Building the City of Light

Last updated
"Building the City of Light"
Mike Scott Building the City of Light 1995 single cover.jpg
Single by Mike Scott
from the album Bring 'Em All In
B-side "Where Do You Want the Boombox, Buddy?"
Released30 October 1995 [1]
Length3:52
Label Chrysalis
Songwriter(s) Mike Scott
Producer(s) Mike Scott, Niko Bolas
Mike Scott singles chronology
"Bring 'Em All In"
(1995)		"Building the City of Light"
(1995)		"Love Anyway"
(1997)

"Building the City of Light" is a song from Scottish singer-songwriter Mike Scott, which was released as the second and final single from his first solo album Bring 'Em All In . It was written by Mike Scott, and produced by Scott and Niko Bolas. The song reached No. 60 in the UK Singles Chart and remained in the top 100 for two weeks. [2]

Contents

Background

Much of the material on Bring 'Em All In was written after Scott left New York City for Scotland in 1993. During a period when he stayed at the Findhorn Foundation, he wrote many of the songs that appeared on the album and first performed "Building the City of Light", among other tracks, at the foundation's Universal Hall. [3] At the time of its release, Scott described "Building the City of Light" as "a three and a half minute power blast with lyrics about bringing more love into the world, starting with myself". [4]

When the previous single "Bring 'Em All In" stalled at No. 56 in the UK, Chrysalis persuaded Scott to release "Building the City of Light" with different bonus tracks on two separate CD releases in the bid to generate additional sales and a hit single. In his autobiography, Scott recalled how he felt the plan was merely a "music business ploy" and a "scam". With "Building the City of Light" only reaching No. 60 in the UK, Scott recalled: "The single bombed and I felt I'd compromised myself, the fans and the music." [5]

Music video

The song's music video was directed by Scott and David Anderson, and produced by Elizabeth Flowers. [5]

Critical reception

In a review of Bring 'Em All In, Kevin O'Hare, writing for the Star Tribune described the song as a "fiery closer". [6] Dan Bennett of the North County Times wrote: "On songs such as "Sensitive Children" and "Building the City of Light", Scott has attempted to fashion a complete observational and self-realization journey in one package." [7]

Trouser Press commented: "...Scott is still carried away with his new age idealism: the lyrics of "Long Way to the Light" and "Building the City of Light" are both so insufferably earnest and overpoweringly positive that they distract all attention away from any merits the music might have." [8] Chuck Groth of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch felt "Building the City of Light" was one of the album's tracks that was "forced and melodramatic". [9]

Formats

7" single
No.TitleLength
1."Building the City of Light"3:52
2."Where Do You Want the Boombox, Buddy?"2:21
CD single (UK #1)
No.TitleLength
1."Building the City of Light"3:52
2."Where Do You Want the Boombox, Buddy?"2:21
3."Goin' Back to Glasters (Live)"3:46
4."The Whole of the Moon (Live)"4:04
CD single (UK #2)
No.TitleLength
1."Building the City of Light"3:52
2."Two Great Waves"5:25
3."My Beautiful Guide"2:34
4."Building the City of Light (Universal Hall Demo)"4:03
CD single (UK promo)
No.TitleLength
1."Building the City of Light"3:52
CD single (US promo)
No.TitleLength
1."Building the City of Light"3:52
2."Where Do You Want the Boombox, Buddy?"2:21
3."Bleecker Street"1:52
4."This Morning I Am Born Again"1:40
5."Goin' Back to Glasters (Live)"3:46

Personnel

Building the City of Light

Where Do You Want the Boombox, Buddy?

Other

Charts

Chart (1995)Peak
position
Scotland (OCC) [10] 46
UK Singles (OCC) [11] 60

Related Research Articles

The Waterboys Scottish folk rock band

The Waterboys are a folk rock band formed in Edinburgh in 1983 by Scottish musician Mike Scott. The band's membership, past and present, has been composed mainly of musicians from Scotland, Ireland, Wales and England. Mike Scott has remained as the only constant member throughout the band's career. They have explored a number of different styles, but their music is mainly a mix of folk music with rock and roll. They dissolved in 1993 when Scott departed to pursue a solo career. The group reformed in 2000, and continue to release albums and to tour worldwide. Scott emphasises a continuity between The Waterboys and his solo work, saying that "To me there's no difference between Mike Scott and the Waterboys; they both mean the same thing. They mean myself and whoever are my current travelling musical companions."

