Every Light in the House
Encyclopedia
"Every Light in the House" is a country music
song written by Kent Robbins
and recorded by American
country music artist Trace Adkins
. It was the second single released from his debut album, Dreamin' Out Loud
, and his first Top Five single on the Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs
) chart, where it peaked at No. 3.
and fiddle
. in which the narrator was recently split from his wife. He turns every single light on in the house and keeps them on for her in case she wants to return to his side. He insists on leaving the lights on, paying no regard to the electrical hazard this may cause or the financial burden that will ensue.
magazine reviewed the song favorably, saying that Adkin's deep, powerful voice does justice to the yearning in this lyric about a man who has left the lights on waiting for his lover to return." Rick Cohoon of Allmusic gave the song a favorable review, calling it a "creative approach to the age-old 'goodbye, I miss you' song." He commended Adkins' voice for "communicat[ing] pain so well" despite the singer's stature, although he considered some of the similes forced (e.g. "the backyard's bright as the crack of dawn").
for this song begins with Adkins sitting on the porch of a house with his dog after his woman left home. He then gets off the porch, and he and some workers get to work on a power generator. Scenes also feature him singing inside of the same house.
, also marking his first entry on that chart.
, country parodist Cledus T. Judd
parodied the song as "Every Light in the House Is Blown".
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
song written by Kent Robbins
Kent Robbins
Kent Robbins was an American country music songwriter. He began writing for Charley Pride's Pi-Gem music in 1974. Between then and his death, he wrote songs for several other country music artists...
and recorded by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
country music artist Trace Adkins
Trace Adkins
Tracy Darrell "Trace" Adkins is an American country music artist. He made his debut in 1996 with the album Dreamin' Out Loud, released on Capitol Records Nashville. Since then, Adkins has released seven more studio albums and two Greatest Hits compilations...
. It was the second single released from his debut album, Dreamin' Out Loud
Dreamin' out Loud
-Personnel:*Trace Adkins - acoustic guitar, lead vocals*Eddie Bayers - drums*Barry Beckett - organ*Bill Cuomo - synthesizer*Paul Franklin - steel guitar*Rob Hajacos - fiddle*Brent Mason - electric guitar*Terry McMillan - harmonica*Matt Rollings - piano...
, and his first Top Five single on the Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
) chart, where it peaked at No. 3.
Content
The song is a mid-tempo ballad mostly accompanied by pianoPiano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
and fiddle
Fiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
. in which the narrator was recently split from his wife. He turns every single light on in the house and keeps them on for her in case she wants to return to his side. He insists on leaving the lights on, paying no regard to the electrical hazard this may cause or the financial burden that will ensue.
Critical reception
Deborah Evans Price, of BillboardBillboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
magazine reviewed the song favorably, saying that Adkin's deep, powerful voice does justice to the yearning in this lyric about a man who has left the lights on waiting for his lover to return." Rick Cohoon of Allmusic gave the song a favorable review, calling it a "creative approach to the age-old 'goodbye, I miss you' song." He commended Adkins' voice for "communicat[ing] pain so well" despite the singer's stature, although he considered some of the similes forced (e.g. "the backyard's bright as the crack of dawn").
Music video
The music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for this song begins with Adkins sitting on the porch of a house with his dog after his woman left home. He then gets off the porch, and he and some workers get to work on a power generator. Scenes also feature him singing inside of the same house.
Chart performance
"Every Light in the House" debuted at number 72 on the Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart dated August 24, 1996. It charted for 21 weeks on that chart, and peaked at number 3 on the country chart dated December 14, 1996, giving Adkins the first Top 5 single of his career. In addition, it peaked at number 78 on the Billboard Hot 100Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, also marking his first entry on that chart.
| Chart (1996) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Country Tracks (RPM RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,... ) |
10 |
Parodies
On his 1998 album Did I Shave My Back for This?Did I Shave My Back for This?
Did I Shave My Back for This? is the third album from country music parodist Cledus T. Judd. The title of the album itself is a take-off on Deana Carter's 1996 debut album Did I Shave My Legs for This?, whose title track is parodied here...
, country parodist Cledus T. Judd
Cledus T. Judd
Barry Poole is an American country music artist who records under the name Cledus T. Judd. Known primarily for his parodies of popular country music songs, he has been called the "Weird Al" Yankovic of country music, and his albums are usually an equal mix of original comedy songs and parodies...
parodied the song as "Every Light in the House Is Blown".