For all of his pop-culture missteps and interrupting of Taylor Swift at the 2009 MTV VMAs, one thing is consistently overlooked: Kanye West is a musical genius.
Consider that while Flashing Lights was released November 16th, 2007, and as part of the album Gradulation, it's still one of the most-played nightclub songs in the World.
Indeed, it has been used for the Ciroc Vodka commercials, and in several video games. Pitchfork called it the "fifty-second best song of the entire decade." Pitchfork's Ryan Dombal wrote:
It's classic Kanye-- self-possessed, superfluously art-ridden, probably too clever by half. In Kanye's post-everything museum, da Vinci sidles up next to a bust of Julius; a Karen O-repping blog post follows one dedicated to 10-ft. tall "Chewing Gum Sculptures"; Parisian house mingles with stadium hip-hop. "But what do I know?" goes the hook, pop-pushing curiosity still intact
Flashing Lights is the result of a collaboration between Dwele with additional vocals provided by Connie Mitchell of Sneaky Sound System, an Australian electronic group. Mitchell said that while she had reservations about Hip-Hop, and had not known of West at the time, collaborating with him on Flashing Lights changed her mind about it.
Here are the lyrics:
Flashing lights, lights
Flashing lights, lights
Flashing lights, lights
Flashing lights, lights
[Kanye West]
She don't believe in shootin' stars,
but she believe in shoes & cars
Wood floors in the new apartment,
couture from the store's department
You more like L'eau de Stardee shit,
I'm more of the, trips to Florida
Order the h'orderves, views of the Water
Straight from the page of your favorite author
And the weather so breezy,
man why can't life always be this easy
She in the mirror dancing so sleazy,
I get a call like where are you Yeezy
Try to hit you with a 'Oeur de Whopee'
Till I get flashed by the paparazzi
Damn, these nigga's got me,
I hate these nigga's more than the Nazis
[Dwele]
As I recall, I know you love to show off
But I never thought that you would take it this far
What do I know? Flashing lights, lights
What do I know? Flashing lights, lights
[Kanye West]
I know it's been a while,
Sweetheart, we hard-ly talk, I was doing my thing
(From: http://www.elyrics.net/read/k/kanye-west-lyrics/flashing-lights-lyrics.html)
I know I was foul bay-bay,
a-bay late-ly you been all on my brain,
And if somebody would've told me a month ago
Fronting though, yo I wouldn't wanna know
If somebody would've told me a year ago
it'd go, get this difficult
Feeling like Katrina with no fema
Like Martin with no Gina
Like a flight with no visa
First class with the seat back I still see ya
In my past, you on the other side of the glass
Of my memory's museum,
I'm just saying, Hey Mona Lisa,
come home you know you can't Rome without Caesar
[Dwele]
As I recall, I know you love to show off
But I never thought that you would take it this far
What do I know? Flashing lights, lights
What do I know? Flashing lights, lights
As you recall, you know I love to show off
But you never thought that I would take it this far
What do you know? Flashing lights, lights
What do you know? Flashing lights, lights
Flashing lights, lights
Flashing lights, lights
[Fade out]
Lights, lights, lights, lights...