"Lights Down Low" is a song by American singer
Max Schneider (better known as MAX) from his 2016 album, Hell's Kitchen Angel. The song was written by Schneider,
Nathaniel Motte, and Liam O'Donnell, with Motte serving as the producer.[5] A later remix of the song includes a feature and writing contribution from singer
gnash. The song, which MAX used to propose to his wife Emily, was released in October 2016; it became a
sleeper hit, entering the
Billboard Hot 100 more than a year after its release, and also earning a
Platinum certification from the
RIAA for sales of more than 1,000,000 copies. The song had an accompanying music video tracing the life of a couple living in an apartment. A "Latin Mix" featuring Argentine singer
Tini was released on December 15, 2017.[6]
Background
After recording the song, MAX played it for his girlfriend, Emily, followed by a marriage proposal which she accepted.[7][3] Originally, MAX planned to release the song in its solo form, but he decided to feature American rapper gnash on it after "this moment where I was like, 'Well, I kind of hear [gnash's] voice on "Lights Down Low." I never considered a rapper, it's a ballad, but you know what? I'm just gonna talk to him.'"[3]
After the song's release, it drew much attention in the
LGBT community.[3][8] In a 2017 interview with Billboard, MAX stated that "It's not our song anymore. It's everybody's song. Everybody is able to add whatever they want to it, what it is to them, and in that way, it becomes so much less — it's not about us anymore. It's not about even the artist or the writer or the singer, it's about what it can stand for for people."[3]
Composition
"Lights Down Low" is a midtempo
pop song, with a length of 3 minutes and 44 seconds. Its instrumentation consists of keyboards, drums, guitar, and handclaps with
Guitar pop and
Acoustic pop elements and features a "Soulful" voice.[9] Sheet music for the song shows the key of
E♭ major.[10]
Music video
The music video stars MAX and his wife, Emily.[7] The music video was shot above a bed; it depicts MAX in various relationships over the course of his lifetime. The video was directed by Crush Music and Christian Snell. Jade Ehlers, who is the creative director at Crush Music, explained that "the music video depicts what one's life might look like if they lived in one apartment their whole life."[11]
In Belgium, the song peaked at number five on
Ultratip's Bubbling Under Singles chart, spending a total of eight weeks on the chart.[17]
In September 2017, the song was certified
Gold in the United States for sales of more than 500,000 copies. In January 2018, the certification was upgraded to
Platinum for sales of more than 1,000,000 copies.[18][19]
^"
ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – SINGLES DIGITAL – TOP 100 and insert 201712 into search. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
^"
ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 201714 into search. Retrieved December 15, 2017.