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"Neon Lights" is a song recorded by American recording artist Demi Lovato, taken from their fourth studio album, DEMI (2013). It was released through Hollywood Records as the album's third single. The song was written by Lovato, Mario Marchetti, Tiffany Vartanyan, Ryan Tedder, and Noel Zancanella; the latter two also serve as the track's producers. Featuring elements of electropop and dance-pop music, as well as prominent EDM influences, "Neon Lights" covers new ground for Lovato sonically. The song inspired the name of Lovato's The Neon Lights Tour.
Background and compostion
"Neon Lights" is a dance and electropop song. In October 2013, Tedder explained his idea to produce the dance record, stating "That record, Neon Lights, we did intentionally because I wanted to. I heard it on [a friend's] demo-reel and the next day I woke up and the melody was in my head, and I couldn't get it out of my head for two days, that's when I knew." Tedder also went on to compliment Lovato's vocals stating "She came in and just ripped it. She in pop music has one of the biggest ranges, possibly the highest full voice singer I've ever worked with. She can belt full voice like three octaves above middle C, it's just crazy, and with complete power and complete control. At the beginning she's singing the lowest note she's ever done and by the end, she's going as high as she's ever gone." Tedder says the song was a "Fun dance record."According to Musicnotes.com, Lovato's vocals span from the low note of C♯3 and the high note of F ♯5. The song features EDM elements throughout.
Release
Lovato announced that the song would be the third single from Demi on September 27, 2013, by posting a short teaser video to their Facebook page featuring the words "Neon Lights" formed out of neon light tubes, with the background music being "Neon Lights". The words "SUNDAY 6 PM EST" appeared on screen just before it ended, suggesting the release of the music video or the new single. However, this was actually a reference to a live Facebook chat Lovato had with their fans on September 29, where they confirmed "Neon Lights" as the next single of Demi and also announced their associated tour of the same name in support of the album. Despite the announcement in September, the official release of the single was on November 19, with the music video being released two days later on November 21.
Critical Reception
The song received generally mixed reviews upon the release of Demi, with critics praising the song overall, but criticizing its placement upon the album. Jason Lipshutz of Billboard called "Neon Lights" a "misguided dance stunt" and one of the risks Lovato took on Demi that didn't quite work out. He explained that the song "covers well-worn electro-pop territory" but doesn't do so quite as effectively as other similarly-styled singles, citing Rihanna's "We Found Love" as a superior dance hit. PopCrush editor Jessica Sager enjoyed the song in and of itself but felt it was out of place on Demi and comes off as forced. Sam Lansky of Idolator also described "Neon Lights" as out of place, and called it a "by-the-numbers ... concession to pop-EDM trend-following" that failed to dazzle.
Live Performances
Lovato first performed the song on October 3, 2013, at The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. On October 7, 2013, they performed the song during their interview at The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Lovato also performed it during the results show of the third season of The X Factor. On December 31, 2013, Lovato performed it at ET Canada's New Year's Eve televised show. It was also a part of their setlist for the The Neon Lights Tour, DEMI World Tour, and Sex and Love Tour. They performed the song on Good Morning America on June 6, 2014. They performed the song in the UK during a Capital FM session on June 3, 2014. They also performed the song at a "Confident" promo show in São Paulo, Brazil on October 20, 2015
Lyrics
[Intro]
Baby when they look up at the sky
We'll be shooting stars just passing by
You'll be coming on with me tonight
We'll be burning up like neon lights
[Verse]
Be still, my heart cause it's freaking out, freaking out, right now
Shining like stars cause we're beautiful, we're beautiful, right now
You're all I see in all these places
You're all I see in all these faces
So let's pretend we're running of time, of time
[Chorus]
Baby when they look up at the sky
We'll be shooting stars just passing by
You'll be coming on with me tonight
And we'll be burning up like neon lights
Baby when they look up at the sky
We'll be shooting stars just passing by
You'll be coming on with me tonight
And we'll be burning up like neon lights
Neon lights [x3]
Like neon lights
Be still, my heart cause it's freaking out, freaking out, right now
Shining like stars cause we're beautiful, we're beautiful, right now
You're all I see in all these places
You're all I see in all these faces
So let's pretend we're running of time, of time
Baby when they look up at the sky
We'll be shooting stars just passing by
You'll be coming on with me tonight
And we'll be burning up like neon lights
Baby when they look up at the sky
We'll be shooting stars just passing by
You'll be coming on with me tonight
And we'll be burning up like neon lights
Neon lights [x3]
Like neon lights Like neon lights
Shining like stars cause we're beautiful, beautiful
You're all I see in all these places
You're all I see in all these faces
So let's pretend we're running of time, of time
Like neon lights Like neon lights
Be still, my heart 'cause it's freaking out
Music Video
The music video was released on November 21, 2013. The video was directed by Ryan Pallotta, who previously worked with Lovato, who co-directed the music video for their previous single "Made in the USA". The video begins as Lovato emerging from a pool of water. In the next scene, Lovato performed the introduction of the song in a room wired with neon lights and another scene where Lovato is later shown dancing and singing with the backup dancers in a club. During the video, Lovato is wearing neon makeup and neon rain starts falling down. The scenes are shown repeatedly throughout the video.
Demi posted teaser #1, 2 and 3 from the music video on their YouTube account on November 18, 19 and 20 respectively.
Remixes
There were 5 official remixes for the song, which were uploaded onto Lovato's VEVO channel.
Charts
| Chart (2013-14) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgium (Ultratip Flanders) | 11 |
| Bulgaria (Bulgarian Top 40) | 34 |
| Canada (Canadian Hot 100) | 65 |
| Ireland (IRMA) | 67 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) | 12 |
| Scotland (Official Charts Company) | 9 |
| UK Singles (Official Charts Company) | 15 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 36 |
| US Hot Dance Club Songs (Billboard) | 1 |
| US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard) | 17 |
| US Digital Songs(Billboard) | 23 |
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