"Neon Lights"
Single by Demi Lovato
from the album Demi
ReleasedNovember 19, 2013 (2013-11-19)
Genre
Length
  • 3:53 (album version)
  • 3:38 (radio edit)
LabelHollywood
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Ryan Tedder
  • Noel Zancanella
Demi Lovato singles chronology
"Let It Go"
(2013) 		"Neon Lights"
(2013) 		"Somebody to You"
(2014)
Music video
"Neon Lights" on YouTube

"Neon Lights" is a song by American singer Demi Lovato from her fourth studio album, Demi (2013). The song was released as the album's third single on November 19, 2013 by Hollywood Records.[1] Ryan Tedder and Noel Zancanella produced and co-wrote the song along with Lovato, Mario Marchetti and Tiffany Vartanyan. On September 29, 2013, Lovato announced the name of her concert tour, the Neon Lights Tour, and soon after that "Neon Lights" would become the third single from the album.[2][3][4] The song, with its prominent EDM and four-on-the-floor influences, covered new ground for Lovato, who had been previously known for her pop rock and ballad singles. Its accompanying music video was released on November 21, 2013.[5]

The single reached number one on the Israeli TV Airplay chart. In New Zealand, the song peaked at number 12 and was certified gold. It reached number 36 on the Hot 100, peaking at this position for three non-consecutive weeks. The song reached number 2 on the Ukraine Dance Charts. It topped the US Hot Dance Club Songs chart and became Lovato's third top 10 single at Mainstream Top 40, reaching number 7. The song has since been certified double platinum in the US.

An accompanying music video for "Neon Lights" was directed by Ryan Pallotta, and was premiered through Vevo on November 21, 2013. Lovato has performed the track on several television programs, and has also included the song on the set list of her Neon Lights Tour (2014). A re-recorded rock version featuring American rock band The Maine was included on her first remix album Revamped.[6]

Production and composition

"Neon Lights" is a dance[7] and electropop[8] song with EDM,[9] dance-pop and four-on-the-floor influences. 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."[10] 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."[7] According to Musicnotes.com, Lovato's vocal range spans from the low note of C♯3 to the high note of D5. The song moves at a tempo of 120 beats per minute in the key of F♯ minor.[11]

Release

Lovato announced that the song would be the third single from Demi on September 27, 2013, by posting a short teaser video to her 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.[12] However, this was actually a reference to a live Facebook chat Lovato had with her fans on September 29, where she confirmed "Neon Lights" as the next single of Demi and also announced her associated tour of the same name in support of the album.[13] 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

Jason Lipshutz of Billboard called "Neon Lights" a "misguided dance stunt". He explained that the song "covers well-worn electro-pop territory" and does so very effectively. He also states that the song is well done for "the blinking synthesizers and clomping bass that receive a boost from the singer's unflappable power."[8] 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 succeeded to dazzle.[14]

Music video

The music video was released on November 21, 2013.[15] The video was directed by Ryan Pallotta, who previously worked with Lovato, who co-directed for the music video, "Made in the USA". The video begins as Lovato emerging from a pool of water. In the next scene, she performs 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, the singer is wearing neon makeup and neon rain starts falling down. The scenes are shown repeatedly throughout the video. Lovato is also shown swimming nude.

Live performances

Lovato first performed the song at We Day on September 20, 2013.[16] She then promoted it on October 3, 2013, at The Tonight Show with Jay Leno with a performance, the first on television.[17] On October 7, 2013, Lovato performed the song during her interview on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.[18][19] Lovato performed the song during the results show of the third season of The X Factor (U.S.) on November 28, 2013. On December 31, 2013, Lovato performed it at ET Canada's New Year's Eve televised show.[20] On May 21, 2014, Lovato performed the song along with "Really Don't Care" at the thirteenth season finale of American Idol along with the Top 13 female contestants. The song was also a part of Lovato's setlist for The Neon Lights Tour (2014), the Demi World Tour (2014–2015) and the Future Now Tour (2016). In May 2015, she performed the song on 2nd Indonesian Choice Awards along with "Give Your Heart a Break" and "Heart Attack". On August 31, 2015, Lovato sang it on Jimmy Kimmel Live! as well as promoting "Cool for the Summer".[21] On May 14, 2016, Lovato performed "Neon Lights" as a part of her setlist at the 2016 edition of Wango Tango.[22]

Formats and track listings

  1. "Neon Lights" – 3:53
  2. "Neon Lights" (Cole Plante with Myon & Shane 54 Remix) – 6:04
  1. "Neon Lights" (Radio Version) – 3:38
  2. "Neon Lights" (Betty Who Remix) – 3:17
  3. "Neon Lights" (Cole Plante with Myon & Shane 54 Remix) – 6:04
  4. "Neon Lights" (Jump Smokers Remix) – 4:06
  5. "Neon Lights" (Belanger Remix) – 5:17
  6. "Neon Lights" (Tracy Young Remix) – 7:26

Credits and personnel

Recording and management

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Demi.[24]

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[45] Gold 35,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[46] Gold 7,500*
Norway (IFPI Norway)[47] Platinum 60,000‡
United States (RIAA)[48] 2× Platinum 2,000,000‡

