When the Lights Go Out (EP)

When the Lights Go Out EP is a five-song EP by Australian DJ and recording artist Havana Brown. It was released for digital download on 17 July 2012 by Island Records Australia as Brown's first EP. The Australian version of the EP includes five new songs, while the US version includes the international remix of "We Run the Night" featuring American rapper Pitbull.[1] The track, being Brown's debut single, written by Cassie Davis and Snob Scrilla, and produced by RedOne, was released in September 2011 and became her first US top 40 hit, reaching number 26 on the Billboard Hot 100. The EP peaked at number 16 on the ARIA Singles Chart and was certified platinum.

When the Lights Go Out EP
EP by
Released17 July 2012 (2012-07-17)
Genre
Length17:56
LabelIsland, Universal
Producer
Havana Brown chronology
When the Lights Go Out EP
(2012)
Flashing
Lights

(2013)
Singles from When the Lights Go Out
  1. "We Run the Night"
    Released: 27 September 2011
  2. "You'll Be Mine"
    Released: 17 July 2012
  3. "Big Banana"
    Released: 4 December 2012
  4. "Spread a Little Love"
    Released: 7 June 2013

Background

edit

In 2008, Havana Brown signed a recording deal with Universal Music Australia and began releasing her Crave compilation series through the label.[2] Throughout 2008 and 2009, Brown toured as a supporting act for Rihanna, The Pussycat Dolls, Lady Gaga and Britney Spears during the Australian legs of their tours.[3][4] By the end of 2009, Brown commenced working on Australian radio providing mixes for the Party People programme every Saturday night on the Today Network.[5] Prior to the release of When the Lights Go Out, Brown released her debut single "We Run the Night" in 2011.[6] The track peaked at number five in Australia and was certified triple platinum by the Australian Record Industry Association (ARIA) denoting 210,000 shipped copies.[7][8] The song also charted in other countries including the United States where it peaked at number 26 on the Billboard Hot 100 and certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[9][10]

Composition

edit

The EP opens with "You'll Be Mine", a track inspired by a crush one feels towards another.[11] The pop/rock recording is an up-tempo song set in common time. It is written in the key of E major and moves at 127 beats per minute.[12] The song was written by AJ Junior, Addy Zwan, Bilal "The Chef" Hajji, Fabian Lenssen, M.J. Lyrical, Mark Simmons, R3hab and RedOne, with Brown, R3hab and RedOne handling production.[13] Brown described the inspiration behind "You'll Be Mine" saying, "when you're naive; when you don't necessarily know too much about someone, but you have a crush on them and in your mind you're dreaming about dating them, marrying them, having children, and you believe that they're perfect."[11] The next, "Spread a Little Love", is about negativity in the media, and how an act of kindness can positively affect someone.[14] The electronic dance recording[15] moves at 128 beats per minute and was written by RedOne, AJ Junior, Alex Papaconstantinou and Björn Djupström.

The third track on the EP, "One Way Trip", is about the unspoken connection with another person.[16] The down-tempo r&b-dubstep song samples Robert Miles' 1995 single "Children".[16] The EP's fourth track, "Big Banana", objectifies males in the same way they place "unrealistic shallow expectations" placed on girls by asking men if they have a "big banana".[17] Brown cites "Short Dick Man" by 20 Fingers as an inspiration behind the song.[18] The final track on the EP, "Wonderland (La Da Da Da Di)", samples "It's a Fine Day" by Miss Jane. On the international version of the EP, "We Run the Night" appears as the first track and "Wonderland (La Da Da Da Di)" is omitted.[19]

Reception

edit

Critical response

edit
When the Lights Go Out
professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
ARTISTdirect     [20]
Only iPlus          [21]
Homorazzifavourable[22]

The EP received favourable reviews. Rick Florino from ARTISTdirect, gave the EP five stars out of five, claiming the EP "shimmering dance floor ecstasy with stadium-size pop flare more seamlessly than any of her peers" and that "Brown has effectively bridged the gap between the club world and the mass market".[20] David from Feed Limmy was more negative, stating he could only find one average song on the EP, this being "Big Banana", calling the other songs "rubbish".[23] Josh from Only iPlus gave the EP six out of ten stars, stating the first tracks are better than the last two (Australian edition), praising the vocals but dishing the production and lyrics.[21]

