Put Your Lights On Explained

Put Your Lights On
Cover:Put Your Lights On Santana cover.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Santana featuring Everlast
Album:Supernatural
B-Side:
Written:February 1998
Length:
  • 4:45 (album version)
  • 4:05 (radio edit)
Label:Arista
Producer:
Chronology:Santana
Prev Title:Smooth
Prev Year:1999
Next Title:Maria Maria
Next Year:1999

"Put Your Lights On" is a song by American rock band Santana and American musician Everlast from Santana's 18th studio album, Supernatural (1999). Serviced to US rock radio in August 1999, the song peaked at number 18 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 and number eight on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. "Put Your Lights On" won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal at the 42nd Annual Grammy Awards.[1]

Background

Everlast wrote the song while recovering from a major heart attack that he had suffered in February 1998 (directly after he completed recording his second solo album, Whitey Ford Sings the Blues). He has referred to it as "one of the most personal songs I ever wrote", stating that the song was "kind of all about hope, but it's coming from a really dark place you know, so... and really questioning a lot of your beliefs, and affirming, you know, stuff in your soul."[2] Everlast converted to Islam in 1996, and the end of the song contains the words "La ilaha illa Allah", ("There is no God but God" in Arabic), the first part of the Shahada, the Islamic profession of faith.

Santana called Everlast in 1998, asking him if he could contribute a song for Supernatural, and Everlast suggested "Put Your Lights On". According to Everlast, Santana loved the song, and "from then on everything went very fast." Everlast has stated that he was unsure whether to include the Arabic-language portion in the recorded song, because "I did not want to sell Allah's words", but that Santana insisted that they be included.[3]

Track listings

Australian CD single[4]

  1. "Put Your Lights On" (featuring Everlast) – 4:10
  2. "Smooth" (remix featuring Rob Thomas) – 3:53
  3. "Maria Maria" (radio mix featuring the Product G&B) – 4:25

UK CD single[5]

  1. "Put Your Lights On" (radio edit featuring Everlast) – 4:03
  2. "Maria Maria" (Spanish-English version featuring the Product G&B) – 4:15
  3. "El farol" (album version) – 4:59

European CD single[6]

  1. "Put Your Lights On" (radio edit featuring Everlast) – 4:03
  2. "Maria Maria" (Spanish-English version featuring the Product G&B) – 4:15

German maxi-CD single[7]

  1. "Put Your Lights On" (radio edit featuring Everlast) – 4:03
  2. "Put Your Lights On" (album version featuring Everlast) – 4:47
  3. "Maria Maria" (Spanish-English version featuring the Product G&B) – 4:15
  4. "El farol" (album version) – 4:59

Credits and personnel

Credits are taken from the German maxi-CD single liner notes and the Supernatural album booklet.[7] [8]

Studios

Personnel

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1999–2000)Peak
position
Hungary (Mahasz)[9] 5
Poland (Music & Media)[10] 12
Poland (Polish Airplay Charts)[11] 7

Year-end charts

Chart (1999)Position
US Mainstream Rock Tracks (Billboard)[12] 75
US Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard)[13] 97
Chart (2000)Position
US Mainstream Rock Tracks (Billboard)[14] 32
US Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard)[15] 92
US Triple-A (Billboard)[16] 16

Release history

RegionDateFormat(s)Label
United StatesAugust 24, 1999Arista[17]
May 23, 2000Contemporary hit radio[18]
SwedenOctober 30, 2000CD[19]
United KingdomNovember 6, 2000[20]
GermanyNovember 27, 2000

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Winners: Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. Grammy.com. November 21, 2018.
  2. Web site: Everlast Talks About 'Put Your Lights On' . https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211219/oh8crd9YVR0 . December 19, 2021 . live . . July 12, 2008.
  3. 2001 Everlast interview with the Association for New German Muslims
  4. Put Your Lights On. Santana. 2000. Australian CD single liner notes. Arista Records. 74321743812.
  5. Put Your Lights On. Santana. 2000. UK CD single liner notes. Arista Records. 74321 808582.
  6. Put Your Lights On. Santana. 2000. European CD single liner notes. Arista Records. 74321 76925 2.
  7. Put Your Lights On. Santana. 2000. German maxi-CD single liner notes. Arista Records. 74321-76924-2.
  8. Supernatural. Supernatural (Santana album). Santana. 1999. US CD album booklet. Arista Records. 07822-19080-2.
  9. Top National Sellers. Music & Media. 17. 48. 17. November 25, 2000. June 9, 2020.
  10. Major Market Airplay – Week 46/2000. Music & Media. 17. 46. 33. November 11, 2000. January 21, 2024.
  11. Web site: Polish Airplay Charts – Lista krajowa 44/2000. PiF PaF Production. pl. January 21, 2024. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20010305030526/http://www.pifpaf.com.pl/airplay/lista_44_2000.html. March 5, 2001.
  12. Most Played Mainstream Rock Songs of 1999. Airplay Monitor. 7. 52. 35. December 24, 1999.
  13. Most Played Modern Rock Songs of 1999. Airplay Monitor. 7. 52. 36. December 24, 1999.
  14. The Year in Music 2000: Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks. Billboard. 112. 53. YE-87. December 30, 2000.
  15. Most Played Modern Rock Songs of 2000. Airplay Monitor. 8. 51. 38. December 22, 2000.
  16. The Best of 2000: Most Played Triple-A Songs. Airplay Monitor. 8. 51. 44. December 22, 2000.
  17. Going for Adds. Radio & Records. 1313. 100, 169. August 20, 1999.
  18. CHR/Pop: Going for Adds. Radio & Records. 1351. 48. May 18, 2000.
  19. Web site: Santana: Put Your Lights On. click2music.se. sv. https://web.archive.org/web/20010111021600/http://www.click2music.se/product.asp?prd=931&art=162. January 11, 2001. November 30, 2023.
  20. New Releases – For Week Starting November 6, 2000: Singles. Music Week. 29. November 4, 2000. August 7, 2021.

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