Shining Light
Encyclopedia
"Shining Light" is a song by Ash
, which was released as the first single from their album Free All Angels
. It was released on 29 January 2001. It was released as a single CD
(released on 2CD formats) and as a 7" vinyl
(which came with a picture sleeve). It was also Ash's first single to be released as an enhanced CD. "Shining Light" is Ash's biggest selling single to date and one of their most recognisable hits. It reached #8 on the UK Singles Chart.
's now ex-girlfriend Audrey. Wheeler was driving home in his car when the line and tune "Yeah you are a shining light" came into his head. He rushed home and wrote it straight away on an acoustic guitar
. The first time the band heard it, they say that they 'knew it was a hit'.
"Shining Light" was first played at a London Astoria
gig
in 2000, and is considered to be one of the band's greatest achievements, musically and lyrically. Ash once said of the song:
The song was extremely critically acclaimed and won, among others:
"Shining Light" can also be found on Ash's greatest hits compilation
, Intergalactic Sonic 7″s as well as on the Tokyo Blitz DVD
.
The song was re-recorded by Canadian artist
Emm Gryner
on her 2005 album Songs of Love and Death
. In addition, this was the song played on the last ever episode of Roswell
as the group in the series drives away forever - signifying the death
of the series. It has also been covered
by Coldplay
and Noel Gallagher
claims it to be one of his favourite songs.
"Warmer Than Fire" was originally written by Steve Ludwin of Little Hell. The song was intended to be a download
only release for fans
, but due to its immense popularity it was released on the "Shining Light" single as well as on the Cosmic Debris b-side collection. The song has also been performed several times live in concert
. Rumours that Wheeler bought the royalties
for the song from Ludwin for £35 have been denied by the band.
"Warmer than Fire" also had its own music video, directed by Darren Tiernan (Wheeler's cousin). It consists of footage of the band messing around in Puerto Banus, Spain
, where Free All Angels was being recorded and climaxes in a burning of a piano. The video
cost very little and has rarely been seen.
"Gabriel" also appears on CD1 (as well as on the Cosmic Debris collection) and is considered to be quite a retro-sounding Ash track, reminiscent of "Innocent Smile" on 1977.
"Feel No Pain" is the first b-side on CD2, and was one of the leftover tracks from the Free All Angels recording session. The song is mainly about actually writing a song.
"Jesus Says" originally released on the Nu-Clear Sounds
appears as a remix entitled the "Hedrock Valley Beats Lightyear 12" mix which appears on CD2.
"Shining Light" has been used as song in advert for Toyota cars in Croatia
.
There are 3 separate edits of "Shining Light." The album version is 5:09 in length and features an extended bridge. The song was edited for radio too at 4:07 with a shortened bridge and guitar solo. The third edit of the song was for the Cosmic Debris collection and is 4:23 in length. The band played the song live according to this edit at many gigs from the Free All Angels tour onwards, however on their latest tour in 2007, the longest version was played.
science fiction
television series Roswell
.
"Shining Light" also appears as the background music for the special film on the racehorse Fantastic Light, which appeared on the 2005 Darley Stud Stud Book.
CD2
7"
Promo CD
German Version (Infectious Records / edel Records gmbH | 0124685MSH)
. It was one of her most 'pop' recordings for some time. The video was premiered on MSN Music on 30 January 2009. The cover has attracted praise, with Tim Wheeler
from Ash saying, "It's cool - I'm really into it. It makes me proud that someone of her stature and talent is doing something different with our song," and Popjustice
making it its Song of the Day on 8 January 2009, saying "…after about 90 seconds it sounds like the greatest noise ever invented by a human". Lennox performed the song on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
on 6 March 2009 and also on The Paul O'Grady Show
(9 March), The One Show
(10 March), This Morning
(11 March) and was also part of Comic Relief
on 13 March 2009.
The single was only available by download via Amazon or iTunes. However, the single became Annie's first UK top 40 hit since 1995, reaching #39.
Ash (band)
Ash are an alternative rock band that formed in Downpatrick, Northern Ireland in 1992. The band has sold 8 million albums worldwide.-Band beginning, Trailer and 1977 :...
, which was released as the first single from their album Free All Angels
Free All Angels
Free All Angels is the third studio album by Ash, which was initially released on 16 April 2001, through Infectious Records. The name of the album is taken from a T-shirt worn by a Hells Angel....
. It was released on 29 January 2001. It was released as a single CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
(released on 2CD formats) and as a 7" vinyl
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
(which came with a picture sleeve). It was also Ash's first single to be released as an enhanced CD. "Shining Light" is Ash's biggest selling single to date and one of their most recognisable hits. It reached #8 on the UK Singles Chart.
Recording History
"Shining Light" was written about Tim WheelerTim Wheeler
Tim Wheeler is the Northern Irish guitarist, songwriter and vocalist for the rock band, Ash. He formed the band with Mark Hamilton and they were originally called Vietnam. Wheeler can be seen playing a Korina Gibson Flying V in almost all of Ash's music videos...
