"Shine a Light" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by McFly featuring Taio Cruz | ||||
from the album Above the Noise | ||||
Released | 7 November 2010 | |||
Recorded | 2010 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length |
| |||
Label | Island | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) |
| |||
McFly singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Taio Cruz singles chronology | ||||
|
"Shine a Light" is the second single from English band McFly's fifth studio album, Above the Noise . The single features vocals from singer Taio Cruz. The single was released on 7 November 2010 via digital download, with a physical release following the next day. [1] A free download was available for members of the band's new website, SuperCity. [2] The song received mostly positive reviews from pop music critics. On 3 November 2010, the song was added to BBC Radio 1's A-List. The song peaked the number 9 in UK Airplay Chart. McFly secured their fifteenth Top 5 hit with "Shine a Light" on the UK Singles Chart.
The single was first confirmed by band frontman Tom Fletcher, before being made available to pre-order on the HMV website. [1] Fletcher described the writing process as "working backwards" in comparison to how the band usually writes their songs. They started out with the beat and then built the song around it. [3]
Robert Copsey from Digital Spy awarded it 4 stars and said: "'Shine a Light' might be a sentimental number about missing an ex, but with Cruz's squelchy synths, McFly's trademark pop/rock choonage and some deceptively catchy "Eh Eh"s, the urge to bound around the nearest open space for three minutes and 45 seconds is near-irresistible." [4] Iain Moffatt from BBC Music said that: "even the perfectly serviceable of-the-moment pop of Shine a Light are little preparation for the delights in store here". [5]
The Entertainment Focus review said that: "Across the record the band takes anthemic pop on the corking Shine a Light". [6] Johnny Dee from Virgin Media said: "Better is the Auto-Tune soul of "Shine a Light" which sees the band teaming up with Taio Cruz to good effect." [7] Jack Foley from Indie London said that: "Shine a Light showing what can be achieved when they fuse pop rock with dance-pop and combine vocals with Taio Cruz (arguably the best offering either of these two acts have had in the charts for some time!)". [8]
The song premiered on 21 September 2010, following a video treasure hunt competition involving the band. [9] The treasure hunt allowed fans to appear in the music video for the track by hunting for clues to get to the place of filming. It premiered on the group's website on 9 October, appearing on their YouTube page just hours later. [10] The video was directed by Phil Griffin. [11] It features McFly and Cruz performing together in a cage, whilst hordes of fans watch them from outside.
McFly performed "Shine a Light" live for the first time on Paul O'Grady Live , without an appearance from Cruz.
On 4 December, McFly and Cruz performed the song together live on Jingle Bell Ball; the first and unique time they had done so.
McFly performed the song on The Hollyoaks Music Show , The Alan Titchmarsh Show , TMI and the charity events ChildLine Concert in Dublin and Children in Need .
McFly also performed an acoustic version of the song in Spain on El Hormiguero .
During the 2020 COVID-19 lockdowns, Tom Fletcher, Danny Jones with James Arthur, Olly Murs and Niall Horan did a virtual performance of the song. [12]
On 14 November, the single debuted on the UK Singles Chart at number 4, with sales of more than 51,000 copies, the song spent seven weeks in the Top 20, In its 7th week, "Shine a Light" became the top selling singles of McFly after "All About You" and spent eighteen weeks in UK top 100. The song peaked the number 9 in UK Airplay Chart. As of 2012, it has sold 341,000 copies in the UK. [15]
In Scotland the song spent three weeks on Top 10 and eight weeks in the Top 20. In Portugal the song spent seven weeks on Top 20. Nine weeks after the original release, "Shine a Light" featured 16 in 4Music's top 20 for the week.
