"Light On" is a song by American singer and songwriter Maggie Rogers. It was released on October 10, 2018 as the fifth single of Rogers' major-label debut studio album, Heard It in a Past Life (2019).[1] Rogers co-wrote the song with Kid Harpoon and both co-produced it with Greg Kurstin.
| "Light On" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Maggie Rogers | ||||
| from the album Heard It in a Past Life | ||||
| Released | October 10, 2018 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:53 | |||
| Label |
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| Songwriter(s) |
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| Producer(s) |
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| Maggie Rogers singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Light On" on YouTube | ||||
Background
editAnnouncing the song release, she revealed that the track was about "gratitude". "it’s the most vulnerable ive ever felt in a song" [sic], she tweeted.[2] In an interview with Billboard, Rogers revealed that the song was about "feeling out of control". She recalled, "There's always a part of it that has to feel like work or something that's not entirely you".[3]
During an interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music's Beats 1 on October 10, 2018, Rogers said,
This was the final song I wrote for the record. [...] I wrote this record which captures all those feelings of being overwhelmed and being uncertain. I realized the one story I hadn’t written was about all of the joy. I really wanted to say thank you to my fans, and write a letter to them to tell them what had happened and how much they meant to me. Because in all this time when I was really uncertain, I would get on stage every night, and be so certain. It was never the music I was unsure about, it was everything else around it that I found overwhelming.[4]
Critical reception
editMeredith Nardino of Atwood Magazine said that "...Rogers is laying her whole heart on the table, bringing us backstage to some of the most challenging moments of her creative life."[5] Upon reviewing for the associated album, Clash called it as the "stand out track" of the album, commented: "['Light On' is] where infectious energy and choppy beats are enough to bob Rogers’ characteristically peppy vocals over some of the prettiest melody you are likely to hear this year."[6] Writing for Variety, Chris Willman said the track "gets passionate about feeling strangely passionless."[7]
Live performances
editOn November 3, 2018, Rogers performed the song during her appearance on the forty-fourth season of Saturday Night Live.[8] The performance was met with a mixed response, with Bustle called it as "may not have been the best introduction".[9] She performed it on Ellen on January 16, 2019.[10] During her Heard It in a Past Life Tour stop at the O2 Academy, Brixton, England, she brought out lead vocalist Florence Welch of Florence and the Machine to perform the song.[11] Rogers performed the track during her morning television debut set on Today Show on April 25, 2019.[12]
Personnel
edit- Maggie Rogers – vocals, production, percussion
- Chris Allgood – mastering engineer assistance
- Julian Burg – engineering
- Serban Ghenea – mixing
- John Hanes – mixing engineering
- Kid Harpoon – production, acoustic guitar, bass guitar, electric guitar, piano, drum programming
- Greg Kurstin – production, bass, drums, guitar, keyboards, piano, engineering
- Emily Lazar – mastering
- Alex Pasco – engineering
Track listings
edit- Digital download[14]
- "Light On" – 3:53
- Digital download – Winston Marshall Remix[15]
- "Light On" (Winston Marshall Remix) – 5:11
Charts
edit| Chart (2018–2019) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA Hitseekers)[16] | 4 |
| New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[17] | 40 |
| US Adult Alternative Songs (Billboard)[18] | 1 |
| US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[19] | 31 |
| US Alternative Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[20] | 9 |
| US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[21] | 26 |
| US Rock Airplay (Billboard)[22] | 35 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[23] | Gold | 40,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[24] | Gold | 500,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ Sodomsky, Sam (October 10, 2018). "Maggie Rogers Announces Debut Album, Shares New Song "Light On": Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
- ^ Rogers, Maggie [@maggierogers] (October 8, 2018). "this is a song about gratitude. it's the most vulnerable ive ever felt in a song. it's about how overwhelmed + scared i was during all that change, but mostly about all the light you gave me when I couldn't always find it for myself. 'light on' out wednesday. 💡" (Tweet). Retrieved November 10, 2019 – via Twitter.
- ^ Schiller, Rebecca (January 29, 2019). "Maggie Rogers Explains That 'Light On' Is 'About Feeling Out Of Control': Watch". Billboard. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
- ^ @Beats1 (October 10, 2018). ""I really wanted to say thank you to my fans and write a letter to them." Brand new @maggierogers. #LightOn is @zanelowe's #WorldRecord" (Tweet). Retrieved May 11, 2020 – via Twitter.
- ^ Nardino, Meredith (October 11, 2018). "Vulnerability, Gratitude, and Change Inspire Maggie Rogers' "Light On"". Atwood Magazine. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
- ^ "Maggie Rogers - Heard It In A Past Life". Clash. January 17, 2019. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
- ^ Willman, Chris (January 20, 2019). "Album Review: Maggie Rogers' 'Heard It in a Past Life'". Variety. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
- ^ "Maggie Rogers Soars on 'SNL' with 'Light On' and 'Fallingwater': Watch". Billboard. November 4, 2018. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
- ^ O'Keeffe, Jack (November 4, 2018). "Maggie Rogers' 'SNL' Performance Had A Mixed Response, But Here's Why You Should Still Give Her A Chance". Bustle. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
- ^ Mercuri, Monica (January 8, 2019). "Maggie Rogers Earns First Alternative Songs No. 1 With 'Light On' Ahead Of Major Album Debut". Forbes. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
- ^ Newcomb, Ming Lee (February 21, 2019). "Maggie Rogers brings out Florence Welch for stellar "Light On" rendition in London: Watch". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
- ^ Martoccio, Angie (April 25, 2019). "Watch Maggie Rogers Celebrate 25th Birthday on 'Today Show'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
- ^ "Credits / Heard It In A Past Life / Maggie Rogers". Tidal. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
- ^ "Heard It In A Past Life by Maggie Rogers on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
- ^ "Light On (Winston Marshall Remix) - Single by Maggie Rogers on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
- ^ "ARIA Report: Issue 1502" (PDF). ARIA. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 13, 2018. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
- ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. October 22, 2018. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
- ^ "Maggie Rogers - Chart history (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
- ^ "Maggie Rogers - Chart history (Adult Top 40)". Billboard. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
- ^ "Maggie Rogers - Chart history (Alternative Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
- ^ "Maggie Rogers - Chart history (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
- ^ "Maggie Rogers - Chart history (Rock Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
- ^ "Canadian single certifications – Maggie Rogers – Light On". Music Canada. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
- ^ "American single certifications – Maggie Rogers – Light On". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 25, 2021.