"Bright Lights Bigger City"
Single by CeeLo Green
from the album The Lady Killer
ReleasedMarch 27, 2011[1]
Recorded2010
Genre
Length
  • 3:38 (album version)
  • 3:19 (single iTunes remix version)
  • 3:37 (single remix version)
LabelElektra
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
CeeLo Green singles chronology
"Fool for You"
(2011)		 "Bright Lights Bigger City"
(2011)		 "I Want You (Hold Onto Love)"
(2011)
Wiz Khalifa singles chronology
"On My Level"
(2011)		 "Bright Lights Bigger City (Remix)"
(2011)		 "Till I'm Gone"
(2011)

"Bright Lights Bigger City" is the fourth single from American singer CeeLo Green's third studio album, The Lady Killer. The song was produced by Ben H. Allen, co-produced by Graham Marsh,[3][4] and written by Cee Lo, Tony Reyes, and Allen.[5] The single was released on March 27, 2011,[6] topping the charts in Israel and peaking at number thirteen in the United Kingdom.[7] A remix of the track features a guest appearance from American rapper Wiz Khalifa. The song, which is featured in the film Monte Carlo, samples "You Only Live Twice" from the James Bond film of the same name.

Background

Of the song, Cee Lo told MTV News:[8] "This song, I think, just has a broader appeal, because it's just not talking about me, it's talking about us. It's a song about the nightlife and just kinda being out and living for the weekend. It's kinda got that 'working-class hero' quality too; I reference, you know, songs like Johnny Kemp's "Just Got Paid". So it's a story that's been told before, and it's so true to life. ... We all work pretty hard throughout the week, and Friday and Saturday, you know, will always be special, so this is just a song to commemorate that." In late January 2011, Cee Lo rescheduled his UK tour dates, with the five-show run now ending on March 31, 2011. "Bright Lights Bigger City" was released four days before the tour concluded, on March 27, 2011.[9][10][11]

Critical reception

Reviews of the track were mostly favorable. Several reviews, including Rob Williams of The Winnipeg Free Press and Zachary Berman of The Diamondback Online argue "Bright Lights Bigger City" is reminiscent of Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" due to a similar looping bassline. Williams writes, "Bright Lights Bigger City sounds like the cousin of Michael Jackson's Billie Jean";[12] while in Berman's analysis, "Green even goes so far as to touch on disco and early-1980s pop elements, as with "Bright Lights Bigger City," which opens the album with a bang. With a bass line that references Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean," a string section straight out of any classic disco dance tune and even a synth reminiscent of Van Halen's "Jump," the song is still a powerful, cohesive pop track."[13] Luke Winkie of Music OMH says "the only thing that sounds inherently new on The Lady Killer is the post-intro curveball, "Bright Lights Bigger City", which combines an electro-funk groove, swirling violins and a massive rave-synth chorus. It's great, off-the-wall, and totally engaging."[2] Not all reviews of "Bright Lights Bigger City" were overwhelmingly positive. For example, Jeremy Gartzke, writing for The Daily Cardinal, argues "Bright Lights Bigger City" is a straightforward song about the virtues of Saturday nights. With a staccato intro and a fantastic bass line, this song was written specifically with the dance floor in mind. Unfortunately, this song just isn't memorable, and as soon as it's over you've forgotten about it."[14]

