Bring the Light (Beady Eye song)

"Bring the Light"
Single by Beady Eye
from the album Different Gear, Still Speeding
B-side"Sons of the Stage"
Released22 November 2010 (2010-11-22)
Recorded2010
StudioRAK Studios, London
GenreRock and roll
Length3:43
LabelBeady Eye
SongwritersGem Archer, Andy Bell, Liam Gallagher
ProducersBeady Eye, Steve Lillywhite
Beady Eye singles chronology
"Bring the Light"
(2010) 		"Four Letter Word"
(2011)

"Bring the Light" is the debut single by English rock band Beady Eye, released on Beady Eye Records as "EYE1". The song, written for the band's debut album Different Gear, Still Speeding, was released on 10 November 2010, as a free download, and was also available as a limited release single on 7" vinyl.[1][2] The B-side to the single is a cover of the World of Twist song "Sons of the Stage".[1]

Background and composition

"Bring the Light" was one of the earliest songs to emerge from Beady Eye's first post-Oasis writing and demo sessions. In interviews around the release of Different Gear, Still Speeding, the band described the track as a deliberately piano-driven piece of rock and roll rather than an attempt to reproduce Oasis's heavier guitar sound.[3][4]

Andy Bell later said that the decision to introduce the band with "Bring the Light" "wrong-footed" some listeners, though he argued that the song made more sense in the context of the album.[3] Liam Gallagher linked the song's basic musical character to Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Eddie Cochran.[3] Gem Archer told Guitar World that an earlier version of the song sounded like "early Roxy Music" before Gallagher pushed the arrangement in a more direct Jerry Lee Lewis direction and suggested Tina Turner-style backing vocals.[4] In a separate interview, Archer said the band had also briefly tried to pull the demo back towards "a Beatles thing" before settling on a harder Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis feel, which he summarised as sounding like the Sex Pistols with a piano player.[5]

Reviewers likewise tended to characterise the finished recording as a piano-led rock and roll song with 1950s and 1960s influences.[6][7][8]

Release

The song was first made available as a free download through Beady Eye's official website on 10 November 2010, ahead of its limited 7" vinyl issue backed with "Sons of the Stage".[1][2] When the band formally announced Different Gear, Still Speeding in December 2010, Creation Records reported that "Bring the Light" had been downloaded or played more than 350,000 times in its first 24 hours.[9]

7" track listing

  1. "Bring the Light" (Liam Gallagher) – 3:37
  2. "Sons of the Stage" (Gordon King, Tony Ogden) – 4:46 (World of Twist cover)

Music video

The music video was released online on 16 November 2010.[10][11] It was directed by Charlie Lightening and shows the band, including live members Jeff Wootton and Matt Jones, playing on a heavily backlit stage, while dancers perform beside them.[10][11] Creation Records reported in December 2010 that the clip had received over 600,000 views since its premiere.[9]

Reception

The song has received positive reviews. NME have called the song "Oasis without Noel", commenting that it's reminder that Liam is a good songwriter in his own right,[12] and Gigwise have simply called the song a different route from the trademark Oasis sound, also commenting that whether Noel Gallagher is missed as a songwriter will be seen on the album,[6] while Stereoboard have commented that the song "sounds like album filler from the later Oasis days", rating it 5/10.[13] However, on reviewing the album, NME called the song a surprising highlight, and an example of a song that would have been impossible in Oasis.[14]

Writing on the day of release, The Guardian described "Bring the Light" as primal rock'n'roll with more energy than most Oasis records of the previous decade, likening it to the Kinks' "David Watts" as played by Status Quo.[7] Later album reviews frequently singled the track out as one of the record's livelier moments. Drowned in Sound described it as a raucous song driven by hammering keys and backing vocals and placed it somewhere between T. Rex and Jerry Lee Lewis,[15] the Los Angeles Times wrote that it "bristle[d] with punky irritation",[16] and The A.V. Club praised its pounding barrelhouse piano and Gallagher's assertive vocal performance.[8]

Chart performance

In the United Kingdom, "Bring the Light" reached number 61 on the UK Singles Chart, number 5 on the UK Independent Singles Chart, number 1 on the UK Independent Singles Breakers Chart and number 4 on the UK Physical Singles Chart.[17]

Chart (2010) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[18] 32
UK Singles (OCC)[19] 61
UK Indie (OCC)[20] 5
UK Indie Breakers (OCC)[17] 1
UK Physical Singles (OCC)[17] 4

References

  1. ^ a b c "BEADY EYE 'BRING THE LIGHT' - FREE DOWNLOAD!". Beady Eye Official Website. 9 November 2010. Archived from the original on 10 November 2010. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  2. ^ a b Michaels, Sean (10 November 2010). "Liam Gallagher's Beady Eye debut with free download". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  3. ^ a b c Johnston, Andrew (1 March 2011). "Ocular Spectacular: Liam Gallagher And Andy Bell Of Beady Eye Interviewed". The Quietus. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  4. ^ a b Craine, Charlie (27 June 2011). "Interview: Former Oasis Guitarst Gem Archer Discusses Beady Eye's New Album, 'Different Gear, Still Speeding'". Guitar World. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  5. ^ Conner, Thomas (13 June 2011). "Oasis turns into Beady Eye, the 'second-best band in the world'". Thomas Conner. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  6. ^ a b "Liam Gallagher's Back: Beady Eye, 'Bring The Light' - Review". Gigwise. 10 November 2010. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  7. ^ a b Jonze, Tim (10 November 2010). "Listen to Beady Eye's Bring the Light". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  8. ^ a b Hyden, Steven (1 March 2011). "Beady Eye: Different Gear Still Speeding". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  9. ^ a b "Beady Eye announce album details". Creation Records. 6 December 2010. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  10. ^ a b "'Bring The Light' - Video". Beady Eye Records. Retrieved 13 March 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  11. ^ a b "Beady Eye 'Bring The Light'". YouTube. Beady Eye. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  12. ^ "Beady Eye, 'Bring The Light' - What Do You Think? - In The NME Office - NME.COM - The world's fastest music news service, music videos, interviews, photos and free stuff to win". NME. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  13. ^ "Beady Eye - Bring The Light (Single Review) - Stereoboard UK". Stereoboard.com. 10 November 2010. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  14. ^ "NME Album Reviews - Album Review: Beady Eye - Different Gear, Still Speeding (Beady Eye Records)". NME. 23 February 2011. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  15. ^ Lukowski, Andrzej. "Album Review: Beady Eye - Different Gear, Still Speeding". Drowned in Sound. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  16. ^ Wood, Mikael (28 February 2011). "Album review: Beady Eye's 'Different Gear, Still Speeding'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  17. ^ a b c "BRING THE LIGHT – BEADY EYE". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  18. ^ "Beady Eye – Bring The Light" (in Dutch). Ultratip.
  19. ^ "Official Singles Chart on 4/12/2010 – Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  20. ^ "Official Independent Singles Chart on 4/12/2010 – Top 50". Official Charts Company.
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