Lights (Ellie Goulding album)
Encyclopedia
Lights is the debut studio album by English recording artist Ellie Goulding
. It was released in the United Kingdom on 1 March 2010 by Polydor Records
. Produced by Starsmith
, Frankmusik
, Fraser T. Smith
and Richard Stannard, the album received mostly positive reviews from music critics. It debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart
and spawned four singles: "Under the Sheets
", "Starry Eyed", "Guns and Horses
" and "The Writer
". By the end of 2010, the album had sold 387,600 copies in the UK and has since passed over 600,000 sales.
The album was re-released on 29 November 2010 as Bright Lights, including six brand-new tracks. It has so far produced two additional singles, those being a cover of Elton John
's "Your Song" (which went on to become Goulding's biggest hit to date in the UK, reaching number two) and the title track "Lights
". Following the re-release, the album saw a surge in sales in both the UK and Ireland. On 8 March 2011, the album was released in the United States featuring three songs that were previously not available on the original version, but were included on the Bright Lights reissue.
after two years in order to pursue her musical career; she explained to BBC News Wales that "I'd entered a university talent contest and was spotted by some people in the audience". She signed a record deal with Polydor
in September 2009. However, Goulding opted to release lead single "Under the Sheets
" on independent label Neon Gold Records
so she would not be under pressure.
Goulding explained that the album "is made up of songs that all started on a guitar over a period of about two years. A number of the songs vent romantic victories and failures." She revealed that the first song she ever wrote, "Wish I Stayed", is featured on the album.
She met chief producer Starsmith
after moving to Bromley
, London from her home in Hereford
. In an interview, she explained, "Meeting Starsmith was a godsend. We're like brother and sister. We fight a lot but you can't get anywhere without creative tension."
, Fraser T. Smith
, Richard Stannard and Ash Howes; the majority of the album was recorded in the former's bedroom in Bromley
, London. She told the Daily Star that "though I write on guitar, I hear the entire sound of songs in my head. And Fin [Starsmith] is someone who understands."
, which assigns a normalised
rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average
score of 64, based on 18 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews". Neil McCormick from The Daily Telegraph
praised the "lush electro-dance production of Starsmith" saying it "evokes a gushing, breathless rush of heady emotion that might have benefited from at least a dash of restraint and intimacy." Mike Diver
from BBC Music
described the album as "an expectations-passing collection that should see fans of the singer's material to date elevating her to superstar status—perhaps not Gaga
league, but certainly the equal of the current solo female du jour, Florence Welch
." He added that "ballads like 'The Writer' and 'I'll Hold My Breath' retain the glossy attraction of singles 'Under the Sheets
' and 'Starry Eyed'" and cited "Wish I Stayed" as "the album's skilfully sound-scaped highlight, percussively brutish but comely of light keys." In a review for Allmusic, Matthew Chisling commented that the album "is something of relevance; it lacks the dramatic crash and bang of Florence and the Machine's Lungs
, but is certainly a more restrained, compelling listen than the debut records by Pixie Lott
and Little Boots
." He further commended Goulding for her ability to "take the best parts of all of her contemporaries' styles and create pleasantly surprising records." The Fly
magazine's Camilla Pia raved: "Packed full of sparkling pop with a folky heart and an electronic edge, the debut is ridiculously infectious; swooping choruses and lyrics of all-consuming love and losing it sticking in your head from first listen."