Music video

The first music video for "Bright Lights Bigger City", which features the album version of the track, was released on November 9, 2010, the same date as the release of The Lady Killer in the US.[15] In describing the video, MTV.com's Kyle Anderson reports: "The video puts Cee Lo in the back of a car, cruising through the streets of New York surrounded by glammed-out women and flower petals. In between, he seduces a woman in a bathtub, gets his head shaved in a black-lit room and gets into some sort of super-spy battle with a female ninja in a restaurant kitchen. The video reflects the posh and slightly hallucinatory nature of the track. It's emblematic of the rest of The Lady Killer, which borrows all sorts of classic Motown and Stax elements and augments them with futuristic sounds, all buoyed by Cee-Lo's remarkably elastic voice."[16] A second version of the music video, featuring the remix featuring Wiz Khalifa, was released on March 10, 2011.[17] Khalifa's verse begins at approximately two minutes and twenty seconds in.[18] Drew Grant of Salon Magazine described the "neon" video as "a city populated entirely by neon signs instead of people," allowing one to "visualize all the words of the song, so it's kind of like a Sing-a-long!"[19] The remix video has been compared to Cee Lo's original video for "Fuck You" and other videos that feature a visualization of the song's lyrics.[20][21]

Live performances

Green is touring with an all-female backing band named Scarlet Fever, performing this song on November 11, 2010, as part of the Symmetry Live Concert Series at the W Hotel in Midtown Manhattan, New York,[22][23] and the January 15, 2011, episode of Saturday Night Live.[24][25][26] The performance received positive reviews, being described as "rock-star-esque",[27] "surprisingly good",[28] "the best song that mid-80’s Glenn Frey never wrote,"[29] and "better than all right".[30] They performed the song opening for Prince[31] at Madison Square Garden,[32] the Shockwaves NME Awards Big Gig[33][34] opening for Foo Fighters[35] at Wembley Arena, and the charity Let's Dance for Comic Relief semi-final in London, England,[36] again the next night after a long flight at the Jimmy Kimmel Live! special show following the Academy Awards,[37] and many other venues. Green performed the song live on August 14, 2011, at WWE SummerSlam which used the song as its official theme song.[38] He performed the song live with Daryl Hall on Hall's series Live from Daryl's House.[39]

Track listing

Digital Download[1]
  1. "Bright Lights Bigger City" (feat. Wiz Khalifa) - 3:19
  2. "Bright Lights Bigger City" (The Shapeshifters Heavy Disco Remix) - 6:43
UK Promotional CD Single Set / German CD Single
  1. "Bright Lights Bigger City" - 3:41
  2. "Bright Lights Bigger City" (feat. Wiz Khalifa) - 3:37

Personnel

Source:[4][40]

Charts and certifications

Release history

Region Date Format Label
United Kingdom March 27, 2011 Digital download, CD single Elektra
Germany May 20, 2011 CD single Elektra

