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Hit the Lights (Selena Gomez & the Scene song)

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"Hit the Lights" is a song by American band Selena Gomez & the Scene from their third and final studio album When the Sun Goes Down (2011). The song was written by Leah Haywood, Daniel James and Tony Nilsson, while production of the song was handled by Haywood and James under their production name Dreamlab. Musically, "Hit the Lights" is a dance-pop and synth-pop song. Lyrically, the song speaks about living in the moment and taking risks. An international remixes EP was released on January 20, 2012, for the song's single release. It officially impacted Top 40/Mainstream radio in the U.S. on April 10, 2012.[1] It was released as the third and final single from the album, as well as the final single released by the group to date. It was also the only single released by the group that was excluded from Selena Gomez's 2014 compilation album For You.

"Hit the Lights"
Single by Selena Gomez & the Scene
from the album When the Sun Goes Down
ReleasedJanuary 20, 2012
Recorded2010
Genre
Length3:14
LabelHollywood
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Dreamlab
Selena Gomez & the Scene singles chronology
"Love You like a Love Song"
(2011) 		"Hit the Lights"
(2012)
Music videos
"Hit the Lights" (version 1) on YouTube
"Hit the Lights" (version 2) on YouTube

Background

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"Hit the Lights" was written by Leah Haywood, Daniel James, and Tony Nilsson, while the production was helmed by Haywood and Daniel Pringle.[2] The song was recorded at Dreamlab Studios in Los Angeles, California while the mixing was done at MixStar Studios in Virginia Beach, Virginia. In an interview with Billboard magazine, Selena Gomez explained every track on the song's parent album. In describing "Hit the Lights" she commented that the song's lyrics spoke about things relatable to everyone, commenting "It's kind of one of those songs about living in the moment while keeping it a big huge summer dance track."[3]

Composition

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"Hit the Lights" is a dance-pop and synth-pop track[4] that runs for three minutes and fourteen seconds. The song is written in the key of G major and is set in time signature of common time with a moderately fast tempo of 130 beats per minute. Gomez's vocal range spans from the low note of D3 to the high note of B4. The song has a basic sequence of Em–Csus2–Em–Gmaj7–Bm/F# as its chord progression.[5] The lyrics of "Hit the Lights" displays more "maturity" than the band's previous recordings. It is also musically different than the music of When the Sun Goes Down, with critics noting it as a song playable in dance clubs.[6]

Critical reception

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Tim Sendra of AllMusic praised her vocals on the song, commenting that she "comes on like a convincing disco diva on 'Hit the Lights'."[7] Blair Kelly of musicOMH followed in the praise of the song as a "massive club hit" but was mixed in noting that "in the surroundings of the rest of the album it doesn't make sense."[6] Idolator's Mike Wass called the song "[an] underrated gem [which] delivers important life lessons without skimping on a catchy chorus or perky synths".[4]

Music videos

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The video for "Hit the Lights" premiered on Vevo on November 16, 2011, and was directed by Philip Andelman.

The video begins with Gomez singing in front of a lime green background. Gomez, as well as her band members and a few other people are shown in a wheat field, attempting to keep several oversized balloons from touching the ground. Next, the group are wandering through a corn field and begin dancing and jumping, with Gomez singing the song's chorus. The group briefly appears in a pumpkin patch outside of the cornfield, throwing and smashing some pumpkins. Later, as the sun is beginning to set, the group sits on the back of a pickup truck, eating watermelon. The truck begins to issue a large amount of smoke.

As the second playing of the chorus begins, it is shown to be night, and the group are on a street in a neighborhood, where they are dancing while holding flashlights. The group proceeds to a house party. Shortly afterwards, the group are in a dark forest, where there are several disco balls hanging from trees. Gomez then appears surrounded by several pink balloons, wearing pink and yellow sunglasses, as well as in an empty and dark football field. A few people are shown jumping into a pool before returning to the dark street where they begin dancing with sparklers and fireworks go off around them. Finally, the group begins dancing and running through a brightly lit city, similar to Times Square as the video ends.

