Songfacts®:

• Gary Clark Jr. penned this song "about hanging out in New York City." He explained to Artist Direct: "I think it was the second time I've been there. I was running around with some friends. I'm from Austin, Texas, and it's a little slower-paced of a city. Being caught up in that energy, it's exciting, new, and loud. There are billboards everywhere, and it's something I'm not used to seeing all the time. It's basically the experience of what I saw."
• "Bright Lights" first appeared on Clark's 2010 EP Gary Clark Jr., released on his own label. Clark's reputation grew, and that same year he was invited to play the Crossroads Guitar Festival, and event organized by Eric Clapton as a benefit for his Crossroads rehab center. Clark wowed the crowd with his performance of this song; he stayed on stage for two more numbers, joined by Clapton, Sheryl Crow, Susan Tedeschi, and Doyle Bramhall II. Soon after, Warner Bros. signed him. His first release on the label was Blak and Blu in 2012, which included "Bright Lights" on the track list.
• This soundtracked a 2011 Jack Daniel's commercial.