Do You See the Light (Looking For)

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"Do You See the Light (Looking For)"
Single by Snap! featuring Niki Haris
Released10 May 1993 (1993-05-10)
GenreEurodance
Length4:09
Label
Songwriter(s)
  • John "Virgo" Garrett III
  • Benito Benites
  • Niki Haris
Producer(s)Snap!
Snap! singles chronology
"Exterminate!"
(1992) 		"Do You See the Light (Looking For)"
(1993) 		"Welcome to Tomorrow (Are You Ready?)"
(1994)
Music video
"Do You See the Light (Looking For)" on YouTube

"Do You See the Light (Looking For)" is a song by German Eurodance group Snap!, released in May 1993 by Logic and BMG Ariola as the fourth and final single from their second studio album, The Madman's Return (1992). It features American singer Niki Haris, who also is credited for co-writing it. The song received positive rewiews from music critics, many of them were comparing it to the work of Giorgio Moroder. "Do You See the Light (Looking For)" reached number one in Finland, while peaking within the top 10 in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Ireland, Netherlands, Switzerland and the UK. On MTV Europe, its accompanying music video received heavy rotation.[1]

Background and release[edit]

The original version of the song "See the Light" features vocals by American singer Thea Austin, a rap by former frontman Turbo B, and can be found on the 1992 Snap! album, The Madman's Return. Female vocals of this version of the song are often mistakenly reported to be by Penny Ford, a previous vocalist for Snap!. Remixes of "See the Light" were included on Snap!'s 1992 release "Rhythm Is a Dancer", which also feature vocals by Thea Austin.

This song is essentially a remix of their original song, "See the Light" with new lyrics written for the new front-woman Niki Haris, released in June 1993. "Do You See the Light (Snap! vs Plaything)", another remix, was released in August 2002.

Chart performance[edit]

"Do You See the Light (Looking For)" was a hit on the charts in Europe, becoming one of the group's more successful songs. It peaked at number one in Finland,[2] and entered the top 10 in Austria (8),[3] Flemish Belgium (5),[4] Denmark (9),[5] Ireland (9),[6] the Netherlands (9),[7] Switzerland (10),[8] and the United Kingdom. In the latter, the single peaked at number ten during its first week on the UK Singles Chart on 6 June 1993,[9] and stayed within the chart for eight weeks. Additionally, it was a top-20 hit in Germany (13), Italy (12),[10] and Sweden (20), and a top-40 hit in France (40). In the group's native Germany, the song peaked at the same position for three weeks, after entering the German Top 100 singles chart three weeks earlier, at number 93. It spent a total of 17 weeks inside the chart. On the Eurochart Hot 100, "Do You See the Light (Looking For)" reached number nine on 26 June,[11] having debuted on the chart four weeks earlier, at number 94, after charting in Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands.[12] On the European Dance Radio Chart, it reached number three same week.[13] Elsewhere, the single peaked at number 86 in Australia.[14]

Critical reception[edit]

In his review of the song, Larry Flick from Billboard felt that "someone has clearly been listening very carefully to those great old Giorgio Moroder records. Syncopated synth rhythms à la "The Chase" are plentiful on this bracing, rave-friendly romp."[15] Arion Berger from Entertainment Weekly praised it as the album’s "finest moment", describing it as "lilting" and "as lush as Soul II Soul's best work, and even the sequences of mush-mouthed rapping can't dull its gloss."[16] Music writer and columnist James Masterton stated, "With a bassline reminiscent of "I Feel Love" it is already a club smash".[17] The Stud Brothers from Melody Maker also viewed the melody and beat as "an unabashed rip-off" of "I Feel Love", noting its "jubilant lyrics".[18] Pan-European magazine Music & Media found that "this eagerly anticipated successor to the hugely successful "Exterminate!" is a bit different from previous efforts, mainly because it's somewhat ambient. It's extremely recognisable, though, and with a liberal dash of Giorgio Moroder era Donna Summer, it's likely to do very well on both the dancefloor and the airwaves."[19]

Alan Jones from Music Week rated the track four out of five, naming it Pick of the Week. He complimented the new singer, Niki Haris, that "has settled in extraordinary well", and described it as "another typically tense and NRG-etically smacking workout (shades of Giorgio Moroder abound), with enough melody in the haunting title refrain to make it another winner over the store counter as well as on the nation's dancefloors."[20] Ian McCann from NME wrote, "The music, sampling what sounds suspiciously like Frankie's 'Two Tribes', is not so much modern dance as an attempted revival of the '70s Euro disco of Giorgio Moroder, minus the subtlety."[21] Tim Jeffery from the Record Mirror Dance Update commented, "Introed by a very pop vocal and launching into a throbbing Hi-NRG grove, this is more commercial than their normal material. The production is a little lightweight, with the emphasis more on the melody than the bass and rhythm." He added, "Sure to be a chart hit, but not so big in the clubs as "Rhythm Is a Dancer"."[22] Siân Pattenden from Smash Hits gave "Do You See the Light (Looking For)" three out of five, describing it as "a Hi-NRG disco-type thing with no stupid rhymes."[23]