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Personnel
Release history
Related Research ArticlesMcFly are an English pop-rock band formed in London in 2003. The band took their name from the Back to the Future character Marty McFly. The band consists of Tom Fletcher, Danny Jones, Dougie Poynter and Harry Judd (drums). They were signed to Island Records from their 2004 launch until December 2007, before creating their own label, Super Records. "You've Got a Friend" is a 1971 song written by American singer-songwriter Carole King. It was first recorded by King and included on her second studio album, Tapestry (1971). Another well-known version is by James Taylor from his album Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon. His was released as a single in 1971, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and number four on the UK Singles Chart. The two versions were recorded simultaneously in 1971 with shared musicians. "I'll Be OK" is a song by English pop rock band McFly. It was released on 15 August 2005 as the second single from their second studio album, Wonderland (2005). The single became the group's fourth number-one single on the UK Singles Chart. Despite its initial popularity, it plunged to number eight during its second week on the chart and spent only a month inside the UK top 40. "I Wanna Hold You" is a song by English pop rock band McFly. It was released on 17 October 2005 as the third single from their second studio album, Wonderland (2005). It was written by band members Tom Fletcher, Danny Jones, and Dougie Poynter. The song peaked at number three in the UK Singles Chart and number 13 in Ireland. "Star Girl" is the second single from English pop rock band McFly's third studio album, Motion in the Ocean (2006). Released in the UK on 23 October 2006, the song was the band's sixth number-one single in the UK, staying in the top 20 for two weeks. In 2009, the song was played in space to wake up the astronauts on the space station, with thanks to a successful Twitter campaign started by band member Tom Fletcher, asking NASA to play the song in space. Jacob Taio Cruz, better known professionally as Taio Cruz, is an English singer, songwriter and record producer from London, currently based in Los Angeles. In 2008, he released his debut album Departure, which he wrote, arranged and produced. The album achieved certified gold status in the United Kingdom and earned him a Music of Black Origin Awards (MOBO) nomination. "I Just Wanna Know" is the debut single written and produced by English singer and songwriter Taio Cruz. "I Just Wanna Know" was released as the lead single from Cruz's debut studio album Departure (2008). The single was released on 4 November 2006, via digital download, and two days later physically. It charted on the UK Singles Chart at #29. Despite having a lower peak position than his second single, "Moving On", "I Just Wanna Know" managed six weeks inside the UK top 75 compared to the four weeks "Moving On" charted for. The single is the only of Cruz's releases to be made available on two physical single formats. The B-side, "Backseat Love", features rapper Erick Sermon. "Moving On" is a song written and produced by Taio Cruz, and was the second single taken from his debut studio album Departure (2008). "Moving On" became his second top thirty hit, peaking at number 26 on the UK Singles Chart, outpeaking his debut single by three places. It did not, however, spend as long inside the UK top 75 as previous single "I Just Wanna Know", which had a six-week chart run, in comparison to the four-week chart run for "Moving On". "She's like a Star" is a song written, produced and performed by British singer and songwriter Taio Cruz. It was released on 18 August 2008 as the fifth single from his debut studio album Departure (2008). An R&B ballad, the lyrics of "She's like a Star" are about the theme of parenthood, an idea which inspired Cruz to compose the song. The song was remixed to feature vocals from English girl group Sugababes and American rapper K.R., and American rapper Busta Rhymes. It received generally mixed reviews from critics, who were ambivalent towards the composition. Upon release, it peaked at number twenty on the UK Singles Chart. The song's music video features Hollyoaks actress Roxanne McKee as Cruz's love interest. Cruz performed the song with the Sugababes at the 2008 MOBO Awards ceremony, and at Radio 1's Big Weekend 2011. "Break Your Heart" is a song by British singer and songwriter Taio Cruz. The song serves as the lead single from his second studio album, Rokstarr (2009). It was written by Cruz and Fraser T Smith and produced by Smith. It was first released in the United Kingdom on 20 September 2009, followed by a release in the United States and other markets on 2 February 2010. The single version features US rapper Ludacris; that version was the single released in North American countries. The song, originally penned for Cheryl Cole, is an electropop song with dance-pop elements, accompanied by Cruz's vocals. The song is lyrically a warning to someone about