Blinded by the Lights

For the song by Bruce Springsteen, see Blinded by the Light. For the Polish TV series, see Blinded by the Lights (TV series). For the song by the Weeknd, see Blinding Lights.

"Blinded by the Lights" is a song by English rapper and producer Mike Skinner under the music project the Streets. It was released in September 2004 as the third single from the project's second studio album A Grand Don't Come for Free. The song reached number ten on the UK Single Chart and was certified Silver by the British Phonographic Industry.

"Blinded by the Lights"
Single by the Streets
from the album A Grand Don't Come for Free
Released	27 September 2004 (2004-09-27)[1]
Length	4:45
Label	Locked On 679
Songwriter(s)	Mike Skinner
Producer(s)	Mike Skinner
The Streets singles chronology
"Dry Your Eyes" (2004) "Blinded by the Lights" (2004) "Could Well Be In" (2004)

Critical reception

Leonie Cooper of NME called the best part of the song the, "massive wobbly synth line."^[2] Decca Aitkenhead of The Guardian said that, "nothing has ever evoked the atmosphere of clubbing on ecstasy in the 90s more perfectly."^[3] Ethan Brown of New York called the song, "a panicky haze of impure pills, paranoia, and social isolation."^[4] Andy Battaglia of The A.V. Club called the song, "a sparse, moody track that gets washed in whoosh as his second dose of ecstasy kicks in."^[5]

Music video

The music video was directed by Adam Smith and premiered in September 2004.^[6]

Charts

Chart performance for "Blinded by the Lights"

Chart (2004)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)[7]	92
Germany (GfK)[8]	63
Ireland (IRMA)[9]	16
Scotland (OCC)[10]	10
UK Singles (OCC)[11]	10
UK Hip Hop/R&B (OCC)[12]	2

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[13]	Gold	400,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

1. "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. 25 September 2004. p. 37.
2. Cooper, Leonie (13 October 2017). "The Streets' 10 best songs". nme.com. NME. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
3. Aitkenhead, Decca (18 March 2012). "Mike Skinner: 'I get withdrawal symptoms if I've not created something for a few days'". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
4. Brown, Ethan (7 June 2004). "Straight Talk". nymag.com. New York. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
5. Battaglia, Andy (18 May 2004). "The Streets: A Grand Don't Come For Free". music.avclub.com. AV Club. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
6. Blinded by the Lights - Music Video Music Video Database
7. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 269.
8. "The Streets – Blinded by the Lights" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
9. "Chart Track: Week 46, 2004". Irish Singles Chart.
10. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
11. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
12. "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company.
13. "British single certifications – Streets – Blinded by the Lights". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 10 September 2021.