The Light Is Coming
| "The Light Is Coming" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Promotional singlebyAriana GrandefeaturingNicki Minaj | ||||
| from the albumSweetener | ||||
| Released | June 20, 2018 | |||
| Studio |
| |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:48 | |||
| Label | Republic | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
| |||
| Producer(s) | Pharrell Williams | |||
| Ariana Grandepromotional singleschronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "The Light Is Coming"onYouTube | ||||
"The Light Is Coming"is a song by American singerAriana Grande,featuring American rapperNicki Minaj,released on June 20, 2018 as a promotional single of Grande's fourth studio albumSweetener.Nicki Minajwrote her intro whileAriana Grandeco-wrote the song with its producerPharrell Williams.[1]The track debuted at number 95 and peaked at number 89 on the USBillboardHot 100.
Release
[edit]On May 27, 2018,Ariana Grandeteased "The Light Is Coming" with a 21-second clip on her Instagram page.[2]On June 2, she debuted a preview of the song atWango Tango,announcing that the song would be released on June 20, 2018, along with the pre-order ofSweetener.[3]
Composition and lyrics
[edit]The song runs for three minutes and forty-eight seconds.[4]It is anew wave[1]anddance[5]track with influences ofR&Bandhip hop.[6]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 quickdrumsandsynths.[7][8]The song samples aCNNarchive clip of a man named Craig Miller who is shouting at former senatorArlen Specterat a town hall meeting in Pennsylvania in 2009 concerning healthcare ( "You wouldn't let anybody speak for this and instead!" ).[9][10]Pharrell Williamshas prominently used the sample in other songs he has produced, includingN.E.R.DandRihanna's "Lemon"andUsher's "Twisted".
Grande's vocals span one octave, fromG♯3to G♯4.[11]
Critical reception
[edit]
"The Light Is Coming" received lukewarm reviews from music critics.[12]Mike Nied ofIdolatordescribed it as "a serious dance floor filler", writing: "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 ofPharrell.All things considered, it sounds like the pop princess has another hit on her hands. "[13]In the album review, however, Neid called it "a particularly glaring misstep."[14]Spineditor Israel Daramola described the song as a "glitchy, thumping"dancerecord 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." He also praised Minaj for delivering a "strutting, paint-by-numbers verse in the time allotted" that is "perfectly suited to the heavy, ground shaking bass of the song".[5]Brittany Spanos ofRolling Stoneconsidered it a "weak spot" in the parent album.[15]
Commercial performance
[edit]"The Light Is Coming" entered the USBillboardHot 100at number 95 selling 14,000 copies in its first week, allowing it to also debut on theDigital Songschart at number 22.[16]The song fell off the Hot 100 the following week; however, it later re-entered at a new peak of number 89 following the release ofSweetener.[17]
Worldwide, the song debuted in the top-forty in Hungary and Scotland, peaking at numbers 24 and 22 respectively, while charting within the top 100 in six other territories including the United Kingdom, where it reached number 57 on theUK Singles Chart.It also peaked at number 63 on theCanadian Hot 100.
Music video
[edit]Despite the song not being released as an official single, the music video for the song first premiered twelve hours after the song's release, via theReebokofficial website.[18]It was directed byDave Meyers,who had also directed the music video for Grande's "No Tears Left to Cry",and features Nicki Minajperforming her verse andAriana Grandesinging in a dimly-lit forest. The video was released worldwide on YouTube and Vevo the next day.
Live performances
[edit]Grande performed a preview of the song atWango Tangoon June 2, 2018 and was on the set list of herSweetener World Tour.[3]
Credits and personnel
[edit]Recording and management
- Recorded at Glenwood Place Studios (Burbank, California),Jungle City Studios(New York City), Chalice Recording Studios (Hollywood,California), The Lunchtable (Los Angeles,California andConway Recording Studios(Hollywood, California)
- Nicki Minaj's vocals recorded at Germano Studios (New York City,New York)
- Mastered atSterling Sound(New York City, New York)
- EMI Pop Music Publishing/More Water From Nazareth (GMR), Harajuku Barbie Music/Money Mack Music/Songs of Universal, Inc. (BMI), Universal Music Group Corp. (ASCAP)/GrandAriMusic (ASCAP)
Personnel
- Ariana Grande–lead vocals,songwriting
- Nicki Minaj– featured vocals, songwriting
- Pharrell Williams– songwriting,production
- Mike Larson –recording,digital editing,arrangement,additionalprogramming
- Jacob Dennis – recording assistant
- Ramon Rivas – recording assistant
- Brendan Morawski – recording assistant
- Thomas Cullison – recording assistant
- Ben "Bengineer" Sedano – recording assistant
- Aubry "Big Juice" Delaine – Nicki Minaj's vocals recording
- Kris Crawford – Nicki Minaj's recording assistant
- Manny Park – Nicki Minaj's recording assistant
- Manny Marroquin–mi xing
- Scott Desmarais – mix assistant
- Chris Galland – mix assistant
- Robin Florent – mix assistant
- Randy Merrill –mastering
Credits adapted from the liner notes ofSweetener.[19]
Charts
[edit]| Chart (2018) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[20] | 60 |
| Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[21] | 63 |
| France Downloads (SNEP)[22] | 68 |
| Greece Digital Songs (Billboard)[23] | 2 |
| Hungary (Single Top 40)[24] | 24 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[25] | 76 |
| Japan Hot Overseas (Billboard)[26] | 12 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[27] | 81 |
| New Zealand Heatseekers (Recorded Music NZ)[28] | 2 |
| Portugal Digital Song Sales(Billboard)[29] | 7 |
| Scotland(OCC)[30] | 22 |
| UK Singles(OCC)[31] | 57 |
| USBillboardHot 100[32] | 89 |
Certifications
[edit]| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[33] | Gold | 35,000‡ |
| Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[34] | Platinum | 40,000‡ |
|
‡Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
[edit]- ^abTanzer, Myles (May 30, 2018)."Cover Story: Ariana Grande".The Fader.RetrievedJune 4,2018.
