra (''E. ...

print, black-and-yellow

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, a

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the equator, where the sun may shine directly overhead. This contrasts with the temperate or polar regions of Earth, where the Sun can never be directly overhead. This is because of Earth's ax ...

theme,

cheetah The cheetah (''Acinonyx jubatus'') is a large Felidae, cat and the Fastest animals, fastest land animal. It has a tawny to creamy white or pale buff fur that is marked with evenly spaced, solid black spots. The head is small and rounded, wit ...

and

tiger The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is a large Felidae, cat and a member of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Asia. It has a powerful, muscular body with a large head and paws, a long tail and orange fur with black, mostly vertical stripes. It is ...

prints,

flamingo Flamingos or flamingoes () are a type of wading bird in the family Phoenicopteridae, which is the only extant family in the order Phoenicopteriformes. There are four flamingo species distributed throughout the Americas (including the Caribbe ...

es,

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s, and others.

In popular culture

*The song is in the soundtrack for the movie Bellflower

Track listing

*UK CD single #"Lights Out" (radio edit) – 3:13 *UK digital EP #Lights Out – 3:13 #Lights Out (Tepr Club Remix) – 5:40 #Lights Out (Tepr Emo Remix) – 3:37 #Lights Out (Kid Gloves Remix) – 7:30 #Lights Out (Dave Rubato Remix) – 3:16 (iTunes only)

Official versions and remixes

* Album Version — 3:12 * Radio Edit — 3:13 (same as the album version) * Video Version — 2:30 * Bud Light Remix — 2:32 * Dave Rubato Remix — 3:16 * Diplo's Panda Bear Remix — 2:22 (appears on ''

Top Ranking ''Top Ranking: A Diplo Dub'' is the first mixtape by American musician and singer Santigold (then going by ''Santogold'') and Philadelphia-based DJ Diplo, released on July 15, 2008. Background ''Top Ranking'' features remixes of songs from Sa ...

'') * Kid Gloves Remix — 7:30 * Tepr Club Remix — 5:40 * Tepr Emo Remix — 3:37

References

{{authority control 2008 singles Santigold songs Songs written by John Hill (record producer) Songs written by Santigold Song recordings produced by John Hill (record producer) 2008 songs Atlantic Records singles