The Independent
critic Andy Gill noted that "despite the occasional furtive flourish of acoustic guitar, her work on this debut album is more akin to the retro-synthpop
of Little Boots and La Roux
, thanks to the thoroughness with which production partner Fin Dow-Smith has smothered her folkie origins under a welter of busily cycling synths and programmed beats." Stephen Troussé wrote for Pitchfork Media
that "[o]utside of its immediate context, Lights is a sometimes great, always promising debut. It's an album about leaving home, and it works best when the contrast between the folk singer and the pop production chimes with the tensions between the pull of home and the allure of the city." Jody Rosen
from Rolling Stone
remarked that Goulding "has a classic British folkie's voice—the kind of tremulous soprano that evokes a wintry day on a fog-swaddled moor. But Lights places her vocals and minor-key melodies against producer Starsmith's club-ready mix of synths and brisk, busy electro rhythms. The results are moody [...], pretty [...] and uniformly catchy." Spin
s Caryn Ganz referred to the album as "[s]hiny, wholesome dance-pop
, with a dash of saucy" on which Goulding "glides through blippy anthems [...], pumping disco [...], and delicate grooves [...] with a pixie-ish voice that's one notch sweeter than Metric
's Emily Haines
." Michael Cragg from musicOMH
argued that "[f]or the most part, the strength of the songwriting should keep the doubters at bay, Goulding and producer Starsmith concocting a heady mix of skyscraping choruses, twinkling beats and Goulding's elastic vocals." Claire Allfree of Metro
viewed the album as "undeniably pretty aerated synth-pop but Goulding's girly, heartfelt voice is oddly depthless, while the electronic vapour and four-to-the-floor house beats swoop in a wash of perfectly calibrated bland sound", though there was praise for "Starry Eyed" ("pulsingly pert") and "The Writer" ("a lilting melodic hook"). However, The Guardian
s Alexis Petridis
took a dislike to the album saying it provides "just general acoustic singer-songwriter material." Mark Beaumont from the NME
was not impressed either, stating that "there's nothing here groundbreaking enough to justify the critical frothing. It's largely straight-ahead folk-pop dappled with a mild ground-frost of sequenced beats, Auto-Tune
, and synth sizzles." David Renshaw of Drowned in Sound
believed that "Lights sounds like a naïve folk album given a blog house remix" and that "[d]evoid of a true soul or sense of honesty Lights can be a pretty hollow listen."
for the week of 7 March 2010, selling almost 40,000 copies in its first week. The following week, the album fell out of the top ten to number sixteen, dropping for the next five weeks. It remained on the chart until late October. Following the release of Bright Lights in November, the album re-entered the chart at number twenty-four. It ended 2010 as the twenty-sixth best-selling album in the UK, with sales standing at 387,600 copies. In January 2011, the album returned to the top ten, and continued there for six weeks. Following Goulding's performance at the reception party of Prince William and Catherine Middleton's wedding
on 29 April 2011, the album returned once again to the top ten on 8 May after an absence of thirteen weeks, jumping from number twenty-three to number ten on sales of 11,981 units. In Ireland, Lights debuted on the Irish Albums Chart
at number twelve on 4 March 2010. After the Bright Lights re-release, the album entered the Irish top ten for the first time, attaining a new peak position of number six on 24 February 2011. Elsewhere, the album reached number eight on the European Top 100 Albums
, number twenty-eight in New Zealand, number thirty-five in Norway, number thirty-eight in Greece, number forty-two in Germany, number fifty-four in Belgium and number ninety in Switzerland.
In the United States, where Lights was released on 8 March 2011, the album debuted at number 129 on the Billboard 200
and at number one on the Heatseekers Albums
chart on the issue dated 26 March 2011. After leaving the charts, it re-entered the Billboard 200 in May 2011 following a string of US performances, including Saturday Night Live
, reaching a new peak of number seventy-six on 28 May. On the same issue date, the album also reached number fifteen on the Digital Albums chart. In Canada, it debuted at number seventy-six on the Canadian Albums Chart
on 12 May 2011, peaking at number sixty-six the following week.
" was released as the album's lead single on 9 November 2009, reaching number fifty-three on the UK Singles Chart
. Follow-up single "Starry Eyed", released on 22 February 2010, peaked at number four, ultimately becoming the UK's thirty-ninth best-selling single of 2010. "Guns and Horses
" was released on 17 May 2010 as the third single from the album, and charted at number twenty-six in the UK. "The Writer
", the fourth single, was released digitally only on 8 August 2010, reaching as far as number nineteen on the UK Singles Chart.
Goulding's cover of Elton John
's 1970 classic "Your Song" was released as the album's fifth single on 12 November 2010, also serving as the lead single from the Bright Lights re-release. The song entered the UK chart at number thirty-nine just two days after its digital release. It became Goulding's highest-peaking single to date on the UK chart, reaching number two in its third week. It was the thirtieth best-selling single in the UK for 2010. The song was featured in the John Lewis
Christmas 2010 TV advert in the UK. "Lights
", which was originally available only as a bonus track from iTunes
, was released as the album's sixth single on 13 March 2011, peaking at number forty-nine in the UK.
Bright Lights
Ellie Goulding
Elena Jane "Ellie" Goulding is an English singer-songwriter. In 2010 she became only the second artist to both top the BBC's annual Sound of... poll, and win the Critics' Choice Award at the BRIT Awards in the same year, following Adele's win of both in 2008...