References

  1. 1 2 "Bright Lights Bigger City (feat. Wiz Khalifa) - Single by Cee Lo Green - Download Bright Lights Bigger City (feat. Wiz Khalifa) - Single on iTunes". Itunes.apple.com. March 25, 2011. Archived from the original on April 1, 2011. Retrieved April 3, 2011.
  2. 1 2 Winkie, Luke (November 8, 2010). "Cee Lo Green - The Lady Killer". Music OMH. Archived from the original on December 21, 2010. Retrieved January 26, 2011.
  3. ↑ "Graham Marsh Discography at Discogs". Discogs. Retrieved January 26, 2011.
  4. 1 2 "Cee Lo Green* - The Lady Killer, Album at Discogs". Discogs. November 5, 2010. Retrieved January 26, 2011.
  5. ↑ "Ben H. Allen (III) at Discogs.com". Discogs. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
  6. ↑ "Bright Lights Bigger City ft Wiz Khalifa Out Now!". Cee Lo Green. Archived from the original on July 27, 2011. Retrieved April 3, 2011.
  7. ↑ "Cee Lo Green - Bright Lights Bigger City - Music Charts". aCharts.us. Retrieved January 26, 2011.
  8. ↑ Montgomery, James; Roberts, Steven (November 15, 2010). "Cee Lo Is 'Living for the Weekend' On 'Bright Lights Bigger City'". MTV. MTV.com. Retrieved January 26, 2011.
  9. ↑ Stickler, Jon (January 24, 2011). "Cee Lo Green forced to reschedule upcoming UK tour & tickets". Stereoboard UK. Retrieved January 26, 2011.
  10. ↑ "Cee Lo Green Reschedules Tour". Glasswerk National. January 24, 2011. Archived from the original on March 10, 2012. Retrieved January 26, 2011.
  11. ↑ "Amy Winehouse goes green in duet". Daily Star. Northern & Shell. January 22, 2011. Retrieved January 26, 2011.
  12. ↑ Williams, Rob (November 13, 2010). "New Music". Winnipeg Free Press (Print ed.). p. C4. Retrieved January 26, 2011.
  13. ↑ Berman, Zachary (November 8, 2010). "On the D-Lo". The Diamondback. University of Maryland, College Park. Archived from the original on March 12, 2012. Retrieved January 26, 2011.
  14. ↑ Gartzke, Jeremy (November 7, 2010). "Few 'killers' on Green's latest". The Daily Cardinal. University of Wisconsin–Madison. Archived from the original on November 12, 2010. Retrieved January 26, 2011.
  15. ↑ Frazier, Walter (November 10, 2010). "Cee Lo Goes Wild in New Video, Sings 'Fox News' on 'Colbert' La'Shawna (who appeared in Fuck You) made another cameo appearance along with former Total Drama Island contestants Lindsey and Bridgette as 3 girl strippers". Billboard. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
  16. ↑ Anderson, Kyle (November 10, 2010). "Cee Lo Premieres Video For 'Bright Lights Bigger City'". MTV. Retrieved January 26, 2011.
  17. ↑ "New Music: Cee Lo Green f/ Wiz Khalifa – 'Bright Lights Bigger City (Remix)'". Rap-Up.com. October 18, 2010. Retrieved March 13, 2011.
  18. ↑ "Cee Lo Green - Bright Lights Bigger City ft Wiz Khalifa". Youtube. Retrieved March 13, 2011.
  19. ↑ "Cee Lo Green's neon video for "Bright Lights Bigger City" - Music News: Artists. Songs. Videos". Salon.com. Retrieved March 13, 2011.
  20. ↑ Bry, Dave. "Cee-Lo Featuring Wiz Khalifa, "Bright Lights Bigger City" Remix". The Awl. Retrieved March 13, 2011.
  21. ↑ "Cee Lo's New Music Video Looks Exactly Like Everyone Else's - Music News". Pedestrian TV. March 11, 2011. Retrieved March 13, 2011.
  22. ↑ Goodman, Lizzy (November 12, 2010). "Cee-Lo Rocks Some Nasty Sh*t at New York City Party". Spin. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
  23. ↑ D. O’Garro, Felicia (November 12, 2010). "Cee Lo Green lights up New York City". Rap-Up. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
  24. ↑ "Gwyneth Paltrow hosts Saturday Night Live with musical guest Cee Lo Green!". Saturday Night Live. NBC. January 15, 2011. Archived from the original on March 10, 2011. Retrieved February 14, 2011.
  25. ↑ Tucker, Ken (January 16, 2011). "'Saturday Night Live' recap: Gwyneth Paltrow was country weak and comedy strong". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 26, 2011.
  26. ↑ David, Valerie (January 18, 2011). "Gwyneth Paltrow & Cee Lo Green Are Game for Anything on 'Saturday Night Live'". Archived from the original on January 22, 2011. Retrieved February 14, 2011. Cee Lo Green did his own version of Robert Palmer on the "Saturday Night Live" stage, singing his hit while being backed up by a girl band dressed in tight, hot pink mini-dresses. The difference between Palmer's models and these sexy gals, however, was that Cee Lo's band "Scarlet Fever" is the real deal, rocking out on their instruments with sass and true talent.
