Party Lights

"Party Lights" was the one hit of Georgia born R&B singer Claudine Clark. It was actually the b-side of her single "Disappointed." It is noteworthy that Clark wrote "Party Lights."

It is easily one of the best songs I have ever heard. As I listen to it, I am often brought to the verge of tears. The shear power and agony in the vocals pulls on my heart and causes my eyes to well up almost every time.

It seems to be a simple song. A young girl wants to go to a party across the street and her mother won't let her. I have a different take on the lyrics, which may explain my emotional response a little better.

I was tempted to type the lyrics, but it would be way better for you to actually listen to the song. You can listen as you continue to read below.



I am going to call the narrator Joy (Claudine Clark, in an attempt to repeat the success of "Party Lights," recorded under the name Joy Dawn later in her career).

Joy lives with her mother, they have a good relationship. Joy's mother is stern but fair. One fateful night Joy and her closest friends are in a horrific car accident in which all of her friends are killed and Joy is left in a terminal coma. Her mother spends every waking moment at her bedside, and it is taking a toll on her. Joy is all she has, but she is now brain dead.

In the song, Joy is having a near-death experience. She can see red, blue, and green lights. She can see all of her dead friends doing their favorite dances "across the street," i.e. in heaven.

She wants to die. She wants her mother to pull the plug, but she is unaware of her situation and couldn't communicate it if she wanted to. Her mother of course cannot let go, and has no plans to take Joy off life-support. Joy's friends are in heaven doing the twist and the mash potato and all Joy can do is look at her mother.

The song fades out as Joy cries "I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna go..." In my mind I can hear the EKG chirping and ultimately sustaining the flatline, as Joy finally dies. Joy's spirit ascends into the party lights and she is reunited with her friends where they dance and party for all of eternity.