New Light (song)

"New Light" is a song co-written and recorded by American singer-songwriter John Mayer. It was released as the lead single from his eighth studio album Sob Rock on May 10, 2018[2] and was released to Hot AC[3] and Triple A radio[4] on June 18, 2018. It was written and produced by Mayer and No I.D.

"New Light"
Single by John Mayer
from the album Sob Rock[1]
ReleasedMay 10, 2018
Recorded2018
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • John Mayer
  • No I.D.
John Mayer singles chronology
"In the Blood"
(2017)		 "New Light"
(2018)		 "I Guess I Just Feel Like"
(2019)
Music video
"New Light" on YouTube

Release and promotion

Mayer took to Instagram to tease new music, saying "Summer bop drop imminent" on May 8, 2018[5] and announced the release of the new single "New Light" on May 9.[6] The next day, Mayer premiered the song on Apple Music's Beats 1 radio with Zane Lowe.[7][8]

Music video

On May 23, Mayer shared the trailer for the song's music video.[9] The video directed by Fatal Farm premiered on May 24 and Mayer joked about it on Instagram, saying, "I needed to make a video for 'New Light' but nobody could agree on a budget, so I went to a place downtown and made this with a company that usually does birthday and Bar Mitzvah videos."[10][11]

The tongue-in-cheek video opens with Mayer standing in front of the green screen wearing pajamas and a Moon hoodie from the Japanese brand Kapital, saying, "I'm John Mayer and I'm ready to be a star." It then features Mayer dancing, playing the guitar and waving to fake zebras at various green screen locations, from the cheap apartment kitchen to the Egyptian pyramids. It ends with Mayer blowing a kiss to the audience.[10][12][13]

Critical reception

The song received generally positive reviews from music critics. Jon Blisten from Rolling Stone said the song crafted "a steady groove reminiscent of Eighties blue-eyed soul and tinged with disco guitars" and praised Mayer's "cheeky and earnest" lyrics.[2] Billboard ranked "New Light" 27th in their list "The 50 Best Songs of 2018 (So Far)" published in June, calling the song "a sublimely silky pastel palette of keyboard twinkles and polished guitar licks that sounds like it was recorded in the clouds of John’s Paradise Valley LP cover."[14] Complex ranked the song 31st in their "The Best Songs of 2018" mid-year list. Their review by Matt Welty said "Mayer put out a legitimate banger in 'New Light,' an '80s-inspired track that still has the introspective side we've come to know and love from the singer/songwriter," stating they see the song "cross over beyond his traditional fan base."[15]

Commercial performance

The song debuted at number 38 on Billboard Hot Rock Songs.[16] Following its first full week of digital sales and streaming, it jumped to number 7 on Hot Rock Songs[16] and opened at number 5 on Bubbling Under Hot 100.[17] After officially impacting Hot Adult Contemporary radio, it debuted at number 39 on Adult Top 40 chart. In Mexico, the song reached number 1 and was the second best selling-single of 2018.

Remix

The Zookëper remix of "New Light" was released on August 9, 2018.[18]

Personnel

Production

  • John Mayer – producer
  • No I.D. – producer
  • Chad Franscoviak – recording engineer
  • Martin Pradler – digital editor
  • Spike Stent – mixing engineer
  • Randy Merrill – mastering engineer

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[35] Gold 35,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[36] Gold 40,000‡
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[37] Platinum 90,000‡
Italy (FIMI)[38] Gold 35,000‡
Mexico (AMPROFON)[39] 3× Platinum 180,000‡
Netherlands (NVPI)[40] Platinum 80,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[41] Platinum 30,000‡
Norway (IFPI Norway)[42] Gold 30,000‡
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[43] Gold 10,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[44] Silver 200,000‡
United States (RIAA)[45] 2× Platinum 2,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history
Region Date Format Label Ref.
Various May 10, 2018
Snack Money [2]
United States June 18, 2018 Hot adult contemporary Columbia [3]
Adult album alternative [4]

References
  1. "Sob Rock by John Mayer". Apple Music. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  2. Blistein, Jon (May 10, 2018). "Hear John Mayer Seek Redemption on New Song 'New Light'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
  3. "Hot/Modern/AC Future Releases". Archived from the original on June 16, 2018. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
  4. "Triple A Future Releases". Archived from the original on June 16, 2018. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
  5. Weatherby, Taylor (May 10, 2018). "John Mayer's New Song 'New Light' Has Arrived: Listen". Billboard. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
  6. Deflin, Kendall (May 9, 2018). "John Mayer Is Releasing New Music Tomorrow". Liveforlivemusic. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
  7. Cook-Wilson, Winston (May 10, 2018). "John Mayer – "New Light"". Spin. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
  8. John Mayer: Livestream Interview | Beats 1 | Apple Music - YouTube
  9. Jones, Abby (May 24, 2018). "John Mayer Reveals Trailer For 'New Light' Video and It's So Bad, It's Almost Good: Watch". Billboard. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
  10. Blistein, Jon (May 24, 2018). "Watch John Mayer Embrace Corny Green-Screen Magic in 'New Light' Video". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
  11. "Fatal Farm". Retrieved July 25, 2018.
  12. Cummings-Grady, Mackenzie (May 24, 2018). "John Mayer Premieres Quirky New Video For 'New Light': Watch". Billboard. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
  13. Witmer, Phil (May 24, 2018). "John Mayer's "New Light" Video Is a Self-Conscious Shitpost and I Love It". Vice. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
  14. "The 50 Best Songs of 2018 (So Far): Critics' Picks". Billboard. June 6, 2018. Retrieved July 21, 2018.
  15. "The Best Songs of 2018 (So Far)". Complex. June 22, 2018. Retrieved July 21, 2018.
  16. Rutherford, Kevin (May 25, 2018). "John Mayer, Dave Matthews Band Rise With New Singles on Hot Rock Songs Chart". Billboard. Retrieved July 21, 2018.
  17. Cantor, Brian (May 21, 2018). "John Mayer's "New Light" Starts At #5 On Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100". Headline Planet. Retrieved July 21, 2018.
  18. John Mayer - New Light (Official Audio - Zookëper Remix) - YouTube
  19. "John Mayer – New Light" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
  20. "Charts monitorLATINO: Las mejores canciones por país".
  21. "Mexico Ingles Airplay". Billboard. October 27, 2018. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
  22. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 44, 2018" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
  23. "John Mayer – New Light" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
  24. "NZ Heatseeker Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. May 21, 2018. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
  25. "John Mayer Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
  26. "John Mayer Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
  27. "John Mayer Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
  28. "John Mayer Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
  29. "John Mayer Chart History (Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
  30. "John Mayer Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
  31. "TÓNLISTINN – LÖG – 2018". Plötutíóindi (in Icelandic). Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  32. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 2018" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
  33. "Adult Pop Songs – Year-End 2018". Billboard. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
  34. "Hot Rock Songs – Year-End 2018". Billboard. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
  35. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2019 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
  36. "Canadian single certifications – John Mayer – New Light". Music Canada.
  37. "Danish single certifications – John Mayer – New Light". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
  38. "Italian single certifications – John Mayer – New Light" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  39. "Certificados Musicales Amprofon (in Spanish)". Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  40. "Dutch single certifications – John Mayer – New Light" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved October 11, 2019. Enter New Light in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 2019 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
  41. "New Zealand single certifications – John Mayer – New Light". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
  42. "Norwegian single certifications – John Mayer – New Light" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  43. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (John Mayer; 'New Light')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  44. "British single certifications – John Mayer – New Light". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved November 18, 2022.
  45. "American single certifications – John Mayer – New Light". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
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