About “All of the Lights”

“All of the Lights” is the 4th single from Kanye West’s 5th studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.

The song is about Kanye’s qualms living as a celebrity with personal problems in the public eye. He conveys this through the image of lights and the story of a troubled family – domestic abuse, imprisonment, separation/divorce etc. The song serves as a literal story of troubles in the home, and also as a metaphor for Kanye’s struggles with fame and his relation to hip-hop.

Although the song has contributions from 14 other renowned artists (including Drake, Alicia Keys, John Legend, and more), they are listed as additional vocalists in the liner notes. Rihanna is solely credited as the featured artist on the single.

After its release, Kanye said that he had worked for over 2 years on the song, working with many other artists because he just couldn’t find the one.