On April 19, 2012, a second version of the video was released with a few scenes from the original version.

Reception

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Jeff Benjamin of Billboard magazine commented that "Gomez remains as innocently cute as ever with sunglasses too big for her face in the opening scene. In fact, the most controversial moment of the video comes when Selena and her posse smash a pumpkin to bits. Not a girl, definitely..... not yet a woman (she's still partying in a football stadium). Is Selena's own 'Slave 4 U' moment coming soon? From this video, it looks like the 19 year-old still has a little time before she shedding her squeaky clean image—if she plans to at all."[8] A writer from The Huffington Post took a liking to the song's music video, writing that it "captures the feeling of being young and carefree, and is all about having a good time with your friends. (And having fun in a pile of pink balloons.)"[9]

Live performances

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The band has performed "Hit the Lights" on the We Own the Night Tour, and it is the second song performed after the Dave Audé remix version of "A Year Without Rain" and before "Summer's Not Hot". During the performance, Gomez wears a gold dress and her movements are improvised.[10] On July 24, 2011, the band performed the song "Hit the Lights" at the O.C. Fair.[citation needed] On the day of the MTV Europe Music Awards, Gomez performed "Hit the Lights" in a bedazzled purple jumpsuit with her band.[citation needed]

Track listing

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  • Digital download
  1. "Hit the Lights" – 3:14
  • Remixes EP
  1. "Hit the Lights" – 3:14
  2. "Hit the Lights" (MD's Radio Mix) – 3:06
  3. "Hit the Lights" (MD's Remix) – 6:05
  4. "Hit the Lights" (Azzido da Bass Radio Mix) – 3:07
  5. "Hit the Lights" (Azzido da Bass Extended Mix) – 4:03
  6. "Hit the Lights" (Azzido da Bass Club Mix) – 4:59
  • Dave Audé Radio Remix – Single
  1. "Hit the Lights" (Dave Audé Radio Remix) – 3:26
  • Dave Audé Club Remix – Single
  1. "Hit the Lights" (Dave Audé Club Remix) – 6:13
  • Dave Audé Dub Remix – Single
  1. "Hit the Lights" (Dave Audé Dub Remix) – 5:52

Credits and personnel

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Recording and mixing
Personnel
  • Vocals – Selena Gomez
  • Production – Dreamlab
  • Songwriting – Leah Haywood, Daniel James, Tony Nilsson
  • Serban Ghenea – mixing
  • Engineering – John Hanes, Phil Seaford

Credits adapted from the liner notes of When the Sun Goes Down, Hollywood Records.[2]

Awards and nominations

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Year Award Category Result
2012 Teen Choice Awards Choice Single: Group Nominated

Chart performance

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"Hit the Lights" first charted in Belgium at number fifty-four on the Ultratip Flanders chart. The next week, the song climbed to number twenty-nine. The song also debuted on the Canadian Hot 100 at number ninety-three on the week ending December 3, 2011. It has sold 554,000 copies in the US as of July 2015.[11] The song did not chart on the Billboard Hot 100, but landed at number 3 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100. The song became Selena Gomez & the Scene's first single to fail to chart in the Billboard Hot 100.

Charts and certifications

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Release history

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List of release dates with formats and record labels
Country Date Format Label
Netherlands[20] January 20, 2012 Digital Remixes EP Hollywood Records
Switzerland[21]
France[22] January 23, 2012
Finland[23]
Luxembourg[24]
Portugal[25]
Singapore[26]
Belgium[27]
Germany[28] January 27, 2012
Austria[29]
Canada[30] January 31, 2012
United States[1] April 10, 2012 Top 40/Mainstream radio