<i>Dream Harder</i> 1993 studio album by The Waterboys

Dream Harder (1993) is the sixth album by The Waterboys. Led as always by Scottish singer-songwriter-instrumentalist Mike Scott, the album features none of the earlier UK-based band members and instead finds Scott backed by American session musicians. It was the last Waterboys album before Scott spent seven years pursuing a formal solo career, with Bring 'Em All In (1995) and Still Burning (1997). The album reached position 171 on the Billboard Top 200 charts, surpassing the previous Waterboys album Room to Roam, in spite of a less-than-enthusiastic response from critics to the album's sound.

<i>This Is the Sea</i> 1985 studio album by The Waterboys

This Is the Sea is the third The Waterboys album, and the last of their "Big Music" albums. Considered by critics to be the finest album of their early rock-oriented sound, described as "epic" and "a defining moment", it was the first Waterboys album to enter the United Kingdom charts, peaking at number 37. Steve Wickham makes his Waterboys recording debut playing violin on 'The Pan Within' and subsequently joined the band, appearing on the video of "The Whole of the Moon". This Is the Sea is the last album with contributions from Karl Wallinger, who left the group to form his own band, World Party.

Mike Scott (Scottish musician) Scottish songwriter and musician

Michael Scott is a Scottish singer, songwriter and musician. He is the founding member, lead singer, guitarist and songwriter of rock band The Waterboys. He has also produced two solo albums, Bring 'em All In and Still Burning. Scott is a vocalist, guitarist and pianist, and has played a large range of other instruments, including the bouzouki, drums, and Hammond organ on his albums. Scott is also a published writer, having released his autobiography, Adventures of a Waterboy, in 2012.

<i>Bring Em All In</i> 1995 studio album by Mike Scott

Bring 'Em All In (1995) was Mike Scott's first of two solo albums, the other being 1997's Still Burning. Dream Harder (1993) was recorded by Scott and session musicians, but was credited to Scott's band, The Waterboys. The cover and album photography were provided by Niko Bolas, Stefano Giovanni, Jeff Mitchell and Scott. The song "What Do You Want Me to Do?" was later covered by Rod Stewart.

<i>Karma to Burn</i> (The Waterboys album) 2005 live album by The Waterboys

Karma to Burn is the first official live album from The Waterboys. It also contains tracks from Mike Scott's solo career: "Bring 'em All In," "Long Way to the Light," "My Dark Side," and "Open."

The Big Music 1984 single by The Waterboys

"The Big Music" is a song from Scottish-Irish folk rock band The Waterboys, which was released in 1984 as the lead single from their second studio album A Pagan Place. The song was written and produced by Mike Scott.

Fishermans Blues (song) 1988 single by The Waterboys

"Fisherman's Blues" is a song from Scottish-Irish folk rock band The Waterboys, released as the lead single from their fourth studio album of the same name. It was written by Mike Scott and Steve Wickham, and produced by Scott. The song reached No. 3 on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, No. 13 in Ireland and No. 32 in the UK. A re-issue of the single in 1991 saw the song return to the Top 20 in Ireland, reaching No. 17.

And a Bang on the Ear 1989 single by the Waterboys

"And a Bang on the Ear" is a song from Scottish-Irish folk rock band the Waterboys, released as the second single from their fourth studio album Fisherman's Blues. It was written by Mike Scott, and produced by John Dunford and Scott. The song reached No. 1 in the Republic of Ireland and No. 51 in the United Kingdom.

The Return of Pan 1993 single by The Waterboys

"The Return of Pan" is a song from Scottish-Irish folk rock band The Waterboys, which was released as the lead single from their sixth studio album Dream Harder. It was written by Mike Scott, and produced by Scott and Bill Price. The song reached No. 24 in the UK Singles Chart and No. 10 on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.