Chart performance

edit

In Australia, When the Lights Go Out debuted at number 64 on the ARIA Singles Chart on 30 July 2012,[24] and peaked at number 16 on 20 August 2012.[25] It was certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), denoting sales of 70,000 copies.[26] In the United States, the EP debuted at number 50 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart issued 4 August 2012.[27]

Singles

edit

The RedOne remix of "We Run the Night", featuring American rapper Pitbull, was released digitally in the United States on 27 September 2011[28] and elsewhere from 14 November 2011,[29] as the lead single from When the Lights Go Out. The remix peaked at number one on the US Hot Dance Club Songs chart,[30] number 15 on the US Pop Songs chart,[31] and at number 26 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.[32] "We Run the Night" was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), denoting sales of 1,000,000 copies.[33] The remix also appeared on singles charts in Canada,[34] Czech Republic,[35] Norway,[36] and Slovakia.[37]

"You'll Be Mine" was serviced to Australian radio stations on 17 July 2012 as the second single, and peaked at number 18 on the Australian National Radio Airplay chart.[citation needed] An extended mix of the track, as well as a remix by R3hab and ZROQ was digitally released exclusively to Beatport on 21 September 2012.[38][39] The song failed to impact the ARIA Singles Chart because Universal Music Australia allowed When the Lights Go Out to appear on that chart, making all paid downloads of "You'll Be Mine" count towards the total sales of the EP.[25] Anna Mastro directed the accompanying music video, which depicts Brown walking through streets in LA, throwing shoes on electrical wires in order to get her love interest to find her, eventually leading him to a roof top party.[40]

"Big Banana", featuring R3hab and Prophet, was released as the third single on 4 December 2012.[41] It peaked at number one on the US Hot Dance Club Songs chart,[42] and at number 15 on the US Dance/Electronic Songs chart.[43] In Australia, "Big Banana" peaked at number 18 on the ARIA Singles Chart, and at number three on the ARIA Dance Singles Chart.[44][45] The song was certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), denoting sales of 35,000 copies.[46] "Spread a Little Love" was released digitally via iTunes Stores on 7 June 2013 as a remix single, featuring remixes by Uberjak'd, Reece Low and Ed Coleman.[47] An accompanying music video was directed by Einar Egilsson, who had previously worked with Brown on "Big Banana".[48] As with "You'll Be Mine", sales for "Spread a Little Love" counted towards When the Lights Go Out, and therefore could not chart separately.[25]

Track listing

edit
Australian edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."You'll Be Mine" (featuring R3hab)
4:10
2."Spread a Little Love"
3:52
3."One Way Trip"
3:23
4."Big Banana" (featuring R3hab and Prophet)
  • Brown
  • R3hab
3:09
5."Wonderland (La Da Da Da Di)"
Deekay3:24
Total length:17:56
International edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."We Run the Night" (featuring Pitbull)
RedOne3:48
2."You'll Be Mine"
  • RedOne
  • Hajji
  • AJ Junior
  • R3hab
  • Lenssen
  • Van Der Zwan
  • Lyrical
  • Simmons
  • Brown
  • RedOne
  • R3hab
4:10
3."Spread a Little Love"
  • RedOne
  • AJ Junior
  • Papaconstantinou
  • Djupström
  • Brown
  • Alex P
  • RedOne
3:52
4."One Way Trip"
  • Brown
  • Miles
  • Vission
  • Clow
  • Caporaso
  • Aguirre
  • Ramanauskas
  • Olortegui
  • DJ Vice
  • Vission
  • Bennett (co)
  • Sgt Slick (co)
3:23
5."Big Banana" (featuring R3hab and Prophet)
  • Brown
  • R3hab
  • AJ Junior
  • Rivington
  • Hajji
  • Lenssen
  • Brunings
  • Brown
  • R3hab
3:09
Total length:18:22

