"The Light" is the second single from Common's 2000 album Like Water for Chocolate. It was produced by Jay Dee and features keyboards performed by James Poyser. It samples "Open Your Eyes" as performed by Bobby Caldwell and the drums from "You're Gettin' a Little Too Smart" by the Detroit Emeralds. Framed as a love letter, it is a confession of Common's love for a woman – specifically, his girlfriend at the time, Erykah Badu (in 2012, Common acknowledged in a video for RapGenius that the song was about her ). "The Light" is Common's first single to chart on the Billboard Hot 100, where it peaked at No. 44. In 2024, Common explained to Drink Champs that his "Digga-da, digga-da, digga-da, digga-digga-da-da" ad lib was a placeholder. He wasn't able to find anything else to fill it and left it in.

Chart performance

After the release of Like Water for Chocolate, the song almost immediately attained the status of one of hip hop's few "precious" love songs and women's anthems. The song gave Common his best chart positions in the US. It peaked at No. 44 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 21 on the Rhythmic Top 40 chart and No. 12 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart. Additionally, it reached No. 13 on the Hot Rap Singles chart, a feat that Common had previously surpassed.

Reception

AllMusic writer Steve Huey said that "The Light" as well as "The 6th Sense" are "quintessential Common, uplifting and thoughtful [songs that] helped bring him a whole new audience." Cynthia Fuchs of PopMatters described it as a "charming, tender, and undeniably soulful declaration of affection and respect." The music video (directed by Nzingha Stewart) features Common, Erykah Badu and "recognizable sensual delights" including "a homemade Minnie Riperton cassette, a mango, a pink lava lamp [and] a deeply green water-beaded leaf." The song was listed at number 268 on Pitchfork Media's "Top 500 songs of the 2000s". The song received a 2001 Grammy Award nomination for Best Rap Solo Performance.

Alternate versions

Track listings

US version

A-side

B-side

Import

A-side

B-side

Remix

A-side

B-side

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts