"Lighters" | |||||||||
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Single by Bad Meets Evil featuring Bruno Mars | |||||||||
from the album Hell: The Sequel | |||||||||
Released | June 14, 2011 | ||||||||
Recorded | Effigy Studios (Ferndale, Michigan), Isolation Studios, Levcon Studios (Los Angeles, California) | ||||||||
Genre | Alternative hip hop | ||||||||
Length | 5:03 (album version) 4:23 (radio edit) |
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Label | Shady, Interscope | ||||||||
Writer(s) | Marshall Mathers, Ryan Montgomery, Bruno Mars, Philip Lawrence, Ari Levine, Roy Battle | ||||||||
Producer(s) | Eminem, The Smeezingtons, Battle Roy | ||||||||
Bad Meets Evil singles chronology | |||||||||
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"Lighters" is a song by American hip hop duo Bad Meets Evil, a group composed of Royce da 5'9" and Eminem, from their first EP, Hell: The Sequel. The track features American singer-songwriter Bruno Mars. It was written by Bad Meets Evil, along with Mars, Philip Lawrence and Ari Levine of The Smeezingtons, and Roy Battle. The production was handled by all aforementioned names, except Royce. It was released on June 14, 2011 by Shady and Interscope Records, being later serviced to mainstream radio airplay in the United States by the two latter labels along with Aftermath Entertainment as the second single from the EP. After writing and recording their own verses for the song, Eminem and Royce da 5'9" met Mars in Los Angeles, and the singer's vocals were added after minor adjustments were done by him and Eminem to the original cut.
"Lighters" is an alternative hip hop song with elements of soul and synthpop music. Music critics noted it for being musically different among other tracks on Hell: The Sequel, with some praising and other criticizing the change in style. The song's main structure relies on strings and piano, which throughout the song are combined with bass and synths. "Lighters" received mixed reviews; some critics praised Mars' performance on the chorus, while the duo was met with criticism for their lyrics, which regard one's downfalls, comebacks while dismissing the "haters" and conveys a message of genuine supporting and celebration by the accomplishment of dreams. The song reached the top ten of several countries, including number two in New Zealand, number four in Canada and the United States, and number ten in Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The record has been certified two times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA).