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The Downtown Lights

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1989 single by The Blue Nile
"The Downtown Lights"
Single by The Blue Nile
from the album Hats
B-side"The Wires Are Down"
Released11 September 1989
Genre
Length4:40 (single version)
6:26 (album version)
LabelLinn Records
A&M (US)
Songwriter(s)Paul Buchanan
Producer(s)The Blue Nile
The Blue Nile singles chronology
"Stay"
(1984) 		"The Downtown Lights"
(1989) 		"Headlights on the Parade"
(1990)

"The Downtown Lights" is a song by Scottish band The Blue Nile, released in 1989 as the lead single from their second studio album Hats. It was written by Paul Buchanan and produced by the band.

"The Downtown Lights" reached No. 67 in the UK and remained in the charts for three weeks. It also reached No. 10 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. The song's music video achieved medium rotation on MTV.

Critical reception

Upon its release, Music & Media wrote: "Moody, slow-stepping material from the Glaswegian trio. A striking choice as a single as this is not the easiest number to programme." Mick Williams of the Lennox Herald gave the song a 6 out of 10 rating and commented: ""Downtown Lights", while signalling the long-awaited return of Blue Nile, is a trifle disappointing as the band seem to have stood still and failed to progress since their much acclaimed debut disc. Indeed, "Downtown Lights" could be an outtake from the band's A Walk Across the Rooftops sessions, way back in '84." Lisa Tilston of Record Mirror felt the song was "polite" and "pleasant", but added "nothing much happens except some synth, some singing, and a great bit when the drumming sounds like someone banging on a tupperware box".

In a review of Hats, Peter B. King of The Pittsburgh Press commented: "The album's grabber is "The Downtown Lights". Moving along at a stately, machine-driven uptempo, it builds inexorably with layers of synthesizers and drum programs. Buchanan summons images of cigarettes, magazine stands and forlorn figures in stairwells for his tale of longing and fulfillment in the big city." Paul Robicheau of The Boston Globe wrote: "The group crosses dusky, percolating keyboard layers with the grey vocals of Paul Buchanan to build a subtle splendor on "The Downtown Lights" and "Headlights on the Parade"."

David Thigpen of Rolling Stone commented: "Songs such as "The Downtown Lights" and "Saturday Night" have a sparse, soulful feel that blends the cool, nocturnal languor of Bryan Ferry with the mystical hues of Peter Gabriel." Jason Ankeny of AllMusic stated: "Tracks like "The Downtown Lights" and "From a Late Night Train" are perfectly evocative of their titles: Rich in romantic atmosphere and detail, they conjure a nocturnal fantasy world lit by neon and shrouded in fog."

Legacy

Matty Healy, the lead singer of the English pop rock band The 1975, based their song "Love It If We Made It" off of "The Downtown Lights". In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, he said: "I wanted to reference that song; I didn't want to hide away from referencing it. I wanted it to be fucking obvious to people that know." In 2024, Taylor Swift's song "Guilty as Sin?" from her album The Tortured Poets Department contained the opening lyrics "Drowning in the Blue Nile, he sent me 'Downtown Lights', I hadn't heard it in a while." Many publications interpreted the lyrics as referencing Swift's brief relationship with Healy, who has spoken about how The Blue Nile are his favorite band. Streaming numbers for "The Downtown Lights" rose from 3,000 in the four-day period before the release of Swift's album to 48,000 in the same period immediately after, an increase of 1,400%.

Track listing

7" single
  1. "The Downtown Lights" - 4:40
  2. "The Wires Are Down" - 5:40
12" and CD single
  1. "The Downtown Lights" - 6:26
  2. "The Wires Are Down" - 5:40
  3. "Halfway to Paradise" (instrumental) - 2:03
12" single (US promo)
  1. "The Downtown Lights" - 6:26
  2. "The Downtown Lights" - 4:40
  3. "The Wires Are Down" - 5:40
CD single (US promo)
  1. "The Downtown Lights" (Album version) - 6:26
  2. "The Downtown Lights" (Edit version) - 4:40
CD single (US promo)
  1. "The Downtown Lights" - 4:05
  2. "Headlights On the Parade" - 3:53
  3. "Saturday Night" - 4:01

Personnel

The Blue Nile

  • Paul Buchanan
  • Robert Bell
  • Paul Joseph Moore

Production

Charts

Chart (1989–90) Peak
position
UK Singles (OCC) 67
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard) 10

