Jump to content

The Light Is Coming

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 2604:2d80:8822:8e13:5d0b:42de:c143:4c7b (talk) at 15:29, 24 July 2018 (→Composition and lyrics). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

"The Light Is Coming"
Promotional single by Ariana Grande featuring Nicki Minaj
from the album Sweetener
ReleasedJune 20, 2018 (2018-06-20)
GenreExperimental pop • hyphy
Length3:48
LabelRepublic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Pharrell Williams
Music video
"The Light Is Coming" on YouTube

"The Light Is Coming" (stylized in all lowercase) is a song by American singer Ariana Grande, featuring American rapper Nicki Minaj. Both artists co-wrote the song with its producer Pharrell Williams. It was released on June 20, 2018, as a promotional single Grande's upcoming fourth studio album, Sweetener.[1]

Release

On May 27, 2018, Ariana Grande teased "The Light Is Coming" with a 21 second clip on her Instagram page.[2] On June 2, she debuted a preview of the song at Wango Tango, announcing that the song would be released on June 20, 2018, along with the pre-order of Sweetener.[3]

Composition and lyrics

The song runs for three minutes and forty-eight seconds.[4] It is primarily experimental pop and a hyphy song with influences of R&B and hip hop.[5] The sound is backed by Grande's vocals, singing, "The light is coming to give back everything the darkness stole". The song contains a "jittery beat" that is used with quick drums and synths.[6][7] The song samples a CNN archive clip of a man who is shouting at former senator Arlen Specter at a town hall meeting in Pennsylvania in 2009 concerning healthcare ("You wouldn't let anybody speak and instead!").[8][9]

Critical reception

The song received generally lukerwarm reviews.[10] Mike Nied of Idolator described it as "a serious dance floor filler". "The light is coming to give back everything the darkness stole," [Grande] chants over militaristic drums and slippery synths. Her voice is confident and sounds perfectly at home as it races over the searing production, courtesy of Pharrell. All things considered, it sounds like the pop princess has another hit on her hands."[11] Spin editor Israel Daramola described the song as a "glitchy, thumping" dance record with a sample that highlights Grande's "nursery rhyme-style melody" during the repeated chorus and her voice "is alive with feeling and thrives in the quirks and constant vibrancy of the music." Also, he said Minaj delivers a "strutting, paint-by-numbers verse in the time allotted but it’s perfectly suited to the heavy, ground shaking bass of the song".[12]

Music video

The music video first premiered twelve hours after the song's release, via the Reebok official website.[13] It was directed by Dave Meyers, who had also directed the music video for Grande's "No Tears Left to Cry", and features Nicki Minaj performing her verse and Ariana Grande singing in a dimly-lit forest. One day later, the video was released worldwide on YouTube and Vevo.

Live performances

Grande performed a preview of the song at Wango Tango on June 2, 2018.[3]

Charts

Chart (2018) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[14] 60
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[15] 63
France (SNEP)[16] 70
Greece (Billboard)[17] 2
Hungary (Single Top 40)[18] 24
Ireland (IRMA)[19] 76
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[20] 81
New Zealand Heatseekers (RMNZ)[21] 2
Scotland (OCC)[22] 22
UK Singles (OCC)[23] 57
US Billboard Hot 100[24] 95

References

  1. ^ Tanzer, Myles (May 30, 2018). "Cover Story: Ariana Grande". The Fader. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  2. ^ "Ariana Grande Teases New Song "The Light Is Coming" Featuring Nicki Minaj: Listen". Spin. May 28, 2018. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  3. ^ a b "Watch Ariana Grande Debut New Song 'The Light Is Coming' at Wango Tango". Rolling Stone. June 3, 2018. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  4. ^ "Sweetner by Ariana Grande". ITunes Store. June 20, 2018. Retrieved June 20, 2018.
  5. ^ "Ariana Grande Links With Nicki Minaj On 'The Light Is Coming'". Clash Music. June 20, 2018. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
  6. ^ "Ariana Grande Taps Nicki Minaj for New Song "The Light Is Coming": Listen". Pitchfork. June 20, 2018. Retrieved June 20, 2018.
  7. ^ "Hear Ariana Grande Tap Nicki Minaj for Snappy 'The Light Is Coming'". Rolling Stone. June 20, 2018. Retrieved June 20, 2018.
  8. ^ "Who Is The Man Sampled On Ariana Grande's 'The Light Is Coming'?". PopBuzz. Retrieved June 20, 2018.
  9. ^ "Ariana Grande's 'The Light Is Coming' Contains a Prominent Voice Sample With a Political Message". Billboard. June 21, 2018. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
  10. ^ Neid, Mike. "Ariana Grande's "God Is A Woman" Is A Sexually Liberated Bop". Idolator. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
  11. ^ Nied, Mike. "Banger! Ariana Grande & Nicki Minaj Bring The Heat On “The Light Is Coming”", Idolator, June 23, 2018
  12. ^ Daramola, Israel. "Ariana Grande's 'The Light Is Coming' Is Hypnotic and Wonderfully Bizarre", Spin, June 22, 2018
  13. ^ ""THE LIGHT IS COMING" PREMIERE". Retrieved June 20, 2018.
  14. ^ "ARIA Chart Watch #479". auspOp. June 30, 2018. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
  15. ^ "Ariana Grande Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
  16. ^ "Ariana Grande feat. Nicki Minaj – The Light Is Coming" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
  17. ^ "Greece Digital Songs". Billboard. June 30, 2018. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  18. ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
  19. ^ "IRMA – Irish Charts". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved July 21, 2018.
  20. ^ "Ariana Grande feat. Nicki Minaj – The Light Is Coming" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  21. ^ "NZ Heatseeker Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. July 2, 2018. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  22. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
  23. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
  24. ^ "Ariana Grande Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Light_Is_Coming&oldid=851781933"