  27. ↑ Ziegbe, Mawuse (January 16, 2011). "Gwyneth Paltrow Sings With Cee Lo, Covers Taylor Swift On 'SNL'". MTV. Retrieved January 26, 2011.
  28. ↑ Yuan, Jonathan (January 16, 2011). "SNL Recap: Gwyneth Paltrow / Cee Lo Green". The Cornell Daily Sun. Archived from the original on March 8, 2012. Retrieved January 26, 2011.
  29. ↑ McGee, Ryan (January 16, 2011). "Recap: 'Saturday Night Live' - Gwyneth Paltrow and Cee Lo Green". Monkeys as Critics. Retrieved January 26, 2011.
  30. ↑ Boedeker, Hal (January 16, 2011). "'Saturday Night Live': Cee Lo Green upstages comedy, Gwyneth Paltrow". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on January 22, 2011. Retrieved January 26, 2011.
  31. ↑ Perpetua, Matthew (February 8, 2011). "Prince's Final Madison Square Garden Show Features Rarely Played Hits, Covers". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 9, 2011.
  32. ↑ "Cee Lo Green Concert at Madison Square Garden, New York, NY, USA Setlist on February 7, 2011". setlist.fm. February 14, 2011. Retrieved March 9, 2011.
  33. ↑ Justin (February 26, 2011). "Cee-Lo Green - Friday 25th February 2011 - Wembley Arena, Shockwaves NME Big Gig". Archived from the original on March 5, 2011. Retrieved March 9, 2011.
  34. ↑ Hasted, Nick (March 3, 2011). "NME Big Gig: Foo Fighters, Wembley Arena, London". The Independent. Retrieved March 9, 2011.
  35. ↑ "Cee Lo Green Concert at Wembley Arena, London, England Setlist on February 25, 2011". setlist.fm. February 28, 2011. Retrieved March 9, 2011.
  36. ↑ McGarry, Lisa (February 27, 2011). "James Thornton & Charlie Baker and Noel Fielding through to final of Let's Dance For Comic Relief (VIDEO)". Primetime Unreality. Retrieved February 28, 2011.
  37. ↑ "Video: Cee Lo Green Lights Up 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!'". Rap-Up. February 28, 2011. Retrieved February 28, 2011.
  38. ↑ Powell, Jason (July 25, 2011). "WWE News: Musician to perform at SummerSlam". ProWrestling.net. Retrieved July 25, 2011.
  39. ↑ "Live From Daryl's House: This Month's Episode". Live From Daryl's House.
  40. ↑ The Lady Killer (album) (liner notes). Cee Lo Green. Elektra. 2010.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  41. ↑ "Cee Lo Green – Bright Lights Bigger City" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved May 13, 2011.
  42. ↑ "Cee Lo Green Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard.
  43. ↑ "Cee-Lo Green – Bright Lights, Bigger City" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
  44. ↑ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Rádiós Top 40 játszási lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved June 2, 2011.
  45. ↑ "Chart Track: Week 11, 2011". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved March 25, 2011.
  46. ↑ "Media Forest Week 14, 2011". Israeli Airplay Chart. Media Forest.
  47. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Cee Lo Green" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved April 6, 2011.
  48. ↑ "Cee Lo Green – {{{song}}}" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved April 20, 2011.
  49. ↑ "Cee Lo Green – Bright Lights Bigger City". Top 40 Singles.
  50. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  51. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  52. ↑ "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company.
  53. ↑ "Cee Lo Green Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard.
  54. ↑ "Cee Lo Green Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard.
  55. ↑ "Cee Lo Green Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard.
  56. ↑ "Rádiós Top 100 - hallgatottsági adatok alapján - 2011". Retrieved November 29, 2021.
  57. ↑ "End of Year Chart 2011" (PDF). ChartsPlus. Retrieved November 29, 2021.
  58. ↑ "Latest Gold / Platinum Singles". Radioscope. August 21, 2011. Archived from the original on August 31, 2011. Retrieved August 24, 2022.
  59. ↑ "British single certifications – Ceelo Green – Bright Lights Bigger City". British Phonographic Industry.
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