Cover versions

  • In 1995, Scottish singer Annie Lennox released a version of the song on her second solo album Medusa. In an article she wrote for The Independent, Lennox revealed why she chose to record the song: "I just couldn't resist this. Landscape of sound - instrumental gorgeous melancholic drift..."
  • In 1995, British singer Rod Stewart included a version on his seventeenth studio album A Spanner in the Works. Stewart's version was produced by Trevor Horn who listed Hats as one of his favourite albums in an article by The Quietus in 2019. He stated: "I came to when I was working with Rod Stewart. Suddenly from nowhere he was all "I've heard this song, Trevor, I fucking love it!" And it was "The Downtown Lights" off this album. I met Paul Buchanan up in Scotland years later, and he told me he liked Rod's version, and I was so pleased."
  • In 2006, Scala & Kolacny Brothers included a version on their fifth album It All Leads to This.
  • In 2014, American indie band Small Black recorded the song for their EP Real People.
  • In 2018, fellow Glaswegian band Chvrches covered the song live at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee.
  • In 2018, American indie pop band Pure Bathing Culture recorded a full album cover of Hats, including "The Downtown Lights".
  • In 2023, Scottish indie rock band Lucia & the Best Boys released a live cover on YouTube

References

  1. "This Week - The next seven days in view". Record Mirror. 9 September 1989. p. 32.
  2. Crockford, J.M. (June 20, 2018). "I Will Understand You: The Power of The Blue Nile". No Recess. Retrieved February 7, 2023.
  3. Toland, Michael (April 2, 2019). "The Downtown Lights: The Blue Nile's sophisticated pop classic Hats turns 30". Rock & Roll Globe. Retrieved February 7, 2023.
  4. "BLUE NILE | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 2019-12-08.
  5. "Modern Rock Tracks". Billboard. 24 February 1990.
  6. "The Clip List". Billboard. 17 March 1990.
  7. "Previews: Singles". Music & Media. 14 October 1989.
  8. Williams, Mick (15 September 1989). "Hot wax". Lennox Herald.
  9. Tilston, Lisa (16 September 1989). "Singles". Record Mirror. p. 18.
  10. King, Peter B. (4 March 1990). "Blue Nile flows smoothly; Katy Moffatt scores with roots-rock LP". Pittsburgh Press.
  11. Robicheau, Paul (8 March 1990). "Recordings". The Boston Globe.
  12. Thigpen, David (17 May 1990). "The Blue Nile: Hats". Rolling Stone. No. 578. p. 149. Archived from the original on 2 October 2007. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
  13. Jason Ankeny (1989-10-16). "Hats - The Blue Nile | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2019-12-08.
  14. "How 'The Breakfast Club' (and 6 more things) influenced the 1975's 'A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships'". EW.com. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  15. "Who are The Blue Nile, the Scottish band Taylor Swift references on Guilty as Sin?". The Independent. 2024-04-19. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  16. "Everything Taylor Swift Seemingly Reveals About Her Relationship with Matty Healy on Tortured Poets Department". People. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  17. Thompson, Eliza (2024-04-19). "Taylor Swift's Name-Drops on TTPD: A Complete Guide". Us Weekly. Retrieved 2024-04-19.
  18. Lipshutz, Jason (2024-04-24). "New Taylor Swift Album Boosts Streams for The Starting Line, The Blue Nile & Other Honorary 'Tortured Poets'". Billboard. Retrieved 2024-04-28.
  19. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
  20. "The Blue Nile Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
  21. Tim De Lisle (1995-03-05). "Soul meets the abstract space". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2022-06-18. Retrieved 2019-12-08.
  22. Stewart, Rod (2013-05-07). Rod: The Autobiography. Rod Stewart - Rod Stewart - Google Books. ISBN 9781780891255. Retrieved 2019-12-08.
  23. "Features | Baker's Dozen | "It's Entertainment, You Know?" Trevor Horn's Favourite Albums". The Quietus. 2019-02-05. Retrieved 2019-12-08.
  24. "It all leads to this - Scala & Kolacny Brothers". www.scalachoir.com. Retrieved 2019-12-08.
  25. Paul Thompson (2014-03-31). "Small Black: Real People EP Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2019-12-08.
  26. "Chvrches Cover "Downtown Lights" By The Blue Nile: Watch". Stereogum. 2018-10-16. Retrieved 2024-04-18.
  27. "Pure Bathing Culture Share Cover Of The Blue Nile's "The Downtown Lights": Listen". Stereogum. 2018-08-13. Retrieved 2019-12-08.
  28. Lucia & The Best Boys - Downtown Lights (The Blue Nile cover), retrieved 2023-12-16
The Blue Nile
  • Paul Joseph Moore
Albums
Singles
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