I Saw the Light (Todd Rundgren song)

"I Saw the Light" is a song written and performed by American musician Todd Rundgren that was released as the opening track from his 1972 album Something/Anything? In the album's liner notes, Rundgren states that he intended the song to be the hit of the album, and copied the Motown tradition of putting hit songs at the beginning of albums.^[6]

"I Saw the Light"
Single by Todd Rundgren
from the album Something/Anything?
B-side	"Marlene"
Released	March 1972[1]
Recorded	Late 1971
Genre	Pop[2] power pop[3] soft rock[4] Merseybeat[5]
Length	2:59
Label	Bearsville
Songwriter(s)	Todd Rundgren
Producer(s)	Todd Rundgren
Todd Rundgren singles chronology
"A Long Time, A Long Way to Go" (1971) "I Saw the Light" (1972) "Couldn't I Just Tell You" (1972)

Background

Rundgren wrote the track in 20 minutes, a feat he attributes to his reliance on stimulants such as Ritalin. "It caused me to crank out songs at an incredible pace. You can see why, too, the rhymes are just moon/June/spoon kind of stuff."^[7]

Personnel

• Todd Rundgren – all instruments and vocals

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1972)	Peak position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[8][9]	21
Canada RPM Top Singles[10]	15
UK Singles Chart[11]	36
US Billboard Hot 100[12][13]	16
US Billboard Easy Listening[14]	12
US Cash Box Top 100[15]	11

Year-end charts

Chart (1972)	Rank
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[16]	88

Cover versions

• 1972 – The New Seekers, on the Circles album
• 1985 – Yukihiro Takahashi, on Once a Fool
• 1984 – Herman Brood, on The Brood (as "Eyes")
• 1987 – Mood Six, "I Saw the Light" (a video for the song was shown on MTV's 120 Minutes)
• 1989 – Workshy, on The Golden Mile.
• 1997 – Terry Hall, Laugh (released as a single)
• 1997 – Lori Carson, on Everything I Touch Runs Wild
• 1998 – Hal Ketchum. This version reached No. 36 on the US country charts, and No. 50 on the Canadian country charts.^[17]
• 2012 – Yo La Tengo, on Super Hits of the Seventies (also released on deluxe versions of their Fade)
• 2015 – Jason Schwartzman, Rashida Jones, Maya Rudolph, David Johansen and Bill Murray, on A Very Murray Christmas