Lights Down Low (Max song)

"Lights Down Low" is a song by American singer Max Schneider (better known as MAX) from his 2016 album, Hell's Kitchen Angel. The song was written by Schneider, Nathaniel Motte, and Liam O'Donnell, with Motte serving as the producer.[5] A later remix of the song includes a feature and writing contribution from singer gnash. The song, which MAX used to propose to his wife Emily, was released in October 2016; it became a sleeper hit, entering the Billboard Hot 100 more than a year after its release, and also earning a Platinum certification from the RIAA for sales of more than 1,000,000 copies. The song had an accompanying music video tracing the life of a couple living in an apartment. A "Latin Mix" featuring Argentine singer Tini was released on December 15, 2017.[6]

"Lights Down Low"
EP cover
Single by MAX featuring gnash
from the album Hell's Kitchen Angel[1]
ReleasedOctober 14, 2016 (2016-10-14)[2]
GenrePop[2]
Length3:44[2]
LabelDCD2[2][1]
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Nathaniel Motte
MAX singles chronology
"Basement Party"
(2016)		 "Lights Down Low"
(2016)		 "Did You Wrong"
(2016)
gnash singles chronology
"Home"
(2016)		 "Lights Down Low"
(2016)		 "Lonely Again"
(2017)

Background

After recording the song, MAX played it for his girlfriend, Emily, followed by a marriage proposal which she accepted.[7][3] Originally, MAX planned to release the song in its solo form, but he decided to feature American rapper gnash on it after "this moment where I was like, 'Well, I kind of hear [gnash's] voice on "Lights Down Low." I never considered a rapper, it's a ballad, but you know what? I'm just gonna talk to him.'"[3]

After the song's release, it drew much attention in the LGBT community.[3][8] In a 2017 interview with Billboard, MAX stated that "It's not our song anymore. It's everybody's song. Everybody is able to add whatever they want to it, what it is to them, and in that way, it becomes so much less — it's not about us anymore. It's not about even the artist or the writer or the singer, it's about what it can stand for for people."[3]

Composition

"Lights Down Low" is a midempo pop song, with a length of 3 minutes and 44 seconds. Its instrumentation consists of keyboards, drums, guitar, and handclaps with Guitar pop and Acoustic pop elements and features a "Soulful" voice. [9]

Music video

The music video stars MAX and his wife, Emily.[7] The music video was shot above a bed; it depicts MAX in various relationships over the course of his lifetime. The video was directed by Crush Music and Christian Snell. Jade Ehlers, who is the creative director at Crush Music, explained that "the music video depicts what one's life might look like if they lived in one apartment their whole life."[10]

Commercial performance

The song was a sleeper hit,[11] becoming MAX's first Billboard Hot 100 entry as a lead artist.[12] It peaked at number 20 on the chart dated March 3, 2018.[12][13] The song reached number one on the Billboard Adult Top 40[14] and number seven on the Mainstream Top 40.[12] The radio promotion for the song was led by Brent Battles and Christopher Steven Brown of RED MUSIC. It also reached number 11 on the Canada Hot Adult Contemporary chart.[12] Its unexpected success was credited to strong airplay by hot adult contemporary stations in the United States.[15]

In Belgium, the song peaked at number five on Ultratip's Bubbling Under Singles chart, spending a total of eight weeks on the chart.[16]

In September 2017, the song was certified Gold in the United States for sales of more than 500,000 copies. In January 2018, the certification was upgraded to Platinum for sales of more than 1,000,000 copies.[17][18]

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[36] Gold 35,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[37] 3× Platinum 240,000‡
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[38] Gold 45,000‡
Netherlands (NVPI)[39] Gold 20,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[40] Silver 200,000‡
United States (RIAA)[41] 3× Platinum 3,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. "Hell's Kitchen Angel at iTunes". iTunes. Apple. Retrieved November 30, 2017.
  2. "Lights Down Low – MAX overview". AllMusic. RhythmOne. Retrieved November 30, 2017.
  3. Weatherby, Taylor. "MAX on Proposing To His Wife With 'Lights Down Low': 'This Song Is For Love'". Billboard. Retrieved November 30, 2017.
  4. Google Play Music. "Google Play Music: "Lights Down Low" – Lyrics and Writing Credits" Retrieved December 10, 2017.
  5. Google Play Music. "Google Play Music: "Lights Down Low" - Lyrics and Writing Credits" Retrieved December 10, 2017
  6. "Lights Down Low (Latin Mix) [feat. Tini] - Single". iTunes. Apple. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
  7. jagger. "Max feat. Gnash "Lights Down Low"". Kiss 95-7. Retrieved November 30, 2017.
  8. "[Interview] MAX talks early life, "Lights Down Low", being true to yourself". 93Q. Retrieved November 30, 2017.
  9. Snell, Christian. "MAX – Lights Down Low: About". www.billboard.com. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
  10. Snell, Christian. "MAX – Lights Down Low: About". Christian W. Snell. Retrieved November 30, 2017.
  11. Engelman, Nicole (October 3, 2018). "MAX Sings Alongside 'The Hangover' Monkey in Playful 'Worship' Video: Watch". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 4, 2018. Retrieved March 8, 2022. ...first got mainstream attention with his sleeper hit "Lights Down Low" featuring gnash
  12. "Chart Search: MAX". Billboard. Retrieved November 30, 2017.
  13. "Gnash Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  14. Trust, Gary (March 27, 2018). "MAX's 'Lights Down Low,' Featuring gnash, Shines at No. 1 on Adult Pop Songs Chart". Billboard. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  15. Leight, Elias (2018-10-20). "Adult Radio Was Once the Butt of Jokes. Now It's the Hottest Radio Format". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2018-11-12.
  16. "MAX feat. Gnash – Lights Down Low" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  17. "RIAA Gold Certification For Max "Lights Down Low"". All Access. Retrieved November 30, 2017.
  18. "Gold & Platinum Search: Lights Down Low". RIAA. Retrieved November 30, 2017.
  19. "Gnash Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  20. "Gnash Chart History (Canada Hot AC)". Billboard. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  21. "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – SINGLES DIGITAL – TOP 100 and insert 201712 into search. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
  22. "MAX feat. Gnash – Lights Down Low". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  23. "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 201714 into search. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
  24. "Gnash Chart History (Radio Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  25. "Gnash Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  26. "Gnash Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  27. "Gnash Chart History (Dance Mix/Show Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  28. "Gnash Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  29. "Hot 100 Songs – Year-End 2018". Billboard. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
  30. {{cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2018/radio-songs%7Ctitle=Radio Songs – Year-End 2018|work=Billboard|accessdate=September 1, 2019}
  31. "Adult Contemporary Songs – Year-End 2018". Billboard. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
  32. "Adult Pop Songs – Year-End 2018". Billboard. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
  33. "Dance/Mix Show Songs – Year-End 2018". Billboard. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
  34. "Pop Songs – Year-End 2018". Billboard. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
  35. "Adult Contemporary Songs – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  36. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2018 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
  37. "Canadian single certifications – Max – Lights Down Low". Music Canada. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
  38. "Danish single certifications – Max – Lights Down Low". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  39. "Dutch single certifications – Max – Lights Down Low" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved November 16, 2018. Enter Lights Down Low in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 2018 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
  40. "British single certifications – Max – Lights Down Low". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
  41. "American single certifications – Max – Lights". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
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