Light It Up

Maggie Rogers with "Light On"

In a Twitter post last month, Maggie Rogers spoke about the meaning behind this song, her most recent single. “This is a song about gratitude… how overwhelmed + scared I was during all that change, but mostly about all the light [my fans] gave me when I couldn’t always find it for myself.” Great song. Keep spreading the light, Maggie.

Parliament with "Flash Light"

To the younger crowd, the flash light is a ubiquitous app found in every pocket on every phone. But, to the crowd born before Y2K, flash lights call to mind clunky twist off tops and heavy, fast-draining C batteries. We’re pretty sure that Parliament wasn’t thinking about either of those things when they wrote this 1978 hit, off the album Funkentelechy Vs. the Placebo Syndrome.

John Mayer with "New Light"

We’re partial to all things John Mayer (he rocked Custom Fort Knocks at his 40th birthday party in Brazil), and this song is a natural fit for this month’s light-themed Knockmix. But what really inspired us to include this song on our list was the video… watch it and you’ll see what we mean.

Ellie Goulding with "Lights"

Lots of kids are scared of the dark, and Ellie Goulding was no exception. In several interviews she has explained how her childhood fear (which is still with her today) inspired this hit single. Nyctophobia, or severe fear of the dark, is triggered by the brain’s disfigured perception of what would, or could happen when in a dark environment. We’ll leave the lights on for you, Ellie.

Journey with "Lights"

It’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey. However, in the case of this Knockmix selection, Journey is actually singing about a destination: their “city by the bay” (ie. San Francisco, with the lights turned down low.)

Common with "The Light"

“If heaven had a height you would be that tall.” What a beautiful lyric. We now know this song was written for Common’s girlfriend at the time, Erykah Badu. Makes sense.

Todd Rundgren with "I Saw the Light"

Sometimes it’s better to assemble a great team, but sometimes it’s better to go it alone. Todd Rundgren went with the latter: not only did he write and sing this 1972 hit single… he also produced it and played all the instruments on the track.

Lauryn Hill ft. Bob Marley with "Turn Your Lights Down Low"

Did you know, “Turn Your Lights Down Low” was the only song on Side B of Bob Marley & The Wailers 1977 album, Exodus, that was not released as a single. Lauryn Hill’s remixed, remastered version (featured here) stays true to the original while incorporating the spoken word that Hill became famous for in the 90’s.

Manfred Mann with "Blinded By The Light”

If Knockaround was around back in the 70’s, we think this song might have been titled “Protected From The Light”. But, all kidding aside, here’s the deal: thanks to Knockaround, there’s absolutely no reason to be blinded by the light. You don't even have to squint. Head to Knockaround.com to get a great pair of shades, with full UV400 protection, for about $20.

The Doors with "Light My Fire"

Coming in at a whopping 7 minutes and 9 seconds, “Light My Fire” highlights Jim Morrison’s unmistakable spooky tenor and the notion that the right significant other can always invigorate a passion within. C'mon baby. Light my fire.

BONUS: Heavy D & The Boyz with "Black Coffee”

Sure, the opposite of “light” is “dark”. But the other opposite of “light” is “heavy”. That got us thinking about the 90’s hip-hop artists, Heavy D & The Boyz. We started playing their hits and got hung up on one… “Black Coffee”?! More like Black Friday! See y’all in a couple weeks!