A Definitive Ranking of Songs Named “Green Light”
We answer the question that’s been on everybody’s mind.
By: Ryan Murtha and Danny Shea
With the megahit that is Lorde’s “Green Light” being released this spring, gasoline has been poured on what is probably our generation’s most important debate: What is the best song named “Green Light?” At first pass, this may not seem like an argument that would take much time to settle. After all, how many songs with that name can there be? Well, whatever you think the answer is, it’s more than that. There are hip-hop, instrumental, bubblegum pop, R&B, and even K-pop entries in this most competitive genre. But writing the song was the easy part; the hard part falls to us here at UTIOM: ranking them.
We each ranked the songs, and then we took the average to come up with the order you’ll find below. Some caveats: if your song was called “Greenlight” instead of “Green Light,” it was automatically disqualified. So, sorry Pitbull and Flo Rida, your song is out. Same goes for you Chance the Rapper and 5 Seconds of Summer. Don’t email us complaining because you were too lazy to spell-check your track lists. Also, R. Kelly has two different songs (!!!) named “Green Light.” We only included one. Since Jay-Z decided to take the other off of Spotify, we decided to take it off of this list because we’re petty.
Without further ado, The Eleven Best Songs Titled “Green Light:”
11. Green Light — Gush Mob
Danny Shea: Gush Mob’s “Green Light” has the dubious distinction of being the only song on this list that I truly dislike, and for good reason: it’s not a good song. The production sounds amateurish, and the vocals aren’t much better. The male vocalist who sings the first chorus sounds like someone that might be cast to play R. Kelly in a made-for-TV biopic, and not in a good way. And then there are the lyrics — there are too many corny couplets to choose from for this one, but highlights definitely include: “I’ll be your passenger of love/ come let me loosen up those lugs,” and, “You the Lexus to my Toyota/ Yeah you classy like some wine, but that body so Coca-Cola.” Credit to Gush Mob and crew for sticking to the car-inspired motif throughout, but I’m going to need to slam the brakes on this one.
Ryan Murtha: I kind of dug this! Is it just me, or does the first verse kind of sound Donald Glover-esque? There’s definitely a lot going on with this one. I feel like this was pieces of two or three different songs that didn’t get developed enough to stand by themselves so they just sort of smooshed them together and this was the end result. And either of those two songs would have been pretty good. But the combination, not so much.
10. Green Light — Chief Keef
RM: I had this one dead last, and to me it wasn’t very close. This song is not very good, which I suppose makes it par for the course for Chief Keef. I’m mostly shocked that in this the year of our Lord 2017, someone can still use auto-tune so badly and get it released. It’s truly a feat. Also, I can’t help but get hung up on the “Knock you out, sting like a bumble bee/ Mike Tyson, counting on this white man” line. He knows that was Ali, right?
DS: Frankly, I don’t have a lot to add here. You’re absolutely right that it’s not a good song, that the lyrics are trash, and that the auto-tune is grating. The only reason I didn’t have this dead last is for the simple reason that it is so on-brand for Chief Keef. It’s not my favorite, and I won’t be going out of my way to listen to it anytime soon, but it definitely builds on Chief Keef’s existing body of work. I have to give him a small amount of credit for that. Not much, but still.
9. Green Light — BoA
DS: I’ll be the first to admit that, as someone whose entire knowledge of the Korean language comes from watching season one of Arrested Development, I’m at a distinct disadvantage in attempting to assess the merits of the Queen of K-Pop’s “Green Light.” The chorus, when translated to English, goes something like:
“My heart is a green light, green light for you/ My head is a red light, red light for me/ The flashing lights make me rush/ But I guess it’s just something passing by.”
Even in two different languages, BoA presents a cohesive story using the song’s traffic light motif, and the song’s lyrics match its retro, disco ballad sound. That said, “Green Light” is BoA’s tenth song off of her eighth studio album, and it sounds like it. Is it a bad song? Absolutely not. It’s just not going to be your favorite song on the album — or, for that matter, on this list.
RM: As a big Panjabi MC and desi hip hop fan, I consider myself a connoisseur of music that I don’t actually understand the words to. I think it’s interesting how similar K-Pop sounds to some American pop music in a way that a lot of other foreign pop doesn’t. This song could be a good Jessica Simpson song, or even a bad Britney song. But that could probably be its own article. Let’s move on.