References

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  1. ^ a b "Top 40/M Future Releases | Mainstream Hit Songs Being Released and Their Release Dates". Allaccess.com. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
  2. ^ a b When the Sun Goes Down (liner notes). Selena Gomez & the Scene. United States: Hollywood. 2011.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  3. ^ Billboard Staff. "Selena Gomez Talks 'When the Sun Goes Down': Video Track-By-Track". Billboard. Retrieved December 3, 2011.
  4. ^ a b Wass, Mike (June 21, 2017). "Should Have Been Bigger: Selena Gomez & The Scene's "Hit The Lights"". Idolator.
  5. ^ "Selena Gomez & the Scene – Hit the Lights – Digital Sheet Music". Music Notes.com. Alfred Publishing Company. Retrieved November 16, 2011.
  6. ^ a b Kelly, Blair. "Selena Gomez & The Scene – When The Sun Goes Down". musicOMH. Archived from the original on September 2, 2011. Retrieved October 3, 2011.
  7. ^ Sendra, Tim. "When the Sun Goes Down – Selena Gomez & the Scene". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved December 3, 2011.
  8. ^ Benjamin, Jeff. "Selena Gomez As Hipster: Watch Her 'Hit The Lights' Video". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 3, 2011.
  9. ^ Gregoire, Carolyn (November 16, 2011). "Selena Gomez: 'Hit the Lights' Music Video Premieres Today". The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com. Retrieved December 3, 2011.
  10. ^ Video on YouTube
  11. ^ Trust, Gary (July 19, 2015). "Ask Billboard: Are There an Unusually High Number of New Acts in the Hot 100's Top 10?". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved July 19, 2015.
  12. ^ "Selena Gomez & The Scene – Hit the Lights" (in Dutch). Ultratip.
  13. ^ "Selena Gomez & The Scene Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard.
  14. ^ Selena Gomez & The Scene — Hit the Lights. TopHit. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
  15. ^ "30, 2012 Russia Airplay Chart for January 30, 2012." TopHit. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
  16. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201149 into search.
  17. ^ "Selena Gomez & The Scene Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard.
  18. ^ "BDSRadio Charts". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 9, 2012. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
  19. ^ "American single certifications – Selena Gomez & The Scene – Hit the Lights". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  20. ^ "Hit the Lights (2012) | Selena Gomez & the Scene | MP3 downloads 7digital Nederland". Archived from the original on October 6, 2013. Retrieved January 31, 2012.
  21. ^ "Hit the Lights (2012) | Selena Gomez & the Scene | MP3 Musikdownloads 7digital Schweiz". Archived from the original on July 9, 2012. Retrieved January 31, 2012.
  22. ^ "Hit the Lights (2012) | Selena Gomez & the Scene | Téléchargements MP3 7digital France". Archived from the original on July 29, 2012. Retrieved January 28, 2012.
  23. ^ "Hit the Lights (2012) | Selena Gomez & the Scene | MP3 Downloads 7digital Suomi". Archived from the original on July 19, 2012. Retrieved January 31, 2012.
  24. ^ "Hit the Lights (2012) | Selena Gomez & the Scene | Téléchargements MP3 7digital Luxembourg". Archived from the original on July 11, 2012. Retrieved January 31, 2012.
  25. ^ "Hit the Lights (2012) | Selena Gomez & the Scene | Downloads de MP3 7digital Portugal". Archived from the original on July 16, 2012. Retrieved January 31, 2012.
  26. ^ "Hit the Lights (2012) | Selena Gomez & the Scene | MP3 Downloads 7digital 新加坡". Archived from the original on July 14, 2012. Retrieved January 31, 2012.
  27. ^ "Hit the Lights (2012) | Selena Gomez & the Scene | Téléchargements MP3 7digital Belgique". Archived from the original on July 17, 2012. Retrieved January 31, 2012.
  28. ^ "Hit the Lights (2012) | Selena Gomez & the Scene | MP3 Musikdownloads 7digital Deutschland". de.7digital.com. Archived from the original on July 8, 2012. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
  29. ^ "Hit the Lights (2012) | Selena Gomez & the Scene | MP3 Musikdownloads 7digital Österreich". Archived from the original on July 8, 2012. Retrieved January 31, 2017.
  30. ^ "Hit the Lights (Remixes) – EP by Selena Gomez & The Scene on Apple Music". Itunes.apple.com. January 2012. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
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