Light & Night

Light & Night
TurnTheLightsOffPlaceholder.jpg
Written by Rob Cantor, Zubin Sedghi, Andrew Horowitz, Ross Federman
Appears on The Magician’s Elephant book MP3 Download Code, Admittedly Incomplete Demos, Turn The Lights Off, Good & Evil (pre-gap track on 2022 reissue)
Sung by Rob Cantor, Nellie McKay
Genre Rock
Language English
Links: YouTube
Bandcamp
Demo (Bandcamp)


Light & Night is a song written by Rob Cantor, Zubin Sedghi, Andrew Horowitz, and Ross Federman.[1] It features Nellie McKay and was released on September 8th/9th 2009 as a free download from http://mp3.walmart.com/elephant with the purchase of Kate DiCamillo’s book The Magician’s Elephant.

As of now, it is available on the Turn The Lights Off single and as the pre-gap track on Needlejuice Records' reissue of Good & Evil.

History

On August 12th 2009, Andrew would report they would be heading into the studio with a female singer to record a new song, and that it would release in the fall of 2009.[2]

In a December 2009 interview with Hiddeninthesand.com, Rob Cantor explains the band was approached to write the song for the book which was soon to be released. After reading the manuscript and deciding they had the time to do it, they wrote the song[3] and it would be demoed by solely Rob on piano.[4] They sent it to Nellie McKay and she agreed to sing on co-lead vocals on it.

A demo of Light & Night was released on Admittedly Incomplete Demos on December 15th 2015.[4]

Light & Night was released as part of the companion 7" Turn The Lights Off single on August 26th 2022, alongside Needlejuice's reissue of Good & Evil.[5] This would be the first time the track was released in lossless quality.

Trivia

  • Light & Night was written by 4 members of the band, making it one of their most cooperatively written songs to date.
  • It was discovered that the inside flap of each book provided the same code and webpage to enter the code. Essentially, there was no purchase necessary to get the song. The song was available up until March 31st, 2010 at http://mp3.walmart.com/elephant


Lyrics

These are currently unofficial lyrics, transcribed by the fans.

ROB:
We ought to leave a light on, leave a light on underneath the moon
Sitting in the sight of every eye, I believe in you
Open your window look out and see me
Slow I am coming a long way to be

NELLIE: 
An accidental light on, such as I am, by the lonely sun
Ever is the light on, is the light on, ever meant to run
Cold but I'm outside and waiting to see
Glow in the snow coming closer to me

BOTH:
Tonight I'm arriving alive and alight
Tonight all the black and the gray and the white
And I want to be like you are the one light
I want to see your eyes looking back and into mine

NELLIE:
Better when the light comes in the night time opening the door
Hoping to be right, it's open every night 
So whatcha waiting for?

BOTH:
Open your window look out and see me
Slow I am coming a long way to be

Tonight I'm arriving alive and alight
Tonight all the black and the gray and the white
And I want to be like you are the one light
I want to see your eyes looking back and into mine

ROB:
Something is real, maybe not
Something is gone
Something is here, only thought
All that you want 
Everything else will follow

BOTH:
Tonight I'm arriving alive and alight
Tonight all the black and the gray and the white
And I want to be like you are the one light
I want to see your eyes looking back and into mine

Demo Lyrics

We ought to leave a light on, leave a light on underneath the moon
Sitting in the sight of every eye, I believe in you
Open your window, look out and see me
Slow though I'm coming a long way to be

An accidental light on
Such as I am, mother's only son
Ever is the light on, is the light on
Ever meant to run

Cold out, you're outside I'm waiting to see
Glow in the snow coming closer to me

Tonight I'm arriving alive and alight
The left and the right is too gray in the night
And I want to be like you are the one bright
I want to see eyes

A-better when the light comes in the night I'm opening the door
Hoping to be right, it's open every night
So whatcha waiting for?

Open your window look out and see me
Slow though I'm coming a long way to be

Tonight I'm arriving alive and alight
The left and the right is too gray in the night
And I want to be like you are the one bright
I want to see eyes

Tonight I'm arriving alive and alight
The left and the right is too gray in the night
And I want to be like you are the one bright
I want to see eyes

Tabs/Chords

Nothing here yet!

Personnel

Music & Lyrics: Rob Cantor, Zubin Sedghi, Ross Federman, Andrew Horowitz

Studio Version

Produced by Andrew Horowitz
Vocals: Rob Cantor, Nellie McKay
Additional Vocals: Zubin Sedghi
Electric & Acoustic Guitar: Rob Cantor, Joe Hawley(?)
Piano & Keyboards: Andrew Horowitz
Drum Kit & Percussion: Ross Federman
Bass: Zubin Sedghi

Demo Version

Vocals: Rob Cantor
Piano: Rob Cantor(?)

References

  1. ASCAP database entry for Light and Night
  2. Andrew Horowitz tweet
  3. Hiddeninthesand.com's Ultimate Interview with Tally Hall which took place on December 14th, 2009
  4. 4.0 4.1 Light & Night (Demo). Bandcamp
  5. https://needlejuice.bandcamp.com/album/turn-the-lights-off Turn The Lights Off (Single). Tally Hall. Bandcamp. Released August 26th 2022. Needlejuice Records
Good & Evil
 

* indicates tracks only available in the 2022 CD rerelease

Admittedly Incomplete Demos
 

1. Another Minute (Live at the Frieze Basement, December 2002)
2. Mobile Phone Premonition (Live at the Frieze Basement, December 2002)
3. Welcome to Tally Hall (Acoustic Demo)
4. Marvin's SFX - Bohemian Rhapsody (Sample)
5. Banana Man (Lounge Version)
6. Blind Pig Introduction (January 2008)
7. Spring and a Storm (Original Demo feat. Ryan Scott)
8. Two Wuv (Alternate Bridges)
9. The Whole World and You (Punk Rehearsal)
10. Just a Friend
11. Songy Song
12. Keep Up The Good Work! Theme
13. Sea Cucumber (Demo)
14. Tally Hall's Internet Show Theme
15. Spiced Rum Commercial (Demo)
16. You & Me (Zubin Lead Vocal Rehearsal)
17. Cannibal (Demo)
18. Who You Are (Demo)
19. Sacred Beast (Demo)
20. Hymn For A Scarecrow (Demo)*
21. A Lady (Demo)
22. The Trap (Demo)
23. Turn the Lights Off (Alternate Bridge)
24. Out in the Twilight (Demo)
25. Fate of the Stars (Demo)
26. Light & Night (Demo)
27. Love Track (Rehearsal)
28. Go (Demo)
29. Color Be Gone (Demo)
30. The Minstrel Boy
31. Welcome To Tally Hall (Reprise) (Demo)*

* indicates tracks added on April 15th, 2022

Singles
Banana Man (Demo) · Ruler Of Everything (Demo) · Good Day · Welcome To Tally Hall · Light & Night · You & Me · & · Nathan Naimark · Club Can't Handle Me (featuring Casey Shea) · Just a Friend · Turn The Lights Off (b-side: Light & Night)