Darkness and Light (John Legend album)

Darkness and Light is the sixth studio album by American singer, songwriter, and pianist John Legend. It was released on December 2, 2016, by Columbia Records,[1] as well as his last album to be released with GOOD Music, following the end of his five-album contract with the label.[2]

Darkness and Light
Studio album by
John Legend
ReleasedDecember 2, 2016
StudioEast West Studio 2 in Los Angeles
GenreR&B
Length45:50
Label
Producer
John Legend chronology
Love in the Future
(2013)		 Darkness and Light
(2016)		 A Legendary Christmas
(2018)
Singles from Darkness and Light
  1. "Love Me Now"
    Released: October 7, 2016
  2. "Penthouse Floor"
    Released: November 18, 2016
  3. "Surefire"
    Released: March 27, 2017

Recording and production

Legend recorded the album at East West Studio 2 in Los Angeles. It was produced almost entirely by Blake Mills, who also played various instruments and co-produced most of the songs.[3] Legend also collaborated with rapper Chance the Rapper, and vocalists Brittany Howard and Miguel.[4]

Singles

The album's lead single "Love Me Now" was released on October 7, 2016.[5] On October 6, 2016, the music video was released for the single.[6] On November 18, 2016, the album's second single "Penthouse Floor" featuring Chance the Rapper, was released.[7] On November 25, 2016, the album's first promotional single "I Know Better", was released and on March 27, 2017, was announced that the album's third single is "Surefire".

Commercial performance

In the United States, Darkness and Light debuted at number 14 on the Billboard 200, with 38,000 album-equivalent units, marking the sixth highest debut of the week.[8] The album selling 26,000 copies in its first week.[9] The album was also streamed 12.5 million times in the first week.[8]

Critical reception

Darkness and Light was met with generally positive reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 76, based on 10 reviews.[1]

Reviewing the album in The New York Times, Jon Pareles applauded its treatment of love as a multi-dimensional theme and "as something far more complex than a panacea and a fount of perpetual reassurance, with music to match".[10] Writing for Vice, Robert Christgau cited the title track, "Marching Into the Dark", and "I Know Better" as highlights and said the lyric from the latter song ("My history has brought me to this place/This power and the color of my face") is "not an easy brag to bring off modestly, and the more I listen the more I appreciate the trick".[11]

Track listing

All tracks produced by Blake Mills, except where noted.

Standard edition[12]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."I Know Better"
3:03
2."Penthouse Floor" (featuring Chance the Rapper and produced with Greg Kurstin)
4:43
3."Darkness and Light" (featuring Brittany Howard and produced with John Ryan)
  • Stephens
  • Oldham
3:50
4."Overload" (featuring Miguel)
3:20
5."Love Me Now" (produced with Ryan)
  • Stephens
3:30
6."What You Do to Me" (produced with Matt Sweeney and Michael Tucker)
3:21
7."Surefire" (produced with Ludwig Göransson)
  • Stephens
  • Oldham
  • Michaels
4:03
8."Right by You"
4:16
9."Temporarily Painless" (produced with Ryan)
  • Stephens
3:55
10."How Can I Blame You" (produced with Sweeney)
3:56
11."Same Old Story"
3:32
12."Marching into the Dark"
  • Stephens
  • Jesso Jr.
4:21
Total length:45:50
Deluxe edition and Target exclusive (bonus tracks)[13]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
13."Drawing Lines"
  • Stephens
  • Oldham
2:21
14."What You Do to Me" (piano demo; produced by John Legend)
  • Stephens
  • Michaels
  • Tranter
3:41
15."Love You Anyway" (produced with Sweeney and Tyler Johnson)
  • Stephens
  • Michaels
  • Tranter
3:36
Total length:55:28

Notes

  • "What You Do to Me", "Surefire", "Marching Into the Dark", and "Love You Anyway" features background vocals by Jessy Wilson.
  • "What You Do to Me" and "Surefire" features background vocals by Holly Laessig and Jess Wolfe.
  • "Temporarily Painless" and "How Can I Blame You" features background vocals by Z Berg.
  • "Temporarily Painless" features background vocals by Perfume Genius.
  • "Drawing Lines" features background vocals by Moses Sumney.

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[31] Gold 40,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. "Darkness and Light by John Legend Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
  2. "John Legend Confirms End of Five-Album Deal on the Breakfast Club". YouTube. It's a five-album deal with GOOD Music and [Darkness and Light] is my fifth album.
  3. Kellman, Andy. "Darkness and Light - John Legend". AllMusic. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
  4. "John Legend Reveals Guest Appearances for 'Darkness and Night'". Billboard. November 4, 2016. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
  5. "iTunes - Music - Love Me Now - Single by John Legend". Itunes.apple.com. October 8, 2016. Archived from the original on October 8, 2016. Retrieved November 11, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  6. "Video: John Legend - 'Love Me Now'". YouTube. October 8, 2016. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
  7. "John Legend And Chance The Rapper Takes Us To The 'Penthouse Floor': Listen". Billboard. November 18, 2016. Retrieved November 20, 2016.
  8. Hernandez, Victoria (December 12, 2016). "Hip Hop Album Sales: "The Hamilton Mixtape" Steals The Show On Billboard 200 Chart". HipHopDX. Retrieved December 14, 2016.
  9. "Childish Gambino's 'Awaken, My Love!' Debuts at No. 1 on R&B Albums Chart". Billboard. December 14, 2016. Retrieved December 14, 2016.
  10. Pareles, Jon (November 30, 2016). "John Legend: Love Songs That Bow to Dark Shadows". The New York Times. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
  11. Christgau, Robert (March 3, 2017). "On Syd's Depth and Resonance: Expert Witness with Robert Christgau". Vice. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
  12. "Darkness and Light by John Legend on Apple Music". iTunes Store (US). December 2, 2016. Retrieved March 9, 2017.
  13. "John Legend - Darkness and Light (Target Exclusive) : Target". Target. December 2, 2016. Retrieved March 9, 2017.
  14. "Australiancharts.com – John Legend – Darkness and Light". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
  15. "Ultratop.be – John Legend – Darkness and Light" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
  16. "Ultratop.be – John Legend – Darkness and Light" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  17. "John Legend Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
  18. "Dutchcharts.nl – John Legend – Darkness and Light" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
  19. "Le Top de la semaine : Top Albums Fusionnes - SNEP (Week 51, 2016)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. 10 June 2013. Retrieved December 26, 2016.
  20. "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 49, 2016". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
  21. "Italiancharts.com – John Legend – Darkness and Light". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
  22. "NZ Heatseekers Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. December 12, 2016. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  23. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
  24. "Swisscharts.com – John Legend – Darkness and Light". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 14, 2016.
  25. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
  26. "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
  27. "John Legend Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
  28. "John Legend Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
  29. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2017". Billboard. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  30. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2017". Billboard. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  31. "Canadian album certifications – John Legend – Darkness & Light". Music Canada. Retrieved February 15, 2023.

Further reading
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