Flashing Lights (Kanye West song)

"Flashing Lights" received generally favorable reviews from music critics, who mostly praised the production. Some highlighted the synths in particular, while a few critics saw the song as a significant moment in hip hop. It has since appeared on best-of lists from multiple publications, including Pitchfork's decade-end ranking for the 2000s. The song was one of the Award Winning Songs for the 2009 BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards. The song charted at number 29 on the US Billboard Hot 100, while reaching number 12 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. It also attained top 40 chart positions in Ireland, Turkey, and the United Kingdom, while peaking at number 54 in Canada. In the United States, the song received a sixtuple platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America. It was also certified platinum in both Denmark and the UK by IFPI Danmark and the British Phonographic Industry, respectively.


An accompanying music video debuted on February 10, 2008. It stars Rita G who takes out her frustration on West and he is placed in the trunk of her Ford Mustang and attacked with a shovel. The visual received positive reviews from critics and several praised the model's involvement. It won Best Narrative Video at the 2008 Antville Music Video Awards, two years before being named by West as the favorite video of his career. Two other music videos had been produced that West chose not to release, yet they sprang internet leaks in May 2008. West performed the song on his Glow in the Dark Tour (2007-08), following a space opera storyline where he attempts to escape a planet devoid of creativity and fails. He also performed it at the Coachella and Splendour festivals in 2011. "Flashing Lights" has been used in numerous commercials, video games, and other songs. The song has been covered by Kids These Days in June 2012 and Lorde in September 2014; the latter's live performance received positive reviews from critics. The remix of the song was released in January 2008, featuring a verse from R. Kelly.

Composition and lyrics[edit]

Musically, "Flashing Lights" is a hip hop, electro rap, and R&B song,^[9][12][13] with elements of Euro-club, French house, and pop music.^[10][14] The disco production was noted by numerous commentators, including Nathan Brackett of Rolling Stone, who compared it to hip hop before the 1980s group Run-DMC.^{[11][15][16][17]} According to the sheet music on Musicnotes.com, the song is set in the time signature of common time. It is composed in the key of F♯ minor with a moderate tempo of 90 beats per minute and the vocal range spans a tenth, from C₄ to E₅.^[18] The song relies on strings from the beginning,^[19][20] which were arranged by Larry Gold and described as moving by both Highsnobiety and Stylus Magazine.^[4][21] The strings are accompanied by drums and a bassline,^[2] while bright synths are included throughout.^{[9][10][21][22]} Staccato sounds and chopped-up vocal samples are incorporated, alongside the keys that are chopped too.^[20][23][24] An orchestra contributes violin, viola, and cello to the song.^[3]


In the lyrics of "Flashing Lights", West raps about a complicated relationship with a girl who holds power over him.^[11][12] He tells the tale of the lover's focus on materialism in the first verse, narrating how she prefers shoes and cars over shooting stars. West also acknowledges trying to bolster public opinion of him, which he links to the theme of press intrusion.^[11] He complains about being flashed by the paparazzi, asserting that he hates them more than Nazis.^{[6][10][11][16]} Following West's alleged antisemitism in November 2022, former associates of him noted in a letter to TheWrap that the context of the reference demonstrates his growing obsession with Adolf Hitler.^[25] The chorus is performed by Dwele, who questions: "But what do I know?"^[11][14] Afterwards, West narrates breaking up with his lover in the second verse, comparing how he felt to "Katrina with no FEMA".^[11][26] He fantasizes that she is on the opposite side of the glass in his memory's museum, equating her with Mona Lisa.^[11][14]

In popular culture[edit]

Styles P released a freestyle over the song's instrumental on October 10, 2007.^[120] "Flashing Lights" was included on the compilation album Now That's What I Call Music 27, released on March 11, 2008.^[121] Later that year, the song was included as part of the Grand Theft Auto IV in-game radio station The Beat 102.7.^[122] On the station, DJ Green Lantern introduces it as a song that will not stop being played despite people being fed up.^[10] In January 2009, it was used in an FX advert for the sixth season of Nip/Tuck.^[123] A month later, the song was set to be included within the setlist of the turntable music video game Scratch: The Ultimate DJ, which ultimately went unreleased.^[124][125]


In February 2010, Gil Scott-Heron sampled the string loop from the song on both parts of his poem "On Coming from a Broken Home".^[126][127] Later that year, "Flashing Lights" was featured in a Yahoo! commercial.^[128] A remix of singer Beyoncé's single "Drunk in Love" that features Jay-Z was released on February 14, 2024, with a guest verse from West. The remix samples the song's titular phrase, after Beyoncé sings about flashing lights.^[129][130] "Flashing Lights" was used during a scene in the 2016 animated film Sing.^[131] It was played as a portrait was displayed of Charlize Theron in a 2018 J'Adore television commercial, titled: The New Absolu: The Film.^[13] In September 2021, West collaborator and Scottish producer Hudson Mohawke named the song as his fourth favorite from West, while British rapper Tinie Tempah placed it at number three on his list.^[132] On October 7, 2022, American rapper G Herbo interpolated the song on "Flashbacks" for his album Survivor's Remorse.^[133]