“Don’t let the force of the impression when first it hits you knock you off your feet; just say to it, ‘Hold on a moment; let me see who you are and what you represent. Let me put you to the test.'”
-Epictetus
“Lights Out” was the second single from P.O.D.’s 2006 album, Testify. Much of what we heard on the album was a stripped back, accessible, melodic style of rock. This track leaned into the band’s heavier side, recalling the band’s classic aggressive vocals, with a confrontational vibe. It fits right in with “Boom” and “Rock the Party (Off the Hook).” Lyrically, it functions as a sort of “return of the kings” anthem, with the chorus line:
“It’s lights out, game over
If you wanna you can check my stats
It’s lights out, game over
Make way cause the kings is back…”
Like a hype track or a battle cry, it sits nicely alongside Fort Minor’s “Petrified” or “Remember the Name.” It’s their way of telling the listener that they’re not going anywhere, and they don’t need anyone’s permission to be here.
Who this was aimed at specifically is anyone’s guess. Critics, haterz, the nature of musical trends, maybe even the industry itself. One needs to remember that this was a band in a paired down environment, where P.O.D. and their peers were in a commercial decline and weren’t attracting as many mainstream listeners as they once did. But the band persisted. Whoever is listening, Sandoval’s rap cadence with a shouted emphasis really forces you to sit up and pay attention. No interest in preaching or justification of anything. Just a statement of “We’re not going anywhere.”
“Goodbye for Now” was the more commercially successful lead single. It is a great track, but it would have been nice if “Lights Out” and the album as a whole were a little better appreciated. But then, I guess that didn’t matter. Success for P.O.D. was never about going out and selling a bazillion albums anyway. Charts and sales figures. These things help, but to obsess over them would be like a slow death. And the critics?
Marcus Aurelius would have looked at such a rat race with complete and utter contempt. “You want praise from people who kick themselves every fifteen minutes, the approval of people who despise themselves,” he said.
I can’t imagine the guys in P.O.D. were thinking much about getting props from “people who despise themselves” when they wrote “Lights Out,” so I think they’re safe in that regard.
But P.O.D. have nothing but love for the core audience, and it was the incredible resilience of the band that inspired the track. They just focus on what they do, not what people say. Where they come from, where they’ve been. I would say the tone of the song is more assertive than aggressive. That’s what I’ve always liked about the band — they can be tough and in-your-face without being toxic or douchey. Assertion over aggression, confidence over arrogance.
Like Korn’s “Here to Stay,” it’s like a mission statement, and a very cool one.
The track enjoyed a little bit of airtime. But only a little bit. It never reached the lofty heights of “Alive,” or “Youth of the Nation,” but that was hardly the point. It does get some love on social media, with people in the YouTube comments variously recalling hearing it in WWE’s Survivor Series 2005, or the Chris Vrenna remix heard on the TMNT soundtrack. Not their best known track, but those who love it seem to really love it. That’s one thing I’ve noticed in heavy music:
This band is known for _____, but the real ones like _____.
Maybe it’s an in-group thing, when lesser known tracks can feel like a badge of honour rather than a commercial product. Maybe some fans just really liked the Testify era, and their nostalgia is more personal than what’s promoted on social media. Or maybe the band’s classics felt overplayed to some, and a mid-tier single like “Lights Out” felt like a breath of fresh air.
The more I think about these in-between eras in music, the more I’ll get lost in it. I could write a whole separate piece on it right now.
And who really needs a reason? “Lights Out” has its fans, and that’s pretty great. It’s also an example of how diverse Testify is as a body of work. Lyrically, much of the album has to do with vulnerability, reflection, and groove-based experimentation in place of pummelling riffs. “Roots in Stereo” made for an awesome collaboration, boasting reggae-style verses and an awesome chorus. “Goodbye for Now” was a mellower alternative rock number that ultimately got more radio play. A good chunk of the album was characterised by tracks like that, more melodic than anything the band had done before. “Lights Out” was just a good, solid P.O.D. track to remind us all where they came from, sonically and philosophically, grounding the album perfectly.
Looking back, it was nice to have a band representing this particular side of heavy music, in the mid-2000s when everything was going the way of skinny jeans and airbrushed hairdos. Original, but familiar at the same time, if that makes sense. It’s not like I want everything a band does to be just like the classics, but as far as my listening needs go, this kind of track tends to have a longer lifespan than most.
Lawrence Deveney 