. It was released in the United Kingdom on 1 March 2010 by Polydor Records
Polydor Records
Polydor is a record label owned by Universal Music Group, headquartered in the United Kingdom.-Beginnings:Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Its name was first used as an export label in 1924, the British and German branches of the Gramophone...
. Produced by Starsmith
Starsmith
Starsmith is a songwriter, producer, remixer and DJ. He studied a classical music degree at the University of Surrey majoring in performance on saxophone...
, Frankmusik
Frankmusik
Vincent Frank born Vincent James Turner is known professionally as Frankmusik is an English electropop musician. The name "Frank" is derived from the surname of his grandfather, whose name he took in tribute.-Early life:...
, Fraser T. Smith
Fraser T. Smith
Fraser T. Smith is an English record producer, songwriter, mix engineer and guitarist....
and Richard Stannard, the album received mostly positive reviews from music critics. It debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
and spawned four singles: "Under the Sheets
Under the Sheets
"Under the Sheets" is a song by English recording artist Ellie Goulding from her debut album, Lights. Produced by Starsmith, it was released as the album's lead single. The song premiered on BBC Radio 1 on 30 September 2009 and was released on the UK iTunes Store on 15 November 2009, peaking at...
", "Starry Eyed", "Guns and Horses
Guns and Horses
"Guns and Horses" is a song by English recording artist Ellie Goulding from her debut album, Lights . It was released digitally on 16 May 2010 and physically the day after as the album's third single.-Background:...
" and "The Writer
The Writer (song)
"The Writer" is a song by English recording artist Ellie Goulding from her debut album, Lights. It was released as the album's fourth and final single on 8 August 2010.-Background:...
". By the end of 2010, the album had sold 387,600 copies in the UK and has since passed over 600,000 sales.
The album was re-released on 29 November 2010 as Bright Lights, including six brand-new tracks. It has so far produced two additional singles, those being a cover of Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
's "Your Song" (which went on to become Goulding's biggest hit to date in the UK, reaching number two) and the title track "Lights
Lights (Ellie Goulding song)
"Lights" is a song by English recording artist Ellie Goulding from her debut album, Lights. It was released digitally in the United Kingdom on 13 March 2011 as the album's sixth single overall, and second from the Bright Lights re-release. It will be released as the lead single from the album in...
". Following the re-release, the album saw a surge in sales in both the UK and Ireland. On 8 March 2011, the album was released in the United States featuring three songs that were previously not available on the original version, but were included on the Bright Lights reissue.
Background
Goulding dropped out of a degree programme at the University of KentUniversity of Kent
The University of Kent, previously the University of Kent at Canterbury, is a public research university based in Kent, United Kingdom...
after two years in order to pursue her musical career; she explained to BBC News Wales that "I'd entered a university talent contest and was spotted by some people in the audience". She signed a record deal with Polydor
Polydor Records
Polydor is a record label owned by Universal Music Group, headquartered in the United Kingdom.-Beginnings:Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Its name was first used as an export label in 1924, the British and German branches of the Gramophone...
in September 2009. However, Goulding opted to release lead single "Under the Sheets
Under the Sheets
"Under the Sheets" is a song by English recording artist Ellie Goulding from her debut album, Lights. Produced by Starsmith, it was released as the album's lead single. The song premiered on BBC Radio 1 on 30 September 2009 and was released on the UK iTunes Store on 15 November 2009, peaking at...
" on independent label Neon Gold Records
Neon Gold Records
Neon Gold Records is a New York City/London-based boutique record company founded in 2008 by Derek Davies and Lizzy Plapinger . Neon Gold specializes in 7" records, regularly releasing limited runs between 250 to 500 copies...
so she would not be under pressure.
Goulding explained that the album "is made up of songs that all started on a guitar over a period of about two years. A number of the songs vent romantic victories and failures." She revealed that the first song she ever wrote, "Wish I Stayed", is featured on the album.
She met chief producer Starsmith
Starsmith
Starsmith is a songwriter, producer, remixer and DJ. He studied a classical music degree at the University of Surrey majoring in performance on saxophone...
after moving to Bromley
Bromley
Bromley is a large suburban town in south east London, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Bromley. It was historically a market town, and prior to 1963 was in the county of Kent and formed the administrative centre of the Municipal Borough of Bromley...
, London from her home in Hereford
Hereford
Hereford is a cathedral city, civil parish and county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, southwest of Worcester, and northwest of Gloucester...