's now ex-girlfriend Audrey. Wheeler was driving home in his car when the line and tune "Yeah you are a shining light" came into his head. He rushed home and wrote it straight away on an acoustic guitar
Acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
. The first time the band heard it, they say that they 'knew it was a hit'.
"Shining Light" was first played at a London Astoria
London Astoria
The London Astoria was a music venue, located at 157 Charing Cross Road, in London, England. It had been leased and run by Festival Republic since 2000. It was closed on 15 January 2009 and has since been demolished...
gig
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
in 2000, and is considered to be one of the band's greatest achievements, musically and lyrically. Ash once said of the song:
- Tim: "I think Shining Light's a breath of fresh air"
- Rick: "It's a very melodic song, it sticks in your head, so we thought it'd have a pretty good chance of getting in the Top 10. It was good being back there 'cos it's been a long time, over two years since we had a single out".
- Charlotte: "It was the first song we recorded and we knew it would be the first single".
The song was extremely critically acclaimed and won, among others:
- Ivor Novello Awards 2001 - Best Contemporary Song
- Irish Music Awards 2002 - Best Single
"Shining Light" can also be found on Ash's greatest hits compilation
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
, Intergalactic Sonic 7″s as well as on the Tokyo Blitz DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
.
The song was re-recorded by Canadian artist
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
Emm Gryner
Emm Gryner
Emm Gryner is a Canadian singer-songwriter and occasional actress.-Biography:Gryner's childhood was spent in Forest, Lambton County, Ontario. Her father was of half Irish heritage and her mother was Filipina....
on her 2005 album Songs of Love and Death
Songs of Love and Death
Songs of Love and Death is the eighth full-length album by Canadian singer-songwriter Emm Gryner, released in 2005 on her independent label Dead Daisy Records....
. In addition, this was the song played on the last ever episode of Roswell
Roswell (TV series)
Roswell is an American science fiction television series developed, produced, and co-written by Jason Katims. The series debuted on October 6, 1999 on The WB and moved to UPN for the third season. The last episode aired May 14, 2002...
as the group in the series drives away forever - signifying the death
Death
Death is the permanent termination of the biological functions that sustain a living organism. Phenomena which commonly bring about death include old age, predation, malnutrition, disease, and accidents or trauma resulting in terminal injury....
of the series. It has also been covered
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
by Coldplay
Coldplay
Coldplay are a British alternative rock band formed in 1996 by lead vocalist Chris Martin and lead guitarist Jonny Buckland at University College London. After they formed Pectoralz, Guy Berryman joined the group as a bassist and they changed their name to Starfish. Will Champion joined as a...
and Noel Gallagher
Noel Gallagher
Noel Thomas David Gallagher is an English musician and singer-songwriter, formerly the lead guitarist, backing vocalist and principal songwriter of the English rock band Oasis. He is currently fronting his solo project, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds.Raised in Burnage, Manchester with his...
claims it to be one of his favourite songs.
B-Sides
The B-sideA-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
"Warmer Than Fire" was originally written by Steve Ludwin of Little Hell. The song was intended to be a download
Uploading and downloading
In computer networks, to download means to receive data to a local system from a remote system, or to initiate such a data transfer. Examples of a remote system from which a download might be performed include a webserver, FTP server, email server, or other similar systems...
only release for fans
Fan (person)
A Fan, sometimes also called aficionado or supporter, is a person with a liking and enthusiasm for something, such as a band or a sports team. Fans of a particular thing or person constitute its fanbase or fandom...
, but due to its immense popularity it was released on the "Shining Light" single as well as on the Cosmic Debris b-side collection. The song has also been performed several times live in concert
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
. Rumours that Wheeler bought the royalties
Royalties
Royalties are usage-based payments made by one party to another for the right to ongoing use of an asset, sometimes an intellectual property...
for the song from Ludwin for £35 have been denied by the band.
"Warmer than Fire" also had its own music video, directed by Darren Tiernan (Wheeler's cousin). It consists of footage of the band messing around in Puerto Banus, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, where Free All Angels was being recorded and climaxes in a burning of a piano. The video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
cost very little and has rarely been seen.
"Gabriel" also appears on CD1 (as well as on the Cosmic Debris collection) and is considered to be quite a retro-sounding Ash track, reminiscent of "Innocent Smile" on 1977.
"Feel No Pain" is the first b-side on CD2, and was one of the leftover tracks from the Free All Angels recording session. The song is mainly about actually writing a song.
"Jesus Says" originally released on the Nu-Clear Sounds
Nu-Clear Sounds
Nu-Clear Sounds is the second official studio album by Ash, released on 5 October 1998. Despite not being as publicly acclaimed as the other albums, it was certified Gold by the BPI.On May 11, 1999 Nu-Clear Sounds was released in the United States....
appears as a remix entitled the "Hedrock Valley Beats Lightyear 12" mix which appears on CD2.