Charts and certifications

edit

Weekly charts

edit

Release history

edit
Region Date Format Label
Japan[52] 16 July 2012 (2012-07-16) Digital download Island
Austria[53]
Belgium[54]
Finland[55]
France[56]
Germany[57]
Luxembourg[58]
Netherlands[59]
Portugal[60]
Australia[61] 17 July 2012 (2012-07-17)
Canada[62]
New Zealand[63]
Mexico[64]
United States[1]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b "iTunes – Music – When the Lights Go Out – EP by Havana Brown". iTunes Store (United States). Apple. Retrieved 18 July 2012.
  2. ^ Lars Brandle (2011). "5 to watch". Billboard. Vol. 26, no. vember. p. 36. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  3. ^ Copsey, Robert (7 September 2012). "Havana Brown announces 'We Run the Night' UK single release". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK (National Magazine Company Ltd.). Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  4. ^ "Havana Brown's Flashing Lights hits top of the US Billboard Dance Charts". Herald Sun. The Herald and Weekly Times (News Corp Australia). 4 November 2013. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
  5. ^ "Austereo piles on new content as mcm contemplates new host for Take 40". Radioinfo.com.au. 6 December 2009. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  6. ^ "We Run the Night". iTunes Store (Australia). Apple Inc. Retrieved 22 June 2011.
  7. ^ "Havana Brown – We Run the Night". ARIA Charts. Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 August 2011.
  8. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2012 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Retrieved 11 February 2012.
  9. ^ "Havana Brown Album & Song Chart History: Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 5 November 2012.
  10. ^ Grein, Paul (5 September 2012). "Week Ending Sept. 2, 2012. Songs: Jepsen Tops .fun". Yahoo! Music (Yahoo! Inc.). Retrieved 22 May 2014.
  11. ^ a b "Havana Brown interview (part 4)". YouTube. FaceCulture Official YouTube account. 31 October 2012. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
  12. ^ "R3HAB, Havana Brown - You'll Be Mine (Extended Mix) - Island Records - Beatport". Beatport, LLC. Archived from the original on 6 May 2014. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  13. ^ "You'll Be Mine - Havana Brown". AllMusic (All Media Network). Retrieved 6 May 2014.
  14. ^ "Havana Brown "Spread a Little Love"". Edge 96.1 (Australian Radio Network). Retrieved 26 April 2014.
  15. ^ "Spread a Little Love - Havana Brown". AllMusic (All Media Network). Retrieved 26 April 2014.
  16. ^ a b "DJ Havana Brown Talks "One Way Trip"". artistdirect.com. 23 July 2012. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  17. ^ Cameron Adams (29 August 2012). "A top five hit & a five year plan". news.com.au. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  18. ^ "Havana Brown shows Smallzy her Big Banana". novafm.com.au. March 2013. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
  19. ^ "When the Lights Go Out - Havana Brown". AllMusic (All Media Network). Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  20. ^ a b Florino, Rick. "DJ Havana Brown "When the Lights Go Out" EP Review — 5 out of 5 stars". ARTISTdirect. Archived from the original on 22 July 2012. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
  21. ^ a b Josh. "DJ Havana Brown "When the Lights Go Out" EP Review — 5 out of 5 stars". ARTISTdirect. Archived from the original on 22 July 2012. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
  22. ^ Donovan. "Listen To Havana Brown's Debut EP "When The Lights Go Out"". Archived from the original on 21 July 2012. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
  23. ^ David. "Havana Brown "When The Lights Go Out" EP review". Retrieved 5 August 2012.
  24. ^ Ryan, Gavin (29 July 2012). "ARIA Number One Is Still fun". Noise11. Archived from the original on 27 October 2014.
  25. ^ a b c d "Havana Brown – When The Lights Go Out (EP)". Australian Charts. Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
  26. ^ a b "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2012 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  27. ^ a b "Havana Brown Album & Song Chart History". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 4 August 2012. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
  28. ^ "We Run the Night (feat. Pitbull) – Single". iTunes Store (United States). Apple. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
  29. ^ "We Run the Night (feat. Pitbull) – Single von Havana Brown" (in German). iTunes Store (Austria). Apple. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
  30. ^ "Havana Brown Album & Song Chart History: Dance/Club Play Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
  31. ^ "Havana Brown Album & Song Chart History: Pop Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