. In an interview, she explained, "Meeting Starsmith was a godsend. We're like brother and sister. We fight a lot but you can't get anywhere without creative tension."
Recording
Goulding worked with producers Starsmith, FrankmusikFrankmusik
Vincent Frank born Vincent James Turner is known professionally as Frankmusik is an English electropop musician. The name "Frank" is derived from the surname of his grandfather, whose name he took in tribute.-Early life:...
, Fraser T. Smith
Fraser T. Smith
Fraser T. Smith is an English record producer, songwriter, mix engineer and guitarist....
, Richard Stannard and Ash Howes; the majority of the album was recorded in the former's bedroom in Bromley
Bromley
Bromley is a large suburban town in south east London, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Bromley. It was historically a market town, and prior to 1963 was in the county of Kent and formed the administrative centre of the Municipal Borough of Bromley...
, London. She told the Daily Star that "though I write on guitar, I hear the entire sound of songs in my head. And Fin [Starsmith] is someone who understands."
Critical reception
Lights was met with positive reviews from most music critics. At MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, which assigns a normalised
Standard score
In statistics, a standard score indicates how many standard deviations an observation or datum is above or below the mean. It is a dimensionless quantity derived by subtracting the population mean from an individual raw score and then dividing the difference by the population standard deviation...
rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average
Weighted mean
The weighted mean is similar to an arithmetic mean , where instead of each of the data points contributing equally to the final average, some data points contribute more than others...
score of 64, based on 18 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews". Neil McCormick from The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
praised the "lush electro-dance production of Starsmith" saying it "evokes a gushing, breathless rush of heady emotion that might have benefited from at least a dash of restraint and intimacy." Mike Diver
Mike Diver
Mike Diver is a British music journalist. He started his career at music website Drowned in Sound, where he became editor, before moving on in 2008 to become editor of Clash magazine's website. He has contributed to several magazines including NME and Rock Sound.Diver is currently album reviews...
from BBC Music
BBC Music
BBC Music is a team working in the department of Audio and Music Interactive at the BBC. Responsible for the BBC Music website - the portal site to music content across the BBC website....
described the album as "an expectations-passing collection that should see fans of the singer's material to date elevating her to superstar status—perhaps not Gaga
Lady GaGa
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta , better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to...
league, but certainly the equal of the current solo female du jour, Florence Welch
Florence and the Machine
Florence and the Machine is the recording name of English musician Florence Welch and a collaboration of other artists who provide music for her voice. Florence and the Machine's sound has been described as a combination of various genres, including rock and soul...
." He added that "ballads like 'The Writer' and 'I'll Hold My Breath' retain the glossy attraction of singles 'Under the Sheets
Under the Sheets
"Under the Sheets" is a song by English recording artist Ellie Goulding from her debut album, Lights. Produced by Starsmith, it was released as the album's lead single. The song premiered on BBC Radio 1 on 30 September 2009 and was released on the UK iTunes Store on 15 November 2009, peaking at...
' and 'Starry Eyed'" and cited "Wish I Stayed" as "the album's skilfully sound-scaped highlight, percussively brutish but comely of light keys." In a review for Allmusic, Matthew Chisling commented that the album "is something of relevance; it lacks the dramatic crash and bang of Florence and the Machine's Lungs
Lungs (album)
Lungs is the debut album by English indie pop band Florence and the Machine, released 6 July 2009 by Island Records. The album debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart for five weeks after its release, behind The Essential Michael Jackson compilation. On 10 January 2010 the album returned to...
, but is certainly a more restrained, compelling listen than the debut records by Pixie Lott
Pixie Lott
Victoria Louise "Pixie" Lott is an English singer-songwriter, dancer and actress. Her debut single "Mama Do" was released in June 2009 and went straight to number one in the UK Singles Chart. Her second single "Boys and Girls", also topped the UK charts in September 2009. Her debut album Turn It...
and Little Boots
Little Boots
Victoria Christina Hesketh, also known by her stage name/pseudonym Little Boots, is an English electropop singer-songwriter. Her stage name comes from a nickname given to her by a friend, a reference to her unusually small feet...
." He further commended Goulding for her ability to "take the best parts of all of her contemporaries' styles and create pleasantly surprising records." The Fly
The Fly (magazine)
The Fly is a free music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom. The magazine is published by the HMV owned MAMA Group.The magazine started as a listings leaflet in Camden, north London, for the Barfly music venue on Chalk Farm Road...
magazine's Camilla Pia raved: "Packed full of sparkling pop with a folky heart and an electronic edge, the debut is ridiculously infectious; swooping choruses and lyrics of all-consuming love and losing it sticking in your head from first listen."
