Turn off the Light
Encyclopedia
"Turn Off the Light" is a pop
song written by Canadian singer-songwriter Nelly Furtado
for her debut studio album
, Whoa, Nelly!
. Produced by Gerald Eaton
and Brian West, it was released as the album's second single in mid-2001 (see 2001 in music
). Furtado, who cited a song by the Canadian band Big Sugar
as the inspiration for "Turn Off the Light", has described it as "a real song ... Though I may seem so independent and stuff, blah, blah, blah, when I turn out the light at night I can get lonely just like everybody else. Maybe that's why it's such a good song and everyone is responding to it – because it's real. Just a song with a fun, hooky chorus."
s made for "Turn Off the Light", the underground version, and the normal version. The normal version was directed by Sophie Muller
. The music video for the normal version of "Turn Off the Light" begins in a swamp where Furtado is sitting on the edge of a log and people are swimming in the swamp. She begins to sing the first verse and when the chorus commences the people in the swamp pull her in and they start dancing in the swamp. The second verse starts and Furtado is seen at a temple singing while some dancers jump out and dance with Furtado. During the second part of the chorus, she is surrounded by a group at the temple and they dance around her while she sings. During the bridge she is shown at an old house singing and is sitting on a chair. The video ends with Furtado back at the temple eating noodles. The underground video features Nelly playing the guitar in a wooden shed, wearing a white top and jeans. She is also seen buying flowers. There are also scenes of Nelly walking in the grass wearing a white dress and sandals with an umbrella. Later in the video she loses the sandals and is seen walking in the grass barefoot. There is also a scene of her walking on rocks barefoot wearing a white dress.
, it became her first number-one single there and stayed in the chart for twenty-seven weeks. It became the second most successful song of 2001 year-end chart. The song is 28th most successful song in that country and the most successful song for Nelly Furtado in that country. It peaked at number five on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
. A remix featuring rappers Ms. Jade
and Timbaland
was released, and a dance
remix reached number one on Billboard' s Hot Dance Music/Club Play
chart. The song ranked at number 70 in the Year-End chart of 2001 and at number 92 on the 2002 recap. It peaked at number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay Chart. It peaked at number seven in Australia
, being her second top ten single there and stayed in the chart for twenty-one weeks. It also peaked at number four in United Kingdom
, becoming her second top five single there.
German 2-Track Single
German 4-Track Single
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
song written by Canadian singer-songwriter Nelly Furtado
Nelly Furtado
Nelly Kim Furtado is a Canadian singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. Furtado grew up in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.Furtado first gained fame with her debut album, Whoa, Nelly!, and its single "I'm Like a Bird", which won a 2001 Juno Award for Single of the Year and a 2002 Grammy...
for her debut studio album
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
, Whoa, Nelly!
Whoa, Nelly!
Whoa, Nelly! was well received by critics for its eccentric, yet intriguing instrumentations as well as Furtado's vocals. It currently holds a score of 79 from Metacritic...
. Produced by Gerald Eaton
Gerald Eaton
Gerald Eaton is a Canadian R&B singer-songwriter and music producer, originally from Jamaica.He is the lead singer for the R&B-pop group The Philosopher Kings, which reached its peak popularity in the 1990s...
and Brian West, it was released as the album's second single in mid-2001 (see 2001 in music
2001 in music
See also:* 2001 in music Record labels established in 2001-Events:*January 1**Comeback of Guns N' Roses in House of Blues**Hum disbands.*January 17 – Bass player Jason Newsted leaves Metallica after 14 years with the band....
). Furtado, who cited a song by the Canadian band Big Sugar
Big Sugar
Big Sugar is a Canadian blues-rock band, they were active from 1991 to 2004 and again since April 2010. The band has sold more than half a million albums in Canada.-History:...
as the inspiration for "Turn Off the Light", has described it as "a real song ... Though I may seem so independent and stuff, blah, blah, blah, when I turn out the light at night I can get lonely just like everybody else. Maybe that's why it's such a good song and everyone is responding to it – because it's real. Just a song with a fun, hooky chorus."
Music video
There were two music videoMusic 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...
s made for "Turn Off the Light", the underground version, and the normal version. The normal version was directed by Sophie Muller
Sophie Muller
Sophie Muller is a British music video director, noted for her long-time collaborations with artists like Sophie Ellis-Bextor, No Doubt, Sade, Shakira, Shakespears Sister, Garbage, Blur, Annie Lennox and Eurythmics.-Background:...
. The music video for the normal version of "Turn Off the Light" begins in a swamp where Furtado is sitting on the edge of a log and people are swimming in the swamp. She begins to sing the first verse and when the chorus commences the people in the swamp pull her in and they start dancing in the swamp. The second verse starts and Furtado is seen at a temple singing while some dancers jump out and dance with Furtado. During the second part of the chorus, she is surrounded by a group at the temple and they dance around her while she sings. During the bridge she is shown at an old house singing and is sitting on a chair. The video ends with Furtado back at the temple eating noodles. The underground video features Nelly playing the guitar in a wooden shed, wearing a white top and jeans. She is also seen buying flowers. There are also scenes of Nelly walking in the grass wearing a white dress and sandals with an umbrella. Later in the video she loses the sandals and is seen walking in the grass barefoot. There is also a scene of her walking on rocks barefoot wearing a white dress.
Chart performance
The song eventually became her most successful song at the time of its release. In New ZealandNew Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, it became her first number-one single there and stayed in the chart for twenty-seven weeks. It became the second most successful song of 2001 year-end chart. The song is 28th most successful song in that country and the most successful song for Nelly Furtado in that country. It peaked at number five on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. A remix featuring rappers Ms. Jade
Ms. Jade
Ms. Jade is an American rapper from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.In 2002 she released her only album to date, Girl Interrupted, which featured the singles "Big Head", "Feel The Girl" and "Ching Ching"....
and Timbaland
Timbaland
Timothy Zachery Mosley , better known by his stage name Timbaland, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper....
was released, and a dance
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
remix reached number one on Billboard
Hot Dance Club Play
The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs...
chart. The song ranked at number 70 in the Year-End chart of 2001 and at number 92 on the 2002 recap. It peaked at number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay Chart. It peaked at number seven in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, being her second top ten single there and stayed in the chart for twenty-one weeks. It also peaked at number four in United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, becoming her second top five single there.
Tracklisting
UK CD Single- "Turn Off the Light" (Radio Edit) - 3:36
- "Turn Off the Light" (Remix Feat. Timbaland & Ms. Jade) - 3:38
- "I'm Like A Bird" (Acoustic Version) - 4:00
- "Turn Off the Light" (Video)
German 2-Track Single
- "Turn Off the Light" - 3:36
- "Turn Off the Light" (So Solid Crew Remix) - 5:22
German 4-Track Single
- "Turn Off the Light" (Radio Edit) – 3:36
- "Turn Off the Light" (Sunshine Reggae Mix) – 3:59
- "I'm Like A Bird" (Acoustic Version) – 4:00
- "Turn Off the Light" (Underground Video) – 3:38
Personnel
Credits adapted from the Whoa, Nelly! album liner notes.- Nelly Furtado – songwriter, co-producer, lead vocals, background vocals, programming
- Gerald Eaton – producer, programming, additional background vocals
- Brian West – producer, guitar, scratches, programming, recording, engineering
- James McCollum – guitar
- Brad Haehnel – mixing, recording, engineering
- John Knupp – second engineering
Charts
| Chart (2001) | Peak position |
|---|
Release history
| Country | Release date |
|---|---|
| Canada | |
| United States | |
| United Kingdom |