Songfacts®:

• Born from the depths of Foy Vance's darkest days, this song emerged as a beacon of solace and inspiration. It serves as his guiding light through those tough times, illuminating the path out of adversity.
  
  "When I wrote 'Guiding Light' I was feeling lost in my life due to a loss of family, friendships and reason," said Vance. "The music lit up the darkness. Melody reminded me to keep going no matter how long the road or how pointless it seemed."
  
  "'Guiding Light' is the person or the thing that brings you back to a safe space, somewhere to lick your wounds and convalesce."
• Foy Vance's friend Ed Sheeran sings the second verse. Vance was one of the support acts for Sheeran's UK tour, and Sheeran would always finish his set with "Guiding Light."
  
  Vance went on to support Sheeran on the US leg of his tour. Since then, Sheeran has been a significant influence and supporter of Vance's career. In 2015, he signed the Northern Irish musician to his record label, Gingerbread Man Records, which has helped Vance gain more exposure and opportunities.
• "Guiding Light" is the closing track of Vance's second album, Joy of Nothing. The record was inspired by the North Irishman's move to the isolation of the Scottish Highlands.
• Foy Vance and Ed Sheeran sang "Guiding Light" at the funeral of Derry community leader John McDaid; the pair are close to his son, Snow Patrol musician Johnny McDaid. McDaid's family wrote the lyrics in Old Irish on John McDaid's gravestone.
• Johnny McDaid has a tattoo on his left arm reading "Nuair is gá dom filleadh abhaile, is tú mo réalt eolais" ("When I need to get home you're my guiding light"), a Gaelic translation of Vance's "Guiding Light," as does McDaid's younger sister Maev.
  
  Sheeran and Vance also have the same tattoo. "Ed said we should each get this 'Guiding Light' tattoo, written in Gaelic," Vance recalled to The Independent. "So one afternoon in Pittsburgh, we took the afternoon off and found a tattooist: I wrote out Ed's and he wrote out mine. That's when I realized, it's become a bit of a bromance."
• Foy Vance released a new version of "Guiding Light" on November 17, 2023. He re-recorded the song with his longtime friend Ed Sheeran along with Elton John and Keith Urban in celebration of its 10th anniversary. Elton John has long-championed Vance, and country superstar Keith Urban has written with the Irish singer and covered his 2016 song "Burden."
• "Guiding Light" is one of Urban's all-time favorite songs, so when he got the call to take part, it was a no brainer. "To be on the song period is incredible because it's such a beautiful song," he said. "It's more of a hymn - it captures all of the beauty and the struggle and everything that it is to be a spiritual being having a human experience. I think this song captures it. So it was an immediate yes from me to be a part of it."
• The anniversary edition of "Guiding Light" was recorded at Anderson East's studio in Nashville with Johnny McDaid in the producer's chair. It features vocals from a backing choir comprising Anderson East, Patrick Droney, Devin Dawson, Bonnie Bishop, Lisa Gray, Etta Britt, Bob Britt, Josh Lovelace, Seth Bolt, Tyler Burkum, Randall Harris and Needtobreathe's Bear Rinehart.