Flashing Lights
"Flashing Lights" is a song by American rapper Kanye West from his third studio album, Graduation. The song features a guest appearance from R&B singer Dwele and additional vocals from Australian singer Connie Mitchell. West co-wrote and co-produced the song with Eric Hudson, who had completed the production before the duo added a live string section in 2007. It was released to US rhythmic contemporary radio as the album's fourth single on November 20, 2007, by Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings. A hip-hop, electro rap, and R&B song with elements of numerous genres, it prominently utilizes strings and synths. Lyrically, the song features West rapping about a complicated relationship where a girl has power over him; he also compares the paparazzi to Nazis.
"Flashing Lights" was met with universal acclaim from music critics, who mostly praised the production. Some highlighted the synths in particular, while a few critics saw the song as a significant moment in hip-hop. It has since appeared on best-of lists from multiple publications, including Pitchforks decade-end ranking for the 2000s. The song was one of the Award Winning Songs for the 2009 BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards. The song charted at number 29 on the US Billboard Hot 100, while reaching number 12 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. It also attained top 40 chart positions in Ireland, Turkey, and the United Kingdom, while peaking at number 54 in Canada. In the United States, the song received a sextuple platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America. It was also certified platinum in both Denmark and the UK by IFPI Danmark and the British Phonographic Industry, respectively.
An accompanying music video debuted on February 10, 2008. It stars Rita G who takes out her frustration on West and he is placed in the trunk of her Ford Mustang and attacked with a shovel. The visual received positive reviews from critics and several praised the model's involvement. It won Best Narrative Video at the 2008 Antville Music Video Awards, two years before being named by West as the favorite video of his career. Two other music videos had been produced that West chose not to release, yet they sprang internet leaks in May 2008. West performed the song on his Glow in the Dark Tour, following a space opera storyline where he attempts to escape a planet devoid of creativity and fails. He also performed it at the Coachella and Splendour festivals in 2011. "Flashing Lights" has been used in numerous commercials, video games, and other songs. The song has been covered by Kids These Days in June 2012 and Lorde in September 2014; the latter's live performance received positive reviews from critics. The remix of the song was released in January 2008, featuring a verse from R. Kelly.
Background
first met West when the rapper appeared on a remix of his song "Hold On" in 2004. The two also worked on about four songs together in 2010, including West's single "Power". In June 2008, Eric Hudson, who co-wrote and produced "Flashing Lights" with West, recalled to XXL that he did not realize the song would "be as big as it was" until he listened to the "hot record" after release. Hudson felt great about the collaboration and joked that he wants to make 10 more songs like it, while he had completed the beat when he played it to West. The song's recording took place in 2007 and during the process, West added a live string section with Hudson over the synth strings. West wrote the lyrics the same night and Hudson's process began with the strings, then he used his MPC to sequence the drums and experimented with these elements alongside a loop, adding the bassline next that he saw as significant. Hudson later received more requests for collaborations from famous artists, who asked him for "the 'Flashing Lights' feel", which he tried to avoid since he did not want to duplicate his work on the song and become synonymous with a particular musical sound.The song includes additional vocals from Connie Mitchell of Australian dance group Sneaky Sound System; the collaboration happened when West met Mitchell's bandmates Angus McDonald and Daimon Downey at a casual diner in Sydney. In need of musical inspiration, West asked McDonald for ideas, who responded by suggesting that he be introduced to Mitchell and he requested her to sing over a vocal track after they met. Mitchell thought the studio team held her to a low standard and McDonald considered the vocal track a challenging assignment, yet her vocals were included in the track. She contributed to six tracks on the album and acknowledged gaining recognition through working with West, after not having known who he was, and also became more interested in hip-hop.
"Flashing Lights" marked West's first instance of using a version of the term "light" in a song title and he continued to do so in future song titles. West references flashing lights directly on the former, similarly to how he referred to lights on the other releases. The cover art for the single was designed by Japanese artist Takashi Murakami. On the artwork, a girl is shown surrounded by flashing lights that also display the title and the names of the performing artists. Accompanying artwork for the album's other singles was also created by Murakami, alongside him overseeing the art direction of Graduation.