Music video[edit]

A music video was produced to promote the single, featuring Niki Haris. It is composed of a series of scenes of nature, opening with a desert landscape in sunrise. As the day continues, clouds are moving through the sky. In the middle of the picture is a constant golden frame, where Harris performs in. It appears throughout the whole video and she is surrounded by many lit candles. As the video ends, the sun goes down over the desert again.[24] It received heavy rotation on MTV Europe[1] and was later made available on Snap!'s official YouTube channel in 2011.

Track listings[edit]

Charts[edit]

Release history[edit]

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
Europe 10 May 1993
  • 7-inch vinyl
  • CD
[27]
United Kingdom 1 June 1993
  • 7-inch vinyl
  • 12-inch vinyl
  • CD
  • cassette
 Logic [38]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Station Reports > MTV Europe/London" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 26. 26 June 1993. p. 24. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  2. ^ a b Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin - levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 9789511210535.
  3. ^ a b "Snap! feat. Niki Haris – Do You See The Light (Looking For)" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  4. ^ a b "Snap! feat. Niki Haris – Do You See The Light (Looking For)" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  5. ^ a b "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 25. 19 June 1993. p. 20. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
  6. ^ a b Irish Single Chart Irishcharts.ie Archived 9 June 2009 at the Wayback Machine (Retrieved 2 August 2008)
  7. ^ a b "Nederlandse Top 40 – Snap! feat. Niki Haris" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  8. ^ a b "Snap! feat. Niki Haris – Do You See The Light (Looking For)". Swiss Singles Chart.
  9. ^ a b "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  10. ^ a b "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 29 May 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Snap".
  11. ^ a b "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 26. 26 June 1993. p. 27. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  12. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 23. 5 June 1993. p. 19. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  13. ^ a b "European Dance Radio Top 25" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 26. 26 June 1993. p. 24. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
  14. ^ a b "Response from ARIA re: chart inquiry, received 15 July 2015". Imgur.com. Archived from the original on 16 July 2015. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
  15. ^ Flick, Larry (31 July 1993). "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  16. ^ Berger, Arion (15 May 1992). "The Madman's Return". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
  17. ^ Masterton, James (6 June 1993). "Week Ending June 12th 1993". Chart Watch UK. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  18. ^ The Stud Brothers (29 May 1993). "Singles". Melody Maker. p. 32. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
  19. ^ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 22. 29 May 1993. p. 11. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
  20. ^ Jones, Alan (29 May 1993). "Market Preview: Mainstream - Singles - Pick of the Week" (PDF). Music Week. p. 11. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  21. ^ McCann, Ian (29 May 1993). "Singles". NME. p. 18. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
  22. ^ Jeffery, Tim (15 May 1993). "Hot Vinyl Buzzing" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental insert). p. 6. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  23. ^ Pattenden, Siân (9 June 1993). "New Singles". Smash Hits. p. 50. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
  24. ^ "Snap! - Do You See the Light (Looking For) [feat. Niki Haris] (Official Video)". YouTube. 5 May 2011. Archived from the original on 20 December 2021. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  25. ^ "EHR Top 40" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 27. 3 July 1993. p. 38. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  26. ^ "Snap! feat. Niki Haris – Do You See The Light (Looking For)" (in French). Les classement single.
  27. ^ a b "Snap! feat. Niki Haris – Do You See The Light (Looking For)" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
  28. ^ "Snap! feat. Niki Haris – Do You See The Light (Looking For)" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  29. ^ "Snap! feat. Niki Haris – Do You See The Light (Looking For)". Singles Top 100.
  30. ^ "Top 60 Dance Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 12 June 1993. p. 22. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  31. ^ "The RM Club Chart" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). 5 June 1993. p. 4. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  32. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1993" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
  33. ^ "1993 Year-End Sales Charts: Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 51/52. 18 December 1993. p. 15. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  34. ^ "Top 100 Singles – Jahrescharts 1993" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  35. ^ "Jaarlijsten 1993" (in Dutch). Stichting Nederlandse Top 40. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  36. ^ "Jaaroverzichten - Single 1993". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
  37. ^ "Top 100 Singles 1993" (PDF). Music Week. 15 January 1994. p. 24. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  38. ^ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. 29 May 1993. p. 23.
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