About “Ultralight Beam”

“Ultralight Beam” is about Kanye’s faith in God. This track establishes strong parallels for The Life of Pablo with the life of Saint Paul the Apostle. Paul (Saul at the time) was blinded by a light beam from Heaven as he was journeying to Damascus to persecute Christians. He remained sightless for three days before regaining his sight and dedicating his life to serving the Lord. He has been credited with writing 13 of the 27 books of the New Testament and is considered one of the most influential figures in the early church. His writings dictated much of Christian theology and doctrine post-Resurrection.

The track features pentecostal-type chants and prayers, as well as heavy Gospel influences, including a prominent feature by preacher and Gospel artist Pastor Kirk Franklin. Kanye proclaimed this album as a Gospel album a month before its release:

Pastor Kirk Franklin described Kanye as “his brother” and preached that although Kanye has made mistakes, everyone is equal in the eyes of God. This is similar to the teachings of Paul.

An extended version of the prayer in the outro was released on March 27th, 2016 titled “Ultralight Prayer”.

Kanye’s use of a church choir is reminiscent of earlier songs such as The College Dropout’s “Two Words” and “Never Let Me Down.”

Lights are a recurring motif in Kanye’s songs, both in titles and running throughout the lyrics. The ways that light can expose, reveal, blind, disorient, focus attention (or detract from something else) is most obvious in “All of the Lights” but can be found in every album.

This song was nominated for “Best Rap Song” and “Best Rap/Sung Performance at the 2017 Grammys.