Light Up the Sky (The Afters song)

"Light Up the Sky"
Single by The Afters
from the album Light Up the Sky
Released	June 2, 2010 (2010-06-02)
Recorded	2009–2010 [1]
Studio	Glomo Studios (Nashville, Tennessee) [2]
Genre	Contemporary Christian music, pop rock
Length	3:38
Label	INO, Columbia
Songwriter(s)	Matt Fuqua Josh Havens Jason Ingram Dan Muckala
Producer(s)	Dan Muckala
The Afters singles chronology
"Ocean Wide" (2009) "Light Up the Sky" (2010) "Lift Me Up" (2011)
Music video
"Light Up the Sky" on YouTube

"Light Up the Sky" is a song by American Christian pop rock band The Afters from their 2010 album of the same name Light Up the Sky . ^[3] It was released on June 2, 2010, as the lead single. The song became the group's first Hot Christian Songs No. 1, staying there for two weeks. ^[4] It lasted 51 weeks on the overall chart, their longest charting single to date. ^[5] The song is played in the key of D major, and has a tempo of 142 beats per minute. ^[6]

Background

"Light Up the Sky" was released on June 2, 2010, as the lead single from her third studio album of the same name. ^[7] Prior to the death of their longtime manager and their drummer's best friend, along with the departure of two band members, they had to overcome many struggles which are shown in the song, exploring the depth of God's love in hard times. ^[8] Guitarist/vocalist Matt Fuqua explained in an interview with The Sound Opinion: "The story behind Light Up the Sky is a part of the story of all of us. At some point in all of our lives, we think there is no one who knows what we are going through, that we are all alone in this life. 'Light Up the Sky' is a picture of what it looks like when you make it through one of those really challenging times and you look back and see how God was using all those things for good; and that you were never alone." ^[9]

The song is featured in the June 22, 2010 episode "Break-Up to Make-Up" of the MTV show The Hills . ^[10]

Music video

The music video for "Light Up the Sky" was released on November 3, 2010. ^[11] The visual was directed by Gavin Michael Booth and produced by Booth and Marie Jeannette. ^[12]

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2010) Peak position US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles ( Billboard ) [13] 23 US Christian AC ( Billboard ) [14] 1 US Christian Airplay ( Billboard ) [15] 1 US Christian Songs ( Billboard ) [16] 1 US Christian AC Indicator ( Billboard ) [17] 1 US Christian Soft AC ( Billboard ) [18] 12 US Heatseekers Songs (Billboard) [19] 17

Year-end charts Chart (2010) Peak position US Christian Songs ( Billboard ) [20] 22 Chart (2011) Peak position US Christian Songs ( Billboard ) [21] 14 Decade-end charts Chart (2010s) Position US Christian Songs (Billboard) [22] 43

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA) [23]	Gold	500,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

1. We officially started recording our new album today! by The Afters Twitter.com 2009
2. Light Up The Sky – The Afters | AllMusic
3. "Light Up the Sky by The Afters". iTunes . September 14, 2010. Archived from the original on June 16, 2018. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
4. Chart dates for "Light Up the Sky":
   • December 18: "Christian Songs (December 18, 2010)". Billboard . Retrieved January 31, 2013.
   • December 25: "Christian Songs (December 25, 2010)". Billboard. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
   • January 15: "Christian Songs (January 15, 2011)". Billboard. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
5. "The Afters Light up The Sky Chart History". Billboard . Archived from the original on June 16, 2018. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
6. "Key & BPM for Light Up The Sky by The Afters". TuneBat. September 14, 2010. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
7. "Light Up The Sky - The Afters". Amazon. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
8. "#162 - "Light Up The Sky" by The Afters" . Retrieved June 15, 2018.
9. "The Afters" . Retrieved June 15, 2018.
10. "The Hills Soundtrack - S6 · E9 · Break-Up To Make-Up" . Retrieved June 15, 2018.
11. "The Afters - Light Up The Sky - Official Video". YouTube. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
12. "The Afters - Light Up The Sky Music Video". CrossWalk. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
13. "The Afters Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
14. "The Afters - Christian AC History". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 15, 2018. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
15. "The Afters Chart History (Christian Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
16. "The Afters Chart History (Hot Christian Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
17. "Christian AC Indicator". Billboard . Archived from the original on June 15, 2018. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
18. "Christian Soft AC". Billboard . Archived from the original on June 15, 2018. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
19. "The Afters - Chart history - Billboard". Billboard . September 20, 2010. Archived from the original on June 15, 2018. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
20. "Hot Christian Songs - Year-End 2010 - Billboard". Billboard . Retrieved June 15, 2018.
21. "Hot Christian Songs - Year-End 2011 - Billboard". Billboard . Retrieved June 15, 2018.
22. "Hot Christian Songs – Decade-End 2010s". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 1, 2019. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
23. "American single certifications – The Afters – Light Up The Sky". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved November 14, 2024.