"Bright Lights" is a song by American alternative rock group Matchbox Twenty. The song was released on July 28, 2003, as the third single from their third album, More Than You Think You Are (2002). "Bright Lights" peaked at number 23 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and reached the top 50 in Australia and New Zealand.
| "Bright Lights" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Matchbox Twenty | ||||
| from the album More Than You Think You Are | ||||
| Released | July 28, 2003 | |||
| Studio |
| |||
| Length | 3:54 | |||
| Label | Atlantic | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Rob Thomas | |||
| Producer(s) | Matt Serletic | |||
| Matchbox Twenty singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Content
editThe song was written by lead singer Rob Thomas, and is about a girl who leaves her hometown to pursue an unspecified career of some fame, possibly Broadway. Throughout the song, he pleads with the girl to let her know that she is encouraged to return home if things don't work out. According to Thomas, "Bright Lights" may be his favorite song he has recorded.[1]
Music video
editThe video is taken directly from footage released on the DVD Show: A Night in the Life of Matchbox Twenty, and as such, is a live performance. As he also does in the studio version of the song, Thomas plays the piano, and towards the end, lead guitarist Kyle Cook jumps atop the piano.
Track listing
edit- UK and Australian CD single[2]
- "Bright Lights"
- "Disease" (live)
- "Bright Lights" (live)
Credits and personnel
editCredits are taken from the More Than You Think You Are album booklet.[3]
Studios
- Recorded at Bearsville Studios (Bearsville, New York) and The Hit Factory (New York City)
- Mixed at The Hit Factory (New York City)
- Mastered at Marcussen Mastering (Hollywood, California)
Personnel
- Rob Thomas – writing, vocals, piano
- Kyle Cook – background vocals, lead guitar
- Adam Gaynor – background vocals, rhythm guitar
- Brian Yale – bass
- Paul Doucette – drums, percussion
- Greg Leisz – pedal steel
- Matt Serletic – keyboards, production
- Greg Collins – recording, additional mixing
- Jim Scott – mixing
- Chris Testa – mixing assistance
- Mark Dodson – Pro Tools, digital editing, additional engineering
- Pat Woodward – additional engineering
- Stephen Marcussen – mastering
- Stewart Whitmore – mastering
Charts
edit
Weekly chartsedit
|
Year-end chartsedit
|
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[13] | Platinum | 1,000,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
Release history
edit| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | July 28, 2003 | Atlantic | [14] | |
| August 11, 2003 | Contemporary hit radio | [15] | ||
| Australia | September 15, 2003 | CD | [16] | |
| United Kingdom | [17] |
References
edit- ^ Armstrong, Josh (September 9, 2009). "Rob Thomas rocks Cradlesong". KnowTheArtist.com. Retrieved January 23, 2011.
- ^ Bright Lights (UK & Australian CD single liner notes). Matchbox Twenty. Atlantic Records. 2003. AT0164CD, 7567882092.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ More Than You Think You Are (US CD album booklet). Matchbox Twenty. Atlantic Records. 2002. 83612-2.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "Matchbox Twenty – Bright Lights". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
- ^ "Matchbox Twenty – Bright Lights". Top 40 Singles.
- ^ "Matchbox Twenty Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
- ^ "Matchbox Twenty Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard.
- ^ "Matchbox Twenty Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard.
- ^ "2004 The Year in Charts: Most-Played Adult Top 40 Songs" (PDF). Airplay Monitor. Vol. 11, no. 51. December 19, 2003. p. 22. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
- ^ "2004 The Year in Charts: Most-Played Mainstream Top 40 Songs" (PDF). Airplay Monitor. Vol. 11, no. 51. December 19, 2003. p. 14. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
- ^ "Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 116, no. 52. December 25, 2004. p. YE-74. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
- ^ "2004 The Year in Charts: Most-Played Mainstream Top 40 Songs". Billboard Radio Monitor. Vol. 12, no. 51. December 17, 2004. p. 22.
- ^ "American single certifications – Matchbox Twenty – Bright Lights". Recording Industry Association of America.
- ^ "Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1514. July 25, 2003. p. 22. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
- ^ "Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1516. August 8, 2003. p. 26. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
- ^ "The ARIA Report: New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 15th September 2003" (PDF). ARIA. September 15, 2003. p. 25. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 6, 2003. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
- ^ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. September 13, 2003. p. 29.