Composition and lyrics
Musically, "Flashing Lights" is a hip-hop, electro rap, and R&B song, with elements of Euro-club, French house, and pop music. The disco production was noted by numerous commentators, including Nathan Brackett of Rolling Stone, who compared it to hip-hop before the 1980s group Run-DMC. According to the sheet music on Musicnotes.com, the song is set in the time signature of common time. It is composed in the key of F♯ minor with a moderate tempo of 90 beats per minute and the vocal range spans a tenth, from C4 to E5. The song relies on strings from the beginning, which were arranged by Larry Gold and described as moving by both Highsnobiety and Stylus Magazine. The strings are accompanied by drums and a bassline, while bright synths are included throughout. Staccato sounds and chopped-up vocal samples are incorporated, alongside the keys that are chopped too. An orchestra contributes violin, viola, and cello to the song.In the lyrics of "Flashing Lights", West raps about a complicated relationship with a girl who holds power over him. He tells the tale of the lover's focus on materialism in the first verse, narrating how she prefers shoes and cars over shooting stars. West also acknowledges trying to bolster public opinion of him, which he links to the theme of press intrusion. He complains about being flashed by the paparazzi, asserting that he hates them more than Nazis. Following West's alleged antisemitism in November 2022, former associates of him noted in a letter to TheWrap that the context of the reference demonstrates his growing obsession with Adolf Hitler. The chorus is performed by Dwele, who questions: "But what do I know?" Afterwards, West narrates breaking up with his lover in the second verse, comparing how he felt to "Katrina with no FEMA". He fantasizes that she is on the opposite side of the glass in his memory's museum, equating her with Mona Lisa.
Release and reception
West unveiled the track during a listening session for the album at Manhattan's New World Stages on August 28, 2007. On September 11, 2007, "Flashing Lights" was included as the ninth track on West's third studio album Graduation. West later shared the song as part six of the album's listening experience to his blog on April 4, 2008. The song was sent to US rhythmic contemporary radio stations as the album's fourth single on November 20, 2007, through West's labels Roc-A-Fella and Def Jam. It was later made available for digital download by the labels in various countries on January 1, 2008. Mercury released the song as a CD single in Japan on April 14, 2008, while a 12" vinyl was issued for it by West's labels in the United States on June 20."Flashing Lights" was met with generally positive reviews from music critics, who often commended the production, particularly the synths. At RapReviews, Jesal 'Jay Soul' Padania identified the song as a highlight of Graduation that prevents oblivion in its middle. Alex Fletcher of Digital Spy awarded the song four stars out of five, feeling confident that it proved "why West is the hottest property in US music at the moment" and noted how the electro and hip-hop elements are combined for "a sumptuous track that grows more intriguing with every listen". AllMusic's Andy Kellman noted that the bright synths may be "one of the most glaring deal-breakers in hip-hop history", while Stylus Magazine music reviewer Jayson Greene described the "gorgeously airy" track as "one of the most unabashedly graceful things" included on a mainstream rap record for years, with its "slithering house backbeat".
Some reviewers focused on other aspects of the production. Writing for Rolling Stone, Brackett stated that within the song, "West single-handedly takes hip-hop back to its pre-Run-DMC disco days." Mark Pytlik of Pitchfork named the song as an instant highlight that "marries a Bond-worthy coda to staccato sounds and cut-up vocal samples". In Billboard, Hillary Crosley was satisfied with the song for "reintroducing Miami Vice-esque keys". For Slant Magazine, Eric Henderson offered that it would be hard to find a campus library with enough depth to annotate the song and highlighted "the swooping drama queenery". In a less glowing review, Chet Betz of Cokemachineglow believed that it works off the production, which could have had a lot more impact due to "the glissando chop 'n key melds dazzling but suffering from a distinct lack of knock". Dorian Lynskey from The Guardian praised the strings for invoking Bernard Herrmann, yet found comparing the paparazzi to Nazis to be "simply imbecilic".