Blinding Lights

Song meaning of Blinding Lights by The Weeknd

"Blinding Lights" is a song by Canadian singer the Weeknd and released in 2019 as the second single from his fourth studio album, After Hours.

The song was written and produced by the Weeknd alongside Swedish musicians Max Martin and Oscar Holter, with fellow Canadian musicians Belly and DaHeala receiving additional writing credits.

In the United States, "Blinding Lights" topped the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks. It is the longest charting song by a solo artist on the Hot 100 of all time, spending 90 weeks on the chart.

The song finished 2020 as the year's top Billboard Hot 100 song. It topped the record charts in the United Kingdom and 36 other countries.

In 2021, it was ranked as the greatest Hot 100 song in Billboard history. On December 31, 2022, the song overtook Ed Sheeran's "Shape of You" to become the most streamed song on Spotify.

Throughout the song, the Weeknd sings about the rekindling of a relationship and the importance of his partner. The singer also mentions the city of Las Vegas, Nevada, where he refers to it by its nickname "Sin City" in the pre-chorus.

The Weeknd gave a little insight into what his hit is about. "'Blinding Lights is about how you want to see someone at night, and you're intoxicated, and you're driving to this person and you're just blinded by streetlights," he explained.

"But nothing could stop you from trying to go see that person, because you're so lonely. I don't want to ever promote drunk driving, but that's what the dark undertone is."

Rolling Stone columnist Kory Grow named "Blinding Lights" as the fourth best song of 2020: "With fuzzy synths and hopscotching drum-machine line, 'Blinding Lights' is the best new wave song this side of Duran Duran.

In just three minutes, the Weeknd checks off any number of Eighties pop-song signposts—unanswered phone calls, driving fast just to feel something, lights representing loneliness—but the real magic is how his voice and the song's chiming keyboard line lingers in your head well after he injects new life into the greatest Eighties-steeped lyrical cliché of them all: 'I can't sleep until I feel your touch,'"

Blinding Lights lyrics by The Weeknd

Yeah

I've been tryna call

I've been on my own for long enough

Maybe you can show me how to love, maybe

I'm going through withdrawals

You don't even have to do too much

You can turn me on with just a touch, baby

I look around and

Sin City's cold and empty (Oh)

No one's around to judge me (Oh)

I can't see clearly when you're gone

I said, ooh, I'm blinded by the lights

No, I can't sleep until I feel your touch

I said, ooh, I'm drowning in the night

Oh, when I'm like this, you're the one I trust

Hey, hey, hey

I'm running out of time

'Cause I can see the sun light up the sky

So I hit the road in overdrive, baby, oh

The city's cold and empty (Oh)

No one's around to judge me (Oh)

I can't see clearly when you're gone

I said, ooh, I'm blinded by the lights

No, I can't sleep until I feel your touch

I said, ooh, I'm drowning in the night

Oh, when I'm like this, you're the one I trust

I'm just calling back to let you know (Back to let you know)

I could never say it on the phone (Say it on the phone)

Will never let you go this time (Ooh)

I said, ooh, I'm blinded by the lights

No, I can't sleep until I feel your touch

Hey, hey, hey

Hey, hey, hey

I said, ooh, I'm blinded by the lights

No, I can't sleep until I feel your touch