Glastonbury Song 1993 single by The Waterboys

"Glastonbury Song" is a song from Scottish-Irish folk rock band The Waterboys, which was released in 1993 as the second single from their sixth studio album Dream Harder. It was written by Mike Scott, and produced by Scott and Bill Price. The song reached No. 29 in the UK and No. 12 in Ireland.

Everybody Takes a Tumble 2007 single by The Waterboys

"Everybody Takes a Tumble" is a song from Scottish-Irish folk rock band The Waterboys, released as the only single from their ninth studio album Book of Lightning. It was written by Mike Scott and Anthony Thistlethwaite, and produced by Scott and Phil Tennant.

The Whole of the Moon 1985 single by the Waterboys

"The Whole of the Moon" is a song by the Waterboys which was released as a single from their album This Is the Sea in 1985. It is a classic of the band's repertoire and has been consistently played at live shows ever since its release. Written and produced by Mike Scott, the subject of the song has inspired some speculation.

The Waterboys discography Musical artist

Discography of releases by The Waterboys and Mike Scott.

<i>Where the Action Is</i> (The Waterboys album) 2019 studio album by The Waterboys

Where the Action Is is the thirteenth studio album by The Waterboys, released by Cooking Vinyl on 24 May 2019. It reached No. 21 on the UK Albums Chart and No. 3 on the UK Independent Albums Chart.

Love Anyway 1997 single by Mike Scott

"Love Anyway" is a song from Scottish singer-songwriter Mike Scott, which was released as the lead single from his second solo album Still Burning. It was written by Mike Scott, and produced by Scott and Niko Bolas. "Love Anyway" reached No. 50 in the UK Singles Chart and remained on the charts for two weeks.

Bring Em All In (song) 1995 single by Mike Scott

"Bring 'Em All In" is a song from Scottish singer-songwriter Mike Scott, which was released as the lead single from his first solo album Bring 'Em All In. It was written by Mike Scott, and produced by Scott and Niko Bolas. The song reached No. 56 in the UK Singles Chart and remained in the Top 100 for two weeks.

Dont Bang the Drum 1985 single by The Waterboys

"Don't Bang the Drum" is a song from Scottish-Irish folk rock band The Waterboys, released as the opening track on their third studio album This Is the Sea. It was written by Mike Scott and Karl Wallinger, and produced by Scott. The song was released as a single in Germany and was also issued as a 12" promotional vinyl in the United States.

Rare, Precious and Gone 1998 single by Mike Scott

"Rare, Precious and Gone" is a song by Scottish singer-songwriter Mike Scott, released as the second single from his second solo album Still Burning. It was written by Mike Scott, and produced by Scott and Niko Bolas. "Rare, Precious and Gone" reached No. 74 on the UK Singles Chart in February 1998.

<i>Good Luck, Seeker</i> 2020 studio album by The Waterboys

Good Luck, Seeker is the fourteenth studio album by The Waterboys, which was released by Cooking Vinyl on 21 August 2020.

References

  1. ↑ "On the road with Mike Scott". The Guardian. 27 October 1995.
  2. ↑ "Mike Scott | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 2019-08-06.
  3. ↑ Lawn, Jim (22 September 1995). "Mike's debut album". Lennox Herald.
  4. ↑ "News and reviews...". Lennox Herald. 13 October 1995.
  5. 1 2 Scott, Mike (2017). Adventures of a Waterboy. Jawbone. pp. 242–243. ISBN   978-1911036357.
  6. ↑ O'Hare, Kevin (10 December 1995). "Entertainment: listen up". Star Tribune.
  7. ↑ Bennett, Dan (15 March 1996). "Ex-Waterboy Mike Scott finds own way". North County Times.
  8. ↑ "Waterboys". TrouserPress.com. Retrieved 2019-08-06.
  9. ↑ Groth, Chuck (4 January 1996). "Two hits packages: one wonderous, one not". St Louis Post-Dispatch.
  10. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  11. ↑ "Mike Scott: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.