The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
critic Andy Gill noted that "despite the occasional furtive flourish of acoustic guitar, her work on this debut album is more akin to the retro-synthpop
Synthpop
Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
of Little Boots and La Roux
La Roux
La Roux are an English electropop duo made up of singer, keyboardist, co-writer and co-producer Eleanor Kate Jackson, and co-writer and co-producer Ben Langmaid. Jackson describes their relationship as "very much a half and half sharing situation... not like a singer producer outfit", but also...
, thanks to the thoroughness with which production partner Fin Dow-Smith has smothered her folkie origins under a welter of busily cycling synths and programmed beats." Stephen Troussé wrote for Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
that "[o]utside of its immediate context, Lights is a sometimes great, always promising debut. It's an album about leaving home, and it works best when the contrast between the folk singer and the pop production chimes with the tensions between the pull of home and the allure of the city." Jody Rosen
Jody Rosen
Jody Rosen is an American journalist and author. He is the music critic for the online magazine Slate, and the author of White Christmas: The Story of an American Song....
from Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
remarked that Goulding "has a classic British folkie's voice—the kind of tremulous soprano that evokes a wintry day on a fog-swaddled moor. But Lights places her vocals and minor-key melodies against producer Starsmith's club-ready mix of synths and brisk, busy electro rhythms. The results are moody [...], pretty [...] and uniformly catchy." Spin
Spin (magazine)
Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...
s Caryn Ganz referred to the album as "[s]hiny, wholesome dance-pop
Dance-pop
Dance-pop is dance-oriented pop music that originated in the early 1980s. Developing from post-disco, it is generally up-tempo music intended for clubs with the intention of being danceable or merely dancey...
, with a dash of saucy" on which Goulding "glides through blippy anthems [...], pumping disco [...], and delicate grooves [...] with a pixie-ish voice that's one notch sweeter than Metric
Metric (band)
Metric is a Canadian indie rock and New Wave band founded in 1998 in Toronto. The band has also at various times been based in Montreal, London, New York City and Los Angeles...
's Emily Haines
Emily Haines
Emily Haines is a Canadian indie rock singer-songwriter. She is the lead singer and keyboardist of the band Metric and a member of Broken Social Scene. As a solo artist, she performed with her own name and under the alias Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton...
." Michael Cragg from musicOMH
MusicOMH
musicOMH is a United Kingdom-based website which publishes independent reviews, featues and interviews from across all musical genres including classical, metal, rock and R&B.-History:...
argued that "[f]or the most part, the strength of the songwriting should keep the doubters at bay, Goulding and producer Starsmith concocting a heady mix of skyscraping choruses, twinkling beats and Goulding's elastic vocals." Claire Allfree of Metro
Metro (Associated Metro Limited)
Metro is a free daily newspaper in the United Kingdom published by Associated Newspapers Ltd . It is available from Monday to Friday each week on many public transport services across the United Kingdom.-History:The paper was launched in London in 1999, and can now be found in 14 UK urban centres...
viewed the album as "undeniably pretty aerated synth-pop but Goulding's girly, heartfelt voice is oddly depthless, while the electronic vapour and four-to-the-floor house beats swoop in a wash of perfectly calibrated bland sound", though there was praise for "Starry Eyed" ("pulsingly pert") and "The Writer" ("a lilting melodic hook"). However, The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
s Alexis Petridis
Alexis Petridis
Alexis Petridis is a British journalist, head rock and pop critic for UK newspaper The Guardian, as well as a regular and contributor to the magazine GQ.Petridis began his career writing for Varsity whilst a student at the University of Cambridge...
took a dislike to the album saying it provides "just general acoustic singer-songwriter material." Mark Beaumont from the NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
was not impressed either, stating that "there's nothing here groundbreaking enough to justify the critical frothing. It's largely straight-ahead folk-pop dappled with a mild ground-frost of sequenced beats, Auto-Tune
Auto-Tune
Auto-Tune is a proprietary audio processor created by Antares Audio Technologies. Auto-Tune uses a phase vocoder to correct pitch in vocal and instrumental performances. It is used to disguise off-key inaccuracies and mistakes, and has allowed singers to perform apparently perfectly tuned vocal...