  32. ^ "Havana Brown Album & Song Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
  33. ^ "Gold & Platinum Searchable Database – Havana Brown: We Run The Night". Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Retrieved 22 October 2012.
  34. ^ "Havana Brown Album & Song Chart History: Canadian Hot 100". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
  35. ^ "Radio Top 100 Oficiální: We Run the Night" (in Czech). International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI). Retrieved 4 January 2013.
  36. ^ "Havana Brown feat. Pitbull – We Run the Night". Norwegian Charts. Hung Medien. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
  37. ^ "Radio Top 100 Oficiálna: We Run the Night" (in Slovak). International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI). Retrieved 30 March 2012.
  38. ^ "Youll Be Mine (extended mix)". Beatport. Archived from the original on 6 May 2014. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
  39. ^ "Youll Be Mine (R3hab & ZROQ Remix)". Beatport. Archived from the original on 6 May 2014. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
  40. ^ Gottlieb, Steven (4 October 2012). "Watch It: Havana Brown "You'll Be Mine" (Anna Mastro, dir.)". Video Static. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
  41. ^ "Big Banana (Remixes) feat. R3hab & Prophet – EP by Havana Brown". iTunes Store (Australia). Apple. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
  42. ^ "Chart Highlights: Rolling Stones Debut On Dance/Club Play Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 8 January 2013. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
  43. ^ "'Big Banana' #15 on Dance/Electronic Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 26 January 2013.
  44. ^ "Havana Brown feat. R3hab & Prophet – Big Banana". Australian Charts. Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 April 2013.
  45. ^ "ARIA Australian Top 20 Dance Tracks". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). 8 April 2013. Retrieved 7 April 2013.
  46. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2013 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Retrieved 11 May 2013.
  47. ^ "iTunes – Music – Spread a Little Love (The Remixes) by Havana Brown". iTunes Store (Australia). Apple. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  48. ^ "Spread a Little Love | DJ Havana Brown | Music Video". MTV. Viacom. Archived from the original on 26 April 2014. Retrieved 10 June 2013.
  49. ^ "ARIA Dance Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Retrieved 30 September 2012.
  50. ^ "ARIA Charts – End Of Year Charts – Top 50 Australian Artist Singles 2012". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Retrieved 9 January 2013.
  51. ^ "ARIA Charts – End Of Year Charts – Top 50 Dance Singles 2012". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Retrieved 9 January 2013.
  52. ^ "iTunes – Music – When the Lights Go Out – EP by Havana Brown". iTunes Store (Japan). Apple. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
  53. ^ "iTunes – Music – When the Lights Go Out – EP by Havana Brown". iTunes Store (Austria). Apple. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
  54. ^ "iTunes – Music – When the Lights Go Out – EP by Havana Brown". iTunes Store (Belgium). Apple. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
  55. ^ "iTunes – Music – When the Lights Go Out – EP by Havana Brown". iTunes Store (Finland). Apple. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
  56. ^ "iTunes – Music – When the Lights Go Out – EP by Havana Brown". iTunes Store (France). Apple. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
  57. ^ "iTunes – Music – When the Lights Go Out – EP by Havana Brown". iTunes Store (Germany). Apple. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
  58. ^ "iTunes – Music – When the Lights Go Out – EP by Havana Brown". iTunes Store (Luxembourg). Apple. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
  59. ^ "iTunes – Music – When the Lights Go Out – EP by Havana Brown". iTunes Store (Netherlands). Apple. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
  60. ^ "iTunes – Music – When the Lights Go Out – EP by Havana Brown". iTunes Store (Portugal). Apple. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
  61. ^ "iTunes – Music – When the Lights Go Out – EP by Havana Brown". iTunes Store (Australia). Apple. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
  62. ^ "iTunes – Music – When the Lights Go Out – EP by Havana Brown". iTunes Store (Canada). Apple. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
  63. ^ "iTunes – Music – When the Lights Go Out – EP by Havana Brown". iTunes Store (New Zealand). Apple. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
  64. ^ "iTunes – Music – When the Lights Go Out – EP by Havana Brown". iTunes Store (Mexico). Apple. Retrieved 19 August 2012.