8. Green Light — H-Town
DS: Full disclosure: I had this song ranked a lot lower on my personal list. This Houston-based group had a handful of successes on the R&B and Billboard Hot 100 charts. Tellingly, “Green Light” was not one of them. Like the previous couple of songs on this list, I would assert that this isn’t a bad song, per se. It’s just very forgettable. This 2014 single was their first in a decade, but lyrics like “Sexin’, freakin’, me and you/ I’m the only man you ever need/ I give it to you every night/ Energizer bunny, yeah” sound like they were pulled straight from a mid-90s R&B-themed Mad Libs. You know how I said that the male vocalist from Gush Mob sounds like he would be cast as R. Kelly in a made-for-TV biopic? This is one of the songs he would sing because Lifetime couldn’t afford the rights to any of R. Kelly’s actual songs.
RM: I really enjoyed it! Like, was it perfect? No. Could I have done without the chopped-n-screwed “Slow it down” that repeated throughout the song? Yes, but they’re from Houston, so I think there’s a law that requires it. Am I kind of mad that Cee-Lo could have done this song and turned it into a chart topper? Again, yes. But it would be unfair of him to hog every song, I suppose.
7. Green Light — Girl’s Generation
RM: I believe you had this one ranked a lot higher than I did. It’s just soooo cheerful and happy, I can’t take it. It’s the epitome of bubblegum pop. If you’ve heard Rebecca Black’s “Friday,” you’ve already heard this song. And if you’re prone to getting songs stuck in your head, I’d advise staying away.
DS: I absolutely hear what you’re saying about it being bubblegummy. That said, I think it works really well for this song! I feel like it plays on a lot of Western, bubblegum pop that we’re familiar with, but that Girls’ Generation puts a unique, distinctly K-pop spin on it. I was actually reminded of Grimes the first time I listened to this one, and I think it’s a lot more interesting than some of the more formulaic pop hits we might be used to.
6. Green Light — R. Kelly
DS: Is this one of R. Kelly’s best songs? No. Unfortunately, “Ignition Remix” or “Trapped in the Closet” this is not. But both the music and lyrics sound like classic R. Kelly:
“Now I’m not trying to player hate/ Girl I’m just tired of hearing you say that he don’t be there for you/ Well I make a hell of a substitute/ Just give me the green light.”
In a list where I’ve already compared him favorably to two less-compelling alternatives, R. Kelly being R. Kelly and making a very R. Kelly song has to count for something.
RM: I can’t disagree. The R. Kelly sound is unmistakable from the get-go. But the lyrics get a little repetitive and honestly, it’s probably his second best song by the same name. As covered at the top of the article, we couldn’t rank his other “Green Light,” this one featuring Jay-Z and Beanie Sigel, but I’d highly recommend tracking it down and giving it a listen.
5. Green Lights — Aloe Blacc
DS: I was not looking forward to listening to this song, mostly because my previous exposure to Aloe Blacc was limited to “I’m the Man” and “I Need a Dollar.” Unpopular opinion: I did not enjoy either. But I was pleasantly surprised by “Green Light.” The laid-back, bluesy sound comes across as a mix of Leon Bridges and Jack Johnson if that makes any sense? I’m not sure it does, but I’m going to stick with that. This is the first song on this list that I would actually add to other playlists on Spotify.
RM: So I was very hype to listen to this one. Aloe Blacc is one of the very few people I can honestly claim to have listened to before they got big (according to the Spotify emails that tell you these sorts of things), so I’m very invested in his success. Yet with the solemn responsibility we took on putting this list together, I knew I had to put aside my personal feelings and give an unbiased opinion. I personally wanted to rank this song higher, but had to knock it a bit for technically being “Green Lights” instead of “Green Light.” But in the end, I think #5 seems fair. This is a very good, not great, song.
4. Green Light — Jonwayne ft. Anderson .Paak
RM: Have you looked up a picture of Jonwayne? He looks like he should be on Pawn Stars trying to sell his authentic Japanese katana. But you can’t knock his flow. I’d never heard of him before, but this song made me go check out some of his other material. This is probably as good as it gets for him, though.