, and synth sizzles." David Renshaw of Drowned in Sound
Drowned in Sound
DrownedinSound.com or DiS is a UK based music webzine financed by artist management company Silentway . The site is an editorially independent music website.-History:...
believed that "Lights sounds like a naïve folk album given a blog house remix" and that "[d]evoid of a true soul or sense of honesty Lights can be a pretty hollow listen."
Chart performance
Lights debuted at number one on the UK Albums ChartUK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
for the week of 7 March 2010, selling almost 40,000 copies in its first week. The following week, the album fell out of the top ten to number sixteen, dropping for the next five weeks. It remained on the chart until late October. Following the release of Bright Lights in November, the album re-entered the chart at number twenty-four. It ended 2010 as the twenty-sixth best-selling album in the UK, with sales standing at 387,600 copies. In January 2011, the album returned to the top ten, and continued there for six weeks. Following Goulding's performance at the reception party of Prince William and Catherine Middleton's wedding
Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton
The wedding of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Catherine Middleton took place on 29 April 2011 at Westminster Abbey in London. Prince William, the eldest son of Charles, Prince of Wales, first met Catherine Middleton in 2001, when both were studying at the University of St Andrews. Their...
on 29 April 2011, the album returned once again to the top ten on 8 May after an absence of thirteen weeks, jumping from number twenty-three to number ten on sales of 11,981 units. In Ireland, Lights debuted on the Irish Albums Chart
Irish Albums Chart
The Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on its behalf by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured electronically...
at number twelve on 4 March 2010. After the Bright Lights re-release, the album entered the Irish top ten for the first time, attaining a new peak position of number six on 24 February 2011. Elsewhere, the album reached number eight on the European Top 100 Albums
European Top 100 Albums
The European Top 100 Albums chart is the European adaptation of the Billboard 200 albums chart. It was created in March 1984.The European Top 100 Albums, commonly referred to as Eurochart Top 100 Albums shows the sales of an act in 19 European countries based on IFPI data.The European Top 100...
, number twenty-eight in New Zealand, number thirty-five in Norway, number thirty-eight in Greece, number forty-two in Germany, number fifty-four in Belgium and number ninety in Switzerland.
In the United States, where Lights was released on 8 March 2011, the album debuted at number 129 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
and at number one on the Heatseekers Albums
Top Heatseekers
Top Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical...
chart on the issue dated 26 March 2011. After leaving the charts, it re-entered the Billboard 200 in May 2011 following a string of US performances, including Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
, reaching a new peak of number seventy-six on 28 May. On the same issue date, the album also reached number fifteen on the Digital Albums chart. In Canada, it debuted at number seventy-six on the Canadian Albums Chart
Canadian Albums Chart
The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS...
on 12 May 2011, peaking at number sixty-six the following week.
Singles
"Under the SheetsUnder the Sheets
"Under the Sheets" is a song by English recording artist Ellie Goulding from her debut album, Lights. Produced by Starsmith, it was released as the album's lead single. The song premiered on BBC Radio 1 on 30 September 2009 and was released on the UK iTunes Store on 15 November 2009, peaking at...
" was released as the album's lead single on 9 November 2009, reaching number fifty-three on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. Follow-up single "Starry Eyed", released on 22 February 2010, peaked at number four, ultimately becoming the UK's thirty-ninth best-selling single of 2010. "Guns and Horses
Guns and Horses
"Guns and Horses" is a song by English recording artist Ellie Goulding from her debut album, Lights . It was released digitally on 16 May 2010 and physically the day after as the album's third single.-Background:...
" was released on 17 May 2010 as the third single from the album, and charted at number twenty-six in the UK. "The Writer
The Writer (song)
"The Writer" is a song by English recording artist Ellie Goulding from her debut album, Lights. It was released as the album's fourth and final single on 8 August 2010.-Background:...
", the fourth single, was released digitally only on 8 August 2010, reaching as far as number nineteen on the UK Singles Chart.
Goulding's cover of Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
's 1970 classic "Your Song" was released as the album's fifth single on 12 November 2010, also serving as the lead single from the Bright Lights re-release. The song entered the UK chart at number thirty-nine just two days after its digital release. It became Goulding's highest-peaking single to date on the UK chart, reaching number two in its third week. It was the thirtieth best-selling single in the UK for 2010. The song was featured in the John Lewis
John Lewis (department store)
-Recent developments:In June 2004, John Lewis announced plans to open its first store in Northern Ireland at the Sprucefield Park development, the province's largest out of town shopping centre, located outside Lisburn and from Belfast. The application was approved in June 2005 and the opening of...