being a heartbreaker. Rokstarr is the second studio album by English singer and songwriter Taio Cruz. It was released on 12 October 2009 in the United Kingdom. On 11 June 2010, a revised version of the album was released in Europe and the United States, appearing as Cruz's debut album there. On 22 May 2011, a second revised version of the album was released in Brazil, other South American countries and Europe. The album debuted at number 14 on the UK Albums Chart and number eight on the US Billboard 200. "Dirty Picture" is a song by British R&B singer Taio Cruz, which features vocals from American singer Kesha and was released from his second studio album, Rokstarr (2009). The song was written and produced by Cruz alongside Fraser T Smith, and later released as the album's third single on 5 April 2010. Originally, Cruz wanted the female vocals to be done by Lady Gaga but opted to switch to Kesha due to heavy influence by Dr. Luke and for finding her voice unique. The song was later re-recorded as an album bonus track for Kesha's debut album, Animal (2010), and dubbed the "Kesha edit" or "Dirty Picture Pt. 2". Lyrically, the song is about sending a dirty picture to a significant other whom you miss. "Dynamite" is a song by British singer and songwriter Taio Cruz from the revised version of his second studio album, Rokstarr (2010). Cruz co-wrote the song, along with Max Martin, Bonnie McKee, Benny Blanco, and Dr. Luke; the latter two are also the producers. The song features additional instrumentation by Cruz himself. It was released internationally as the fourth single from Rokstarr. In the UK, the song was released as the first single from Cruz's compilation album, The Rokstarr Collection (2010). On 30 May 2010, it was released to US and Canadian radio stations as his second single and across Europe as his fourth single. An official remix was released featuring new label mate, Jennifer Lopez. "Party Girl" is a song by British pop rock band McFly. It was released as the lead single from their fifth studio album, Above the Noise (2010). The song premiered on UK radio on 14 July 2010 on In:Demand, and was released on 5 September 2010, where it debuted at number 6 on the UK Singles Chart; marking the band's sixteenth Top 10 single to date. "Green Light" is a single by London-based grime music collective, Roll Deep. It was released by digital download on 15 August 2010 on Relentless / Virgin Records. The MCs who make an appearance in the song are Wiley, J2K, Breeze, Brazen and Scratchy. It was co-written by UK singer Angel. "Green Light" debuted on the UK Singles Chart on 29 August 2010 at number one, marking the band's second number-one single. Above the Noise is the fifth studio album from English pop rock band McFly. The album was released on 15 November 2010. The album spawned three singles: "Party Girl", which was released on 6 September; "Shine a Light", which was released on 8 November; and "That's the Truth", which was released on 6 March 2011. The Rokstarr Collection is the first compilation album by English R&B recording artist Taio Cruz. It was released on 20 September 2010. According to Cruz's website, the album combines "the biggest hits of Taio’s debut album 'Departure' and recent album 'Rokstarr'". The album includes all of Cruz's singles from his first two studio albums, excluding "No Other One". The album also includes album tracks and the American version of "Break Your Heart", featuring Ludacris. Island Records added the video advertisement for the collection to their YouTube account on 18 August 2010. "Higher" is the fifth single from English singer-songwriter Taio Cruz's second studio album, Rokstarr. It was written and produced by Cruz and Sandy Vee, and was released on 26 November 2010. This song was originally written for Australian singer Kylie Minogue's album Aphrodite, but plans fell through. However, Cruz and Minogue recorded a version of the song for the European release, while American rapper Travie McCoy recorded guest raps for the American release. The Brazilian and United Kingdom versions have parts of McCoy's rap mixed into the Minogue version. The version on Cruz's albums feature a solo vocal by Cruz with no guest vocalist and an edited version of the solo version was added to Radio Disney's playlist. "That's the Truth" is the third single from McFly's fifth studio album, Above the Noise. The single was first confirmed by band members Tom Fletcher and Dougie Poynter in a web chat on the group's official website, SuperCity. Graham Norton premiered the song on British radio on 15 January 2011, on his drivetime slot on BBC Radio 2. The single was released on 7 March 2011. "Love Is Easy" is a song by English pop rock band McFly which serves as the lead single from their second greatest hits album, Memory Lane: The Best of McFly. The song was written by McFly members Tom Fletcher, Danny Jones and Dougie Poynter as well as Antony Brant. Its music video was released on 24 October 2012, showing the band performing the song in a stage show that makes references to moments throughout their career. References
|