"Shining Light" has been used as song in advert for Toyota cars in Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
.
There are 3 separate edits of "Shining Light." The album version is 5:09 in length and features an extended bridge. The song was edited for radio too at 4:07 with a shortened bridge and guitar solo. The third edit of the song was for the Cosmic Debris collection and is 4:23 in length. The band played the song live according to this edit at many gigs from the Free All Angels tour onwards, however on their latest tour in 2007, the longest version was played.
Appearances in popular media
"Shining Light" was the closing song in the last episode of the popular AmericanUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
television series Roswell
Roswell (TV series)
Roswell is an American science fiction television series developed, produced, and co-written by Jason Katims. The series debuted on October 6, 1999 on The WB and moved to UPN for the third season. The last episode aired May 14, 2002...
.
"Shining Light" also appears as the background music for the special film on the racehorse Fantastic Light, which appeared on the 2005 Darley Stud Stud Book.
Track listing
CD1- "Shining Light (Radio edit)" (Wheeler)
- "Warmer Than Fire" (Ludwin)
- "Gabriel" (Hamilton)
CD2
- "Shining Light (Album version)" (Wheeler)
- "Feel No Pain" (Wheeler)
- "Jesus Says (Remix)" (Hamilton/Wheeler)
- "Shining Light (Video)"
7"
- "Shining Light (Album version)" (Wheeler)
- "Warmer than Fire" (Ludwin)
Promo CD
- "Shining Light (Radio edit)" (Wheeler)
German Version (Infectious Records / edel Records gmbH | 0124685MSH)
- "Shining Light (Radio edit)" (Wheeler)
- "Warmer Than Fire" (Ludwin)
- "Shining Light (Album version)" (Wheeler)
- "Gabriel" (Hamilton)
- "Shining LIght" (Video)
Annie Lennox version
Annie Lennox's cover of "Shining Light" was released as the first single from The Annie Lennox CollectionThe Annie Lennox Collection
- Limited edition :A limited edition of the album was released only in the UK on the same day containing a second CD with rare songs and a bonus DVD featuring a selection of Lennox's music videos plus a few live performances.Disc 2Disc 3 – Bonus DVD...
. It was one of her most 'pop' recordings for some time. The video was premiered on MSN Music on 30 January 2009. The cover has attracted praise, with Tim Wheeler
Tim Wheeler
Tim Wheeler is the Northern Irish guitarist, songwriter and vocalist for the rock band, Ash. He formed the band with Mark Hamilton and they were originally called Vietnam. Wheeler can be seen playing a Korina Gibson Flying V in almost all of Ash's music videos...
from Ash saying, "It's cool - I'm really into it. It makes me proud that someone of her stature and talent is doing something different with our song," and Popjustice
Popjustice
Popjustice is a music website founded in 2000 and is the work of UK freelance music journalist Peter Robinson, who has worked for NME, The Guardian, Attitude and many others....
making it its Song of the Day on 8 January 2009, saying "…after about 90 seconds it sounds like the greatest noise ever invented by a human". Lennox performed the song on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
Friday Night with Jonathan Ross was a British comedy chat show presented by Jonathan Ross. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 2 November 2001. The programme featured Ross's take on current topics of conversation, guest interviews and live music from both a guest music group and the house band...
on 6 March 2009 and also on The Paul O'Grady Show
The Paul O'Grady Show
The Paul O'Grady Show was a BAFTA award-winning British comedy chat show hosted by Birkenhead-born comedian Paul O'Grady. The format was originally devised by Granada Television and was broadcast on ITV before moving to Channel 4...
(9 March), The One Show
The One Show
The One Show is a topical magazine-style daily television programme broadcast live on BBC One and BBC One HD, hosted by Alex Jones and Matt Baker. Chris Evans joins Jones to present the programme on Friday...
(10 March), This Morning
This Morning (TV series)
This Morning is a British daytime television programme broadcast on ITV. As of September 2011, its main presenters are Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby, and Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes, with various other presenters standing in for illness or contributing to sections of the programme.The...
(11 March) and was also part of Comic Relief
Comic Relief
Comic Relief is an operating British charity, founded in 1985 by the comedy scriptwriter Richard Curtis and comedian Lenny Henry in response to famine in Ethiopia. The highlight of Comic Relief's appeal is Red Nose Day, a biennial telethon held in March, alternating with sister project Sport Relief...
on 13 March 2009.
The single was only available by download via Amazon or iTunes. However, the single became Annie's first UK top 40 hit since 1995, reaching #39.
Official versions
- "Shining Light" (Album version) – 4:05
- "Shining Light" (Radio edit) – 3:53
Chart performance
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Charts | 39 |
| Japan Singles Top 100 | 97 |