Christmas 2010 TV advert in the UK. "Lights
Lights (Ellie Goulding song)
"Lights" is a song by English recording artist Ellie Goulding from her debut album, Lights. It was released digitally in the United Kingdom on 13 March 2011 as the album's sixth single overall, and second from the Bright Lights re-release. It will be released as the lead single from the album in...
", which was originally available only as a bonus track from iTunes
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
, was released as the album's sixth single on 13 March 2011, peaking at number forty-nine in the UK.
Track listing
Personnel
- Ellie Goulding – vocals (all tracks); acoustic guitarSteel-string acoustic guitarA steel-string acoustic guitar is a modern form of guitar descended from the classical guitar, but strung with steel strings for a brighter, louder sound...
(tracks 1, 3–10); piano (track 8) - Seye Adelekan – backing vocals, acoustic guitar (track 2); electric guitar (tracks 3, 6)
- Beatriz Artola – engineerAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
(track 8) - Stevie Blacke – live stringsStrings (music)A string is the vibrating element that produces sound in string instruments, such as the guitar, harp, piano, and members of the violin family. Strings are lengths of a flexible material kept under tension so that they may vibrate freely, but controllably. Strings may be "plain"...
(track 5) - Alan ClarkeAlan Clarke (photographer)Alan Clarke is a Durham based photographer who works closely with people in different aspects of photographic practice. Born in 1979 in Durham city, he has developed a career in the local area....
– photography - Joe Clegg – drums (tracks 5, 6)
- FrankmusikFrankmusikVincent Frank born Vincent James Turner is known professionally as Frankmusik is an English electropop musician. The name "Frank" is derived from the surname of his grandfather, whose name he took in tribute.-Early life:...
– producer, engineer, keyboards, backing vocals, programmingProgramming (music)Programming is a form of music production and performance using electronic devices, often sequencers or computer programs, to generate music. Programming is used in nearly all forms of electronic music and in most hip hop music since the 1990s. It is also frequently used in modern pop and rock...
(track 7)
- Matt Hill – drum engineer (track 6)
- Julian Kindred – drum engineer (track 5)
- Charlie Morton – backing vocals, additional acoustic guitar (track 4)
- Naweed – masteringAudio masteringMastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...
- Fraser T. SmithFraser T. SmithFraser T. Smith is an English record producer, songwriter, mix engineer and guitarist....
– producer, keyboards (track 8) - StarsmithStarsmithStarsmith is a songwriter, producer, remixer and DJ. He studied a classical music degree at the University of Surrey majoring in performance on saxophone...
– producer, keyboards, drum programmingDrum machineA drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums or other percussion instruments. They are used in a variety of musical genres, not just purely electronic music...
(tracks 1–6, 9, 10); bass (tracks 1–5, 9, 10); saxophone (track 9) - Mark "Spike" StentMark StentMark 'Spike' Stent is a British record producer, and audio engineer who has worked with The KLF, Björk, Keane, Depeche Mode, Muse, Erasure, Hard-Fi, Massive Attack, Janet Jackson, Madonna, Christina Aguilera, Marilyn Manson, Pet Shop Boys, Dave Matthews, No Doubt/Gwen Stefani, CSS, Beth Orton,...
– mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
(tracks 2–6, 8–10) - Traffic – designGraphic designGraphic design is a creative process – most often involving a client and a designer and usually completed in conjunction with producers of form – undertaken in order to convey a specific message to a targeted audience...
Bright Lights
- Ellie Goulding – vocals (all tracks); guitar (track 11); acoustic guitar (tracks 13, 18); mandolinMandolinA mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
(track 13) - Rob Blake – original producer (track 16)
- Richard Edgeler – mixing assistant (tracks 12, 14, 16)
- Fred FalkeFred FalkeFrédérick "Fred" Falke is a French based house producer and DJ of German origin.Falke started out as a bass player around 1995 before turning his hand to production work in the late 1990s...
– producer, keyboards, drum programming (tracks 14, 16); bass (track 14); guitar (track 16) - Liam HoweLiam HoweLiam Coverdale Howe is a London based record producer, musician and songwriter.- Musical beginnings :...