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Country Date Format Ref.
United States November 19, 2013 Digital download [1]
Italy November 22, 2013 Contemporary hit radio [49]
United Kingdom June 15, 2014 Digital download [50]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Kitchener, Shaun (September 27, 2013). "Demi Lovato Announces 'Neon Lights' As New Single (LISTEN)". Entertainment Wise. Giant Digital. Archived from the original on October 21, 2013. Retrieved October 9, 2013.
  2. ^ Kitchener, Shaun (September 27, 2013). "Demi Lovato Announces 'Neon Lights' As New Single (LISTEN)". Entertainmentwise. Entertainmentwise.com. Archived from the original on October 21, 2013. Retrieved September 30, 2013.
  3. ^ Harris, Jamie (September 30, 2013). "Demi Lovato announces 'The Neon Lights' tour for 2014". Digital Spy. Digitalspy.co.uk. Retrieved September 30, 2013.
  4. ^ Vena, Jocelyn (September 30, 2013). "Demi Lovato's Neon Lights Tour Kicking Off On Valentine's Day". MTV. MTV.com. Retrieved September 30, 2013.
  5. ^ Lovato, Demi (November 21, 2013). "Demi Lovato - Neon Lights (Official)". YouTube.
  6. ^ Paul, Larisha (August 18, 2023). "Demi Lovato Is Feeling Unstoppable on 'Confident (Rock Version)'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
  7. ^ a b "OneRepublic's Ryan Tedder Hails Demi Lovato's Voice And "Incredible" Range". Capital FM. Retrieved October 12, 2013.
  8. ^ a b c d "Demi Lovato, 'Demi': Track-By-Track Review". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
  9. ^ Lansky, Sam (September 27, 2013). "Demi Lovato Teases "Neon Lights" Video, Due September 29". Idolator. Spin Media. Retrieved October 9, 2013.
  10. ^ "Ryan Tedder Talks About Working With Demi Lovato". YouTube. Capital FM. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
  11. ^ Lovato, Demi (June 11, 2013). "Demi Lovato "Neon Lights" Sheet Music". musicnotes.com.
  12. ^ "Demi Lovato's Facebook Video". Facebook. Retrieved October 9, 2013.
  13. ^ "Demi Lovato's Facebook Tour Announcement". Facebook. Retrieved October 9, 2013.
  14. ^ Lansky, Sam (May 14, 2013). "Demi Lovato's 'Demi': Album Review". Idolator. Spin Media. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
  15. ^ "Demi Lovato - Neon Lights (Official)". Youtube.com. November 25, 2013. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
  16. ^ "Demi Lovato, the Jonas Brothers, Darren Criss, Chris Hadfield and Imagine Dragons Take the Stage Today for We Day Toronto". Market Wired. Yahoo! Finance. September 20, 2013. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  17. ^ "Demi Lovato Performs 'Neon Lights' For The First Time On TV". NOW 100.5 FM. October 3, 2013. Archived from the original on December 20, 2013. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
  18. ^ "Demi Lovato Performs "Neon Lights" On 'Ellen,' Talks About Her Parents' Haunted House: Watch". Idolator. October 7, 2013.
  19. ^ "Demi Lovato Performs 'Neon Lights'". ellentv.com. October 7, 2013.
  20. ^ Kennedy, John R. (January 1, 2014). "Miley, Demi, Rob Ford: NYE shows had something for all". Globalnews.ca. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
  21. ^ "Demi Lovato Oozes Confidence as she Performs 'Cool For The Summer' and 'Neon Lights' for 'Kimmel'". Billboard. September 1, 2015. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
  22. ^ "Demi Lovato Opens Wango Tango With Powerhouse 'Confident' Performance". On Air with Ryan Seacrest. May 14, 2016. Archived from the original on August 16, 2016. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
  23. ^ "iTunes - Music - Neon Lights Remixes - EP by Demi Lovato". itunes.apple.com. May 5, 2014.
  24. ^ Demi (Media notes). Demi Lovato. Hollywood Records. 2013.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  25. ^ a b "Demi Lovato – Neon Lights" (in Dutch). Ultratip.
  26. ^ a b "Demi Lovato – Neon Lights" (in French). Ultratip.
  27. ^ "Demi Lovato Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard.
  28. ^ "Demi Lovato Chart History (Canada CHR/Top 40)". Billboard.
  29. ^ "Demi Lovato Chart History (Canada Hot AC)". Billboard.
  30. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – RADIO – TOP 100 and insert 201415 into search.
  31. ^ "Chart Track: Week 03, 2014". Irish Singles Chart.
  32. ^ "Media Forest Week 08, 2014". Israeli Airplay Chart. Media Forest. Retrieved 2014-03-03.
  33. ^ ""Demi Lovato – Neon Lights Media Forest". Israeli TV Airplay Chart". Mediaforest.biz. January 25, 2014. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  34. ^ "Luxembourg Digital Songs - December 14, 2013". Billboard. Retrieved December 12, 2013.
  35. ^ "Demi Lovato – Neon Lights". Top 40 Singles.
  36. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  37. ^ "SloTop50: Slovenian official singles weekly chart" (in Slovenian). SloTop50. Retrieved February 9, 2014.
  38. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  39. ^ "Demi Lovato Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  40. ^ "Demi Lovato Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard.
  41. ^ "Demi Lovato Chart History (Dance Mix/Show Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved May 3, 2014.
  42. ^ "Demi Lovato Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard.
  43. ^ "Demi Lovato Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard.
  44. ^ "Pop Rock General". Record Report (in Spanish). R.R. Digital C.A. April 6, 2013.
  45. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2023 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  46. ^ "New Zealand single certifications – Demi Lovato – Neon Lights". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved December 27, 2013.
  47. ^ "Norwegian single certifications – Demi Lovato – Neon Lights" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
  48. ^ "American single certifications – Demi Lovato – Neon Lights". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  49. ^ "Demi Lovato – Neon Lights (Radio Date: 22-11-2013)". Earone. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  50. ^ "iTunes - Music - Neon Lights - Single by Demi Lovato". itunes.apple.com. January 2014.
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