"A LIGHT THAT NEVER COMES" is the first track and sole single from RECHARGED. It marks the first collaboration between Linkin Park and Steve Aoki. The track was first released with LP Recharge in which playing the game would allow the player to obtain the new song and stream it for free on Xbox Music for two weeks.[1] The single was released in CD format on October 11, 2013.[2]
Background[]
On August 10, 2013, Linkin Park and Steve each had a gig at the Summer Sonic Festival. Once the band finished their set, Chester and Mike joined Steve during his concert to perform "A LIGHT THAT NEVER COMES" for the first time.[3] After the event, Mike would talk about meeting Steve through Twitter,[4] although his answers vary in when the writing process began.[5][6]
Joe explained the origins of the song in an interview with Rolling Stone:
Mike has been on this EDM kick for the last year and he’s been hanging out with different EDM guys, like he did a day with Avicii, and he’s been sending stuff back and forth with Aoki. This is the one that really stuck. He fleshed it out, brought it to the guys and we were into it. And it coincided with the game and also the album we’re putting out, which is remixes of LIVING THINGS.[7]
Writing[]
The writing process for "A LIGHT THAT NEVER COMES" was a new experience for both artists, as they would write songs for different crowds and had their own way of getting tracks done.[8][9]
In an interview with Billboard, Mike explained the importance of balance when writing the song with Steve:
There was a balance aspect. In my process writing a song, I tend to add a lot of elements and sounds, remove them, then add more, until I get the vibe I like. On this, I don’t want to trample on some of the work Steve did. We found that out on our first two records. There are actually a lot of keyboard and sample-based sounds on Hybrid Theory and Meteora, but in the mix they got drowned out by the guitars. Since then, I think we’ve paid more attention to balance as we go through the whole process, from the writing to the engineering.[10]
Live[]
Since its live debut, Chester and Mike would only perform the song with Steve for two more times, with one of the performances featuring Travis Barker.[11] Mike stated that they would only play the song with Steve, although that seemed to change after the end of the LIVING THINGS era.[12] Over the course of touring for The Hunting Party in 2014, both shortened and full versions of the song would be performed by the band before being swiftly dropped from the setlist until its one-time return in 2017 before Chester's death.[13] Steve would also perform the song in the meantime, although he played different remixes and mashups of the track instead.
For Chester's memorial show, the song would be brought back in its full version. The performance featured Steve, Bebe Rexha, Frank Zummo, and Marc Vangool.[14] After the tribute concert, Steve would play the song one more time in November. He also covered "Numb" and "One More Light" during his set.[15]
Reviews[]
| Source | Rating |
|---|---|
| AllMusic | 3/5[16] |
| Discogs | 4/5[2] |
| Rate Your Music | 2.4/5[17] |
Tracklist[]
| # | Title | Writers | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A LIGHT THAT NEVER COMES | Steve Aoki, Chester Bennington, Rob Bourdon, Brad Delson, Dave Farrell, Joe Hahn, Mike Shinoda | 3:51 |
| 2 | UNTIL IT BREAKS (Datsik Remix) | Bennington, Bourdon, Delson, Farrell, Hahn, Shinoda | 6:01 |
Linkin Park[]
- Chester Bennington
- Mike Shinoda
- Brad Delson
- Dave Farrell
- Joe Hahn
- Mike Shinoda
Charts[]
Weekly[]
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| Canada Rock | 49[18] |
| Mexico Ingles Airplay | 5[19] |
| Hot Dance/Electronic Songs | 8[20] |
| Hot Rock & Alternative Songs | 11[21] |
| Rock & Alternative Airplay | 15[22] |
| Alternative Airplay | 7[23] |
Year-end[]
2013[]
| Chart | Position |
|---|---|
| Hot Dance/Electronic Songs | 46[24] |
| Hot Rock & Alternative Songs | 55[25] |
2014[]
| Chart | Position |
|---|---|
| Hot Dance/Electronic Songs | 61[26] |
Lyrics[]
Nah, you don't know me
Lightning above and a fire below me
You cannot catch me, cannot hold me
You cannot stop, much less control me
When it rains, it pours
When the floodgates open, brace your shores
That pressure don't care when it breaks your doors
Say it's all you can take, better take some more
'Cause I know what it's like to test fate
Had my shoulders pressed with that weight
Stood up strong in spite of that hate
A night gets darkest, right before dawn
What don't kill you makes you more strong
And I've been waiting for it, so long
The nights go on
Waiting for a light that never comes
I chase the sun
Waiting for a light that never comes
Waiting for a light that never comes
When I was young, they told me, they said
Make your bed, you lie in that bed
A king can only reign 'til instead
There comes that day it's off with his head
A night gets darkest, right before dawn
What don't kill you makes you more strong
You'll have my mercy then, when you're gone
The nights go on
Waiting for a light that never comes
I chase the sun
Waiting for a light that never comes
Waiting for a light that never comes
And I told them, nah, you don't know me
Lightning above and a fire below me
You cannot catch me, cannot hold me
You cannot stop, much less control me
When it rains, it pours
When the floodgates open, brace your shores
That pressure don't care, it breaks your doors
Say it's all you can take, better take some more
Waiting for a light that never comes
The nights go on
Waiting for a light that never comes
I chase the sun
Waiting for a light that never comes
Waiting for a light that never comes
References[]
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/linkinpark/photos/a.132163956787/10151894935666788/
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 https://www.discogs.com/master/612518-Linkin-Park-X-Steve-Aoki-A-Light-That-Never-Comes
- ↑ https://lplive.net/shows/2013/20130810g/
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20130919000833/http://kroq.cbslocal.com/2013/09/16/listen-to-the-new-linkin-park-steve-aoki-track-a-light-that-never-comes/
- ↑ https://twitter.com/mikeshinoda/status/366212064294875136
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0Pog3rBWzQ
- ↑ https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/linkin-park-keep-busy-with-new-remix-album-video-game-94780/
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20131010185913/http://kroq.cbslocal.com/steve-aoki-discusses-touring-throwing-cakes-at-fans-drug-use-in-edm-working-with-linkin-park-more/
- ↑ https://www.edmsauce.com/2013/10/22/4-things-about-mike-shinoda-linkin-park/
- ↑ https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/linkin-park-steve-aokis-a-light-that-never-comes-teaser-and-exclusive-5657824/
- ↑ https://lplive.net/shows/2013/20131115/
- ↑ https://twitter.com/mikeshinoda/status/366212301830885376
- ↑ https://lplive.net/shows/2017/20170615/
- ↑ https://lplive.net/shows/2017/20171027/
- ↑ https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/steve-aoki/2017/parque-metropolitano-leon-mexico-23e0d8df.html
- ↑ https://www.allmusic.com/album/a-light-that-never-comes-mw0002589319
- ↑ https://rateyourmusic.com/release/single/linkin-park-steve-aoki/a-light-that-never-comes/
- ↑ https://www.billboard.com/artist/linkin-park/chart-history/car/
- ↑ https://www.billboard.com/artist/linkin-park/chart-history/min/
- ↑ https://www.billboard.com/artist/linkin-park/chart-history/dan/
- ↑ https://www.billboard.com/artist/linkin-park/chart-history/ark/
- ↑ https://www.billboard.com/artist/linkin-park/chart-history/rka/
- ↑ https://www.billboard.com/artist/linkin-park/chart-history/mrt/
- ↑ https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2013/hot-dance-electronic--songs/
- ↑ https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2013/hot-rock-songs/
- ↑ https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2014/hot-dance-electronic--songs/