{"id":3899,"date":"2026-07-13T16:28:04","date_gmt":"2026-07-13T20:28:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.songfacts.com\/articles\/?p=3899"},"modified":"2026-07-14T10:10:42","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T14:10:42","slug":"the-meaning-behind-lights-by-ellie-goulding-and-overcoming-a-fear-of-the-dark","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.songfacts.com\/articles\/the-meaning-behind-lights-by-ellie-goulding-and-overcoming-a-fear-of-the-dark\/","title":{"rendered":"The Meaning Behind \u201cLights\u201d by Ellie Goulding and Overcoming a Fear of the Dark"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>\u201cLights\u201d appears on the reissued version of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.songfacts.com\/facts\/ellie-goulding\">Ellie Goulding<\/a>\u2019s 2010 debut, <em>Bright Lights<\/em>. Though the initial LP is called <em>Lights<\/em>, the illuminated version and its included hit offer a peek inside the English singer\u2019s gripping fears. However, \u201cLights\u201d does more than document childhood panic. It offers Goulding a kind of North Star for overcoming her anxiety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Not Sleeping Now<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Ellie Goulding - Lights (Official Video)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/0NKUpo_xKyQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Goulding sings about a fear of the dark. Anxiety is a powerful thing that remains a strong enough force to override evolution\u2019s circadian rhythm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the opening verse, she recalls her childhood and how she couldn\u2019t sleep when the lights were turned off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>I had a way then,<br>Losing it all on my own.<br>I had a heart then,<br>But the queen has been overthrown.<br>And I\u2019m not sleeping now,<br>The dark is too hard to beat.<br>And I\u2019m not keeping now,<br>The strength I need to push me<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She wrote the song with Richard \u201cBiff\u201d Stannard, who is part of a production team called Biffco. Their credits include Goulding, Kylie Minogue, One Direction, and The Spice Girls, among others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Meanwhile, the only remedy for Goulding\u2019s fear of the dark is a partner. What we can\u2019t see is just a different kind of unknown. And with someone else, it feels less scary. Just the sound of one\u2019s voice or mere presence may be enough to survive the shadows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>You show the lights that stop me, turn to stone,<br>You shine it when I\u2019m alone.<br>And so I tell myself that I\u2019ll be strong,<br>And dreaming when they\u2019re gone.<br>\u2019Cause they\u2019re calling, calling, calling me home,<br>Calling, calling, calling home.<br>You show the lights that stop me, turn to stone,<br>You shine it when I\u2019m alone<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>An Unlocked Place<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Here, Goulding recalls a safe place in her childhood with her siblings. Perhaps this reveals that the dark isn\u2019t what she fears; it\u2019s the fear of being alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Noises, I play within my head,<br>Touch my own skin.<br>And hope that I\u2019m still breathing,<br>And I think back to when.<br>My brother and my sister slept,<br>In an unlocked place.<br>The only time I feel safe<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Photo by Chiaki Nozu\/WireImage<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cLights\u201d does more than document childhood panic. It offers Ellie Goulding a kind of North Star for overcoming her anxiety.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":973477,"featured_media":3901,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"byline":{"profiles":[{"type":"byline_id","atts":{"term_id":316,"post_id":2139}}]},"savage_platform_role_ideator":[],"savage_platform_role_editor":[],"savage_platform_role_senior_editor":[],"savage_platform_role_photographer":[],"savage_platform_role_illustrator":[],"savage_platform_role_translator":[],"savage_platform_role_as-told-to":[],"savage_platform_role_reviewed-by":[],"savage_platform_disable_recirculation":false,"savage_platform_article_type":"news","savage_platform_vice_article_type":"article","savage_platform_article_intent":"","savage_platform_show_affiliate_disclaimer":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"wp_curate_deduplication":false,"wp_curate_unique_pinned_posts":false,"savage_platform_featured_image_caption":"Photo by Chiaki Nozu\/WireImage","_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"savage_platform_subheadline":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[436,36],"byline":[316],"class_list":["post-3899","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","tag-ellie-goulding","tag-pop-music"],"savage_platform_primary_term":{"category":{"term_name":"Features","term_id":12,"term_link":"https:\/\/www.songfacts.com\/articles\/category\/features\/"},"post_tag":{"term_name":"Ellie Goulding","term_id":436,"term_link":"https:\/\/www.songfacts.com\/articles\/tag\/ellie-goulding\/"}},"hide_from_homepage":false,"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The Meaning Behind \u201cLights\u201d by Ellie Goulding and Overcoming a Fear of the Dark - Songfacts Articles<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"\u201cLights\u201d does more than document childhood panic. 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