Anyway, the real gem on this song is Anderson .Paak’s verse at the end. I’ve always been a fan of his unique, raspy voice, and it’s really showcased on the stripped down beat they use here.
DS: Incredible Pawn Stars reference there, and upon Google image searching Jonwayne, I absolutely can confirm.
I like this song for one straightforward reason: it’s cool. That’s it. It’s that simple. The production is simple enough that it allows Jonwayne to play around with his flow throughout, and the result is impressive. And then there’s Anderson .Paak. His album Malibu was the only album I listened to for a few weeks after it came out, and .Paak’s showing on this song reminded me why I was so struck by his music the first time I heard it.
3. Green Light — Lorde
DS: Lorde left a clear message dropping this song as the lead single off of her second album: no sophomore slump here. The song is a perfect example of Lorde’s ability to craft songs that end up getting played on seemingly every Top 40 station on your radio while also somehow getting played on every alternative station on your radio. “Green Light” has some of the rawness and girl-next-door charm that made Pure Heroine such a success, but introduced a stadium-tour tone that feels new — and right — for Lorde. Extra credit for being the song that gave us the idea for this article.
RM: I have to say I really didn’t want to like this song. I didn’t vibe with Lorde’s first album very much, especially the terrible, overplayed “Royals.” And being a contrarian, I reveled in not liking things that were popular with everyone else. But this song got its claws into me and isn’t letting go. It straight up bangs. It makes me turn up the speakers until the girl in the apartment above me comes down and says she’s trying to nap and “can I turn it down?” NO SHANNON, I CAN’T.
2. Green Light — Beyoncé
RM: I’m a big Beyoncé fan. I’ve listened to her whole discography front to back. But this song never registered with me before we did this. Which is not to say it’s bad (it’s #2 on this list!). But “Green Light” had the unfortunate fate of being part of the hit parade that is B’Day. So in comparison to “Upgrade U”, “Ring the Alarm”, “Get Me Bodied” (GOAT Beyoncé song, don’t @ me), etc., it kind of gets lost in the shuffle. “Green Light” is placed right after “Freakum Dress,” which is sort of like Michael Gambon having to follow up Richard Harris as Dumbledore. But I guess that says a lot about the album and the artist, that the eighth best song on B’Day is as high as it is here.
DS: To borrow a few words from Bey here: GIVE. IT. TO. MAMA.
You’re right that it might’ve been swallowed a bit by the rest of B’Day, but I think this song is at least every bit the mid-2000's dance jam that all of the other hits on the album are. Take into account the big band and jazz influences on this track, the peak-2006 pleather fantasy music video, and the song’s catchy call-and-response breakdown, and you have a song that I will proudly claim as the token hot take in my personal Top 5 Beyoncé Songs list. (Go ahead. @ me.) We have it at number two on this list, but I wouldn’t be mad at anybody who put it in the top spot.
1. Green Light — John Legend ft. André 3000
DS: To be honest, I still have a little bit of post-traumatic stress from 2008 when this song was played every five minutes on the radio. That said, I was glad that writing this article gave me an opportunity to revisit this absolute jam. “Green Light” sounds like what John Legend’s band in La La Land should have been playing if we were all going to be honest with ourselves about it. And, as impressive as Legend is on this track, I have to put it at number one for its feature. Give André 3000 a guest verse on Gush Mob’s “Green Light,” and I would gladly move it up to at least number five.
RM: I think I was probably spared some of that trauma because in 2008 I definitely was only listening to whatever my parents were playing on the radio, which was certainly not this. So this song never lost its freshness for me. I have to say I’m not an unbiased arbiter when it comes to John Legend. He’s probably my favorite R&B singer, the natural evolution of Raphael Saadiq (who used to be my favorite before Legend dethroned him). The thing with John Legend I think is that his voice is so smooth that he always manages to showcase really well whoever he happens to be working with (Exhibit A, Exhibit B, Exhibit C). And when the person you’re showcasing also happens to be one of the best, most unique rappers of all time, it’s hard to go wrong.
Want to be your own judge? Check out the complete “Green Light” playlist.
