Shining Light
by Ash

Album: Free All Angels (2001)
Charted: 8
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Ash is a Northern Irish rock band. This song was written about frontman Tim Wheeler's now ex-girlfriend Audrey. As he was driving home one night, the tune and line "Yeah you are a shining light" came into his head. Wheeler raced home and wrote the song straight away using his acoustic guitar.
  • This won the award for Best Contemporary Song at the 2001 Ivor Novello Awards and Best Single at the 2002 Irish Music Awards.
  • This was the closing song in the final episode of the sci-fi series Roswell in 2002.
  • Among the artists to cover this song are Coldplay and Annie Lennox. For Lennox, it was one of two new tracks on her 2009 The Annie Lennox Collection.
  • Bass player Mark Hamilton recalled on Ash's website the song's promo, which was directed by Darren Tiernan: "In the video Tim went through David Blaine style torture as he was submerged for the guts of a day in this water tank. He encounters some form of mermaid as he swims up from the dark abyss towards a bright, shining light. As if in a coma he reaches the surface to awake in a hospital bed, while the rest of Ash look on wondering why they were called at 5am for this video shoot!"
  • This song brought Ash back to the UK Top 10 for the first time since 1997. "'Shining Light' saved our career and really set us up for good," Tim Wheeler told Louder. "I knew we needed to come up with a really big song to get ourselves back on track and I spent a long time writing trying to find that song. The night I wrote it, I was really excited, I got the guys round the next day and they loved it too."

Comments: 1

  • Bryan from Melbourne, AustraliaInstead of a funeral, when I die my instructions are to instead send everyone who was important to me during my lifetime a copy of the Free All Angels album, specifically for this song. I want them to play it loud and often.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Lip-Synch Rebels

Lip-Synch RebelsSong Writing

What happens when Kurt Cobain, Iron Maiden and Johnny Lydon are told to lip-synch? Some hilarious "performances."

Kim Thayil of Soundgarden

Kim Thayil of SoundgardenSongwriter Interviews

Their frontman (Chris Cornell) started out as their drummer, so Soundgarden takes a linear approach when it comes to songwriting. Kim explains how they do it.

The Fratellis

The FratellisSongwriter Interviews

Jon Fratelli talks about the band's third album, and the five-year break leading up to it.

Tony Banks of Genesis

Tony Banks of GenesisSongwriter Interviews

Genesis' key-man re-examines his solo career and the early days of music video.

History Of Rock

History Of RockSong Writing

An interview with Dr. John Covach, music professor at the University of Rochester whose free online courses have become wildly popular.

Michael W. Smith

Michael W. SmithSongwriter Interviews

Smith breaks down some of his worship tracks as well as his mainstream hits, including "I Will Be Here For You" and "A Place In This World."