- ^"Ariana Grande Teases New Song" The Light Is Coming "Featuring Nicki Minaj: Listen".Spin.May 28, 2018.RetrievedJune 3,2018.
- ^ab"Watch Ariana Grande Debut New Song 'The Light Is Coming' at Wango Tango".Rolling Stone.June 3, 2018.RetrievedJune 3,2018.
- ^"Sweetner by Ariana Grande".ITunes Store.June 20, 2018.RetrievedJune 20,2018.
- ^abDaramola, Israel (June 22, 2018)."Ariana Grande's" The Light Is Coming "Is Hypnotic and Wonderfully Bizarre".SPIN.RetrievedJanuary 29,2020.
- ^"Ariana Grande Links With Nicki Minaj On 'The Light Is Coming'".Clash Music.June 20, 2018.RetrievedJune 22,2018.
- ^"Ariana Grande Taps Nicki Minaj for New Song" The Light Is Coming ": Listen".Pitchfork.June 20, 2018.RetrievedJune 20,2018.
- ^"Hear Ariana Grande Tap Nicki Minaj for Snappy 'The Light Is Coming'".Rolling Stone.June 20, 2018.RetrievedJune 20,2018.
- ^"Who Is The Man Sampled On Ariana Grande's 'The Light Is Coming'?".PopBuzz.Archived fromthe originalon October 15, 2019.RetrievedJune 20,2018.
- ^"Ariana Grande's 'The Light Is Coming' Contains a Prominent Voice Sample With a Political Message".Billboard.June 21, 2018.RetrievedJune 22,2018.
- ^"The Light is Coming".Musicnotes.December 24, 2018.
- ^Neid, Mike (July 13, 2018)."Ariana Grande's" God Is A Woman "Is A Sexually Liberated Bop".Idolator.Archived fromthe originalon January 15, 2023.RetrievedJuly 13,2018.
- ^Nied, Mike."Banger! Ariana Grande & Nicki Minaj Bring The Heat On “The Light Is Coming” ",Idolator,June 23, 2018
- ^"Album Review: Ariana Grande's 'Sweetener'".Idolator.[permanent dead link]
- ^Spanos, Brittany (August 20, 2018)."Review: Ariana Grande Finds Serenity and Has Some Fun on 'Sweetener'".Rolling Stone.RetrievedAugust 20,2018.
- ^"Ariana Grande Chart History".Billboard.RetrievedJune 30,2018.
- ^Zellner, Xander."Ariana Grande Earns 10th Top 10 Hit, Lands 10 Songs onBillboardHot 100 ",Billboard,August 27, 2018
- ^""THE LIGHT IS COMING" PREMIERE ".Archived fromthe originalon June 20, 2018.RetrievedJune 20,2018.
- ^Sweetener(Media notes).Ariana Grande.Republic Records.2018.
{{cite AV media notes}}:CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^"ARIA Chart Watch #479".auspOp.June 30, 2018. Archived fromthe originalon June 30, 2018.RetrievedJune 30,2018.
- ^"Ariana Grande Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)".Billboard.Retrieved July 3, 2018.
- ^"Le Top de la semaine: Top Singles Téléchargés – SNEP (Week 25, 2018)"(in French).Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.RetrievedMay 30,2024.
- ^"Greece Digital Songs".Billboard.June 30, 2018.RetrievedJune 15,2018.
- ^"Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ "(in Hungarian).Single (track) Top 40 lista.Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
- ^"Irish-charts – Discography Ariana Grande".Irish Singles Chart.Retrieved August 2, 2023.
- ^"Billboard Japan Hot Overseas".Billboard Japan(in Japanese). July 16, 2018.RetrievedMay 8,2019.
- ^"Ariana Grande feat. Nicki Minaj – The Light Is Coming "(in Dutch).Single Top 100.Retrieved June 29, 2018.
- ^"NZ Heatseeker Singles Chart".Recorded Music NZ.July 2, 2018.RetrievedJune 29,2018.
- ^"Ariana Grande Chart History (Portugal Digital Song Sales)".Billboard.[dead link]
- ^"Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100".Official Charts Company.Retrieved June 23, 2018.
- ^"Official Singles Chart Top 100".Official Charts Company.Retrieved June 30, 2018.
- ^"Ariana Grande Chart History (Hot 100)".Billboard.Retrieved August 28, 2018.
- ^"ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2023 Singles"(PDF).Australian Recording Industry Association.RetrievedJuly 7,2023.
- ^"Brazilian single certifications – Ariana Grande – The Light Is Coming"(in Portuguese).Pro-Música Brasil.RetrievedDecember 14,2023.
