Lover of the Light

Album: Babel (2012)
Charted: 97
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This boisterous bluegrass banger has been a regular in Mumford & Sons' live sets since early 2010. Keyboard player Ben Lovett told NME: "With Lover of the Light, people would say to us, 'Oh, I can't wait to hear that chorus on record.' But what they really meant by that is they can't wait to hear what they've already heard. But the songs gradually change - we push them into places that feel right for the four of us."
  • The song's music video was filmed in Wales. It stars and was directed by British actor Idris Elba, who is best known for playing Russell "Stringer" Bell in HBO's The Wire and the titular character in the BBC's mini-series Luther, for which he won a Golden Globe in 2012.

    The band do not feature in the clip at all, which was something they were happy about. "We met him (Elba) in a pub in London, and we had a chat, and talked about doing something that was, as a music video, very different from anything we've done before," Marcus Mumford told MTV News. "Firstly, we wouldn't be in it, which is a real relief to us, and secondly, it would be kind of observational, rather than narrative. Some people don't really understand it, which is great, because all that we do is very understandable ... so it's nice to have something that's a little more challenging to understand."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Mick Jones of Foreigner

Mick Jones of ForeignerSongwriter Interviews

Foreigner's songwriter/guitarist tells the stories behind the songs "Juke Box Hero," "I Want To Know What Love Is," and many more.

Colin Hay

Colin HaySongwriter Interviews

Established as a redoubtable singer-songwriter, the Men At Work frontman explains how religion, sobriety and Jack Nicholson play into his songwriting.

90s Metal

90s MetalFact or Fiction

Test your metal - Priest, Maiden, and Beavis and Butt-head show up in this one.

Psychedelic Lyrics

Psychedelic LyricsMusic Quiz

Whoa man! Do you know which band came up with these cosmic lyrics?

Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat World

Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat WorldSongwriter Interviews

Jim talks about the impact of "The Middle" and uses a tree metaphor to describe his songwriting philosophy.

Rob Halford of Judas Priest

Rob Halford of Judas PriestSongwriter Interviews

Rob Halford dives into some of his Judas Priest lyrics, talking about his most personal songs and the message behind "You've Got Another Thing Comin'."