– producer, engineer, mixing, programming, instrumentationInstrumentation (music)In music, instrumentation refers to the particular combination of musical instruments employed in a composition, and to the properties of those instruments individually...
(track 13) - Ash Howes – producer, mixing, drums, keyboards (track 11)
- Crispin Hunt – guitar, keyboards (tracks 14, 16); original producer (track 16)
- Matt Lawrence – engineer, mixing (track 17)
- Ben LovettMumford & SonsMumford & Sons are a British folk rock band. The band consists of Marcus Mumford , Ben Lovett , Country Winston Marshall , and Ted Dwane...
– producer, piano, backing vocals, kick drumBass drumBass drums are percussion instruments that can vary in size and are used in several musical genres. Three major types of bass drums can be distinguished. The type usually seen or heard in orchestral, ensemble or concert band music is the orchestral, or concert bass drum . It is the largest drum of...
(track 17) - Steve Malcomson – programming (track 11)
- Naweed – mastering
- Richard "Biff" Stannard – producer, mixing, bass, keyboards (track 11)
- Starsmith – producer, programming, acoustic guitar, bass, electric guitar, backing vocals (tracks 12, 15)
- Traffic – design
- Scott Trindle – photography
- Ruth de Turberville – cello, backing vocals (track 17)
- Jeremy Wheatley – mixing (tracks 12, 14, 16)
- Matt Wiggins – timpaniTimpaniTimpani, or kettledrums, are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum, they consist of a skin called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionally made of copper. They are played by striking the head with a specialized drum stick called a timpani stick or timpani mallet...
(track 17)
Weekly charts
| Chart (2010–11) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Hitseekers Albums Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
4 |
| Belgian Albums Chart Ultratop 50 Ultratop 50 singles, often just Ultratop 50, is the weekly chart of fifty best-selling singles in Flanders, Belgium, and is produced and published by the Ultratop organization. The chart has existed since March 31, 1995... (Flanders) |
54 |
| Canadian Albums Chart Canadian Albums Chart The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS... |
66 |
| European Top 100 Albums European Top 100 Albums The European Top 100 Albums chart is the European adaptation of the Billboard 200 albums chart. It was created in March 1984.The European Top 100 Albums, commonly referred to as Eurochart Top 100 Albums shows the sales of an act in 19 European countries based on IFPI data.The European Top 100... |
8 |
| German Albums Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
42 |
| Greek Foreign Albums Chart IFPI Greece International Federation of the Phonographic Industry Greece or IFPI Greece is the Greek branch of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry and is the official charts provider and recording sales certification body for Greece. Currently two charts are compiled, one for sales of... |
38 |
| Irish Albums Chart Irish Albums Chart The Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on its behalf by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured electronically... |
6 |
| New Zealand Albums Chart Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
28 |
| Norwegian Albums Chart VG-lista VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by... |
35 |
| Scottish Album Chart Scottish Singles and Albums Chart The Scottish Singles Chart and Scottish Albums Chart are charts compiled by The Official Charts Company, based on physical and digital sales in the STV North, STV Central and ITV Border regions.... |
6 |
| Swiss Albums Chart Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
90 |
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
1 |
| US Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
76 |
| US Heatseekers Albums Top Heatseekers Top Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical... |
1 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (2010) | Position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart | 26 |
Release history
| Country | Date | Label | Edition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland | 26 February 2010 | Polydor Polydor Records Polydor is a record label owned by Universal Music Group, headquartered in the United Kingdom.-Beginnings:Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Its name was first used as an export label in 1924, the British and German branches of the Gramophone... |
Standard |
| Netherlands | Universal Music Universal Music Group Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations... |
||
| Sweden | 1 March 2010 | ||
| United Kingdom | Polydor | ||
| Canada | 2 March 2010 | Universal Music | |
| Poland | 26 March 2010 | ||
| Italy | 9 April 2010 | ||
| Australia | 16 April 2010 | ||
| Germany | 14 May 2010 | ||
| Poland | 7 July 2010 | Bright Lights | |
| United Kingdom | 29 November 2010 | Polydor | |
| Germany | 21 December 2010 | Universal Music | |
| Canada | 8 March 2011 | Re-release | |
| United States | Cherrytree Cherrytree Records Cherrytree Records is an American record label and is an imprint of Interscope Records.-History:Cherrytree Records was founded in 2005 by Martin Kierszenbaum, being German for cherry tree... , Interscope Interscope Records Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that currently operates as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-History:... |
Standard |