“Bright Lights” by Matchbox Twenty

Although “Bright Lights” is definitely centered on the singer’s emotional disposition, from a literary standpoint, we can say that its primary focus is actually his girlfriend. Or perhaps she would be more accurately defined as his ex-girlfriend, as she has left him and indeed their entire town behind in search of stardom. More specially she is “on a railway New York bound”, and the way the narrator puts it, she is headed specifically for “Broadway”.  Now Broadway itself, whereas it is an actual part of New York City, in a colloquial sense represents show business in general. So whereas the exact field of entertainment this lady is trying to break into isn’t specified, we can assume that it is such a profession that she is looking for.

Narrator’s Sentiments

And with that being established, there are two sentiments the singer is putting across. First is that he seems to be for the most part convinced that her dreams are not going to come true. He really makes it a point to get this idea across in the song’s bridge. Indeed the title of the track itself is also a colloquialism, which is synonymous with the big city. And we can conclude that the singer does not particularly believe that his sweetheart can survive in such an environment.

Then the second sentiment, which we can say is the thesis of this song, is that if she does fail and is compelled to return, he will be there to receive her.  Indeed he makes it pretty clear that he was heavily-dependent on her love and that her departure has left “a hole” in his heart, so to speak. In fact he spends a considerable amount of time compelling her to give up her fantasy and “come on home”. But even if she has to learn the hard way, he will still be there to welcome her back when she does return.

Conclusion

So with all of that in mind it is safe to say that “Bright Lights” is actually a love song. To some readers it may not come off as such. But at the end of the day, the singer misses his significant other and is more or less begging her throughout to return to his embrace.

Who wrote “Bright Lights”?

This song was written by Matchbox Twenty’s Rob Thomas, the individual who pens most of the band’s track. He went on to state in 2009 that this may be his personal favorite song of his career.

Release Date

“Bright Lights” was released on 1 August 2003 as the third single from the band’s third studio album. The album in question goes by the title “More Than You Think You Are”. The band’s Grammy nominated song “Unwell” also appears on the aforementioned project.

Who produced “Bright Lights”?

Matt Serletic, who worked regularly with Matchbox Twenty, produced this song.