Released: 2017
“Lights Out” by Royal Blood is a gritty, high-voltage track that pulses with the tumult of a toxic relationship, the struggle to break free, and the haunting remnants of a love gone bad. It’s an electric mix of raw emotion and rock ‘n’ roll edge, encapsulated in thumping bass lines and impassioned vocals.
The song kicks off with the protagonist caught in a push-and-pull dynamic, symbolized by the lyrics “Every time I’m with it alone / It picks me up / You just send me down.” This immediately sets the stage for a relationship that’s as intoxicating as it is damaging, with the other person acting both as a high and a downfall. The mention of “You’re a cage, won’t you let me in?” speaks to the longing and frustration of trying to get closer to someone who remains emotionally distant, turning love into a form of imprisonment.
As we dive deeper into the chorus, “My eyes are still burning red / So turn the lights out / You’re not so hard to forget / With all the lights out,” there’s a raw expression of pain and an attempt to escape the overwhelming memories. The burning red eyes can symbolize both anger and intense sorrow, while turning the lights out suggests a desire to blind oneself from the past, to forget the pain associated with the loved one. Yet, there’s an acknowledgment of the struggle to truly let go, hinted by the contradiction in “You’re not so hard to forget / With all the lights out.”
The imagery continues to evolve with lines like “You’re a void, a crack in the mirror.” This metaphorically represents how the protagonist views the other person as a void, an absence that once filled their life, and now only reflects a fractured image of themselves. The act of slipping through the night and walking out skin tight could imply an escape, moving on but still feeling the grip of the past, symbolized by the “skin tight” — a fitting metaphor for something that’s hard to shed.
By the repeated affirmation, “No, you don’t matter that much to me,” amidst the powerful instrumentation, there’s a palpable struggle between the mind’s attempts at indifference and the heart’s deep-seated scars. The repetition of the chorus, insisting on turning the lights out, amplifies the desire to obliterate the pain through denial and forced forgetfulness. However, the persistent mention of the burning red eyes betrays an ongoing battle, indicating that true detachment and healing haven’t been achieved.
In essence, “Lights Out” by Royal Blood is a thunderous anthem of emotional turmoil, echoing the chaos of trying to extinguish the lingering effects of a harmful relationship. Through its punchy beats and poignant lyrics, the song captures the universal struggle of moving on, painting a vivid picture of the fight between holding on and letting go, all under the metaphorical darkness where one seeks solace from the painful echoes of the past.
