Daylight in Your Eyes
"Daylight in Your Eyes" is the debut single by German girl group No Angels. It was written by Tony Bruno and Tommy Byrnes and initially recorded by American rock band New Life Crisis. A Tony Moran-produced remix of their version appeared on the MTV Party to Go Remixed compilation album (2001), but as their record company, Tommy Boy Entertainment, folded soon after, the group's original recording failed to receive a wider release, and the song was eventually sold separately abroad. There, "Daylight in Your Eyes" was purchased by Epic Records and re-recorded by Colombian singer Victoria Faiella for her debut album with the label.
"Daylight in Your Eyes" | ||||
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Single by No Angels | ||||
from the album Elle'ments | ||||
Released | 5 February 2001 | |||
Recorded | 2000 | |||
Studio | Park Studios, Tutzing, Germany | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:30 | |||
Label |
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Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) | Thorsten Brötzmann | |||
No Angels singles chronology | ||||
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Audio sample | ||||
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In 2001, Faiella's producer Peter Plate offered the newly created pop group No Angels to re-record "Daylight in Your Eyes" for their debut studio album, Elle'ments (2001), following their participation in the first installment of the German edition of the reality television program Popstars. Released as the group's debut single on 5 February 2001 in German-speaking Europe and the following months in the United Kingdom and the United States, the single became a major international success, reaching number one in Austria, Germany and Switzerland.
"Daylight in Your Eyes" was the best-selling single of the year 2001 in Germany as well as the third-bestselling single in Austria, and became fifth highest-selling single of the 2000s in Germany. It was nominated for an Amadeus Austrian Music Award and awarded both the 2001 Top of the Pops Award for Top Single Germany and the 2002 ECHO Award for Single of the Year (National). "Daylight in Your Eyes" received a Platinum certification from the Bundesverband Musikindustrie (BVMI) for shipping half a million copies,[1] and has since been covered by various artists.[2]
Writing and recording
"Daylight in Your Eyes" was composed by songwriters and guitarists Tony Bruno and Tommy Byrnes, and initially intended to appear on the self-titled debut album of American rock band New Life Crisis, their debut with Tommy Boy Records.[3] Recorded in 2000, their rendition received a limited release in the United States, and ended on various sampler albums such as the MTV Party to Go Remixed compilation (2001).[3] Plans for an international release however fell through as Bruno and Byrnes had sold the appropriate license rights of song separately, both stateside and abroad, and the label lacked the right to release the band's version on any format throughout Europe.[4] Further problems arose as Byrnes, Bruno, and the publishing company that bought the rights to the song were forced to not only acknowledge the writing contribution of New Life Crisis leader Paul Mahos, but to also pay him back and continuing royalties.[4]
![](../I/m/Peter_Plate.jpg)
Meanwhile, Bruno met New York City singer Victoria Faiella when they were working as background musicians on Enrique Iglesias' 1999 Cosas del Amor World Tour. Following a concert, he introduced her to German producer Peter Plate, one half of the musical duo Rosenstolz, who later became instrumental in her signing with the German division of Epic Records.[4] The pair soon began work on Faiella's debut album Drama, also resulting into a re-recording of Bruno's "Daylight".[4] Faiella's uplifiting, poppier version, produced by Bruno, Plate and his partner Ulf Leo Sommer, was eventually selected as her debut single with the record company.[4] In summer 2000, an accompanying music video was filmed and sent to German music networks, but as the record lacked general airplay support, it underperformed and the singer was eventually dropped from her label.[3]
A few months later, Plate got known that Polydor Records, RTL II network and production company Tresor TV were searching songs for a girl band, the soon-to-be-cast result of the inaugural season of Popstars, the German adaptation of the international reality show of the same name.[4] Submitted by Plate, Faiella's version of "Daylight" found general approval among the members of the newly formed No Angels, and became one of several songs they recorded for their debut album Elle'ments (2001).[4] While Plate, Sommer and Burno received proper credit, recording and production duties were acceded by Elle'ments producer Thorsten Brötzmann.[5] Mixing of the song was overseen by Joachim "Jeo" Mezei.[5] Re-titled "Daylight in Your Eyes", the No Angels' version made no significant changes to Faiella's backing track.[4] Although the label initially favoured album cut "Go Ahead and Take It" as the band's debut single, the song was eventually selected out of a total of ten songs to lead the album.[4]
Critical reception
"Daylight in Your Eyes" received mixed reviews from music critics. Billboard magazine editor Chuck Taylor called the song "an ideal illustration of bouncy, gleeful bubble gum, tailor-made for the tween set." He felt that "the group's harmonies are equally beaming and the exhilarating production is perfectly suited to the spirit of the chorus."[6]
Commercial performance
Although "Daylight in Your Eyes" was not officially released until 5 February 2001, it appeared a week early on the German Airplay Chart, instantly reaching number-one.[7] The CD maxi single sold more than 500,000 copies within its first week of release and was certified gold by the Bundesverband Musikindustrie (BVMI) after twenty-four hours only,[8][9] making it both the third fastest-selling single ever in Germany (behind Elton John's 1997 version of "Candle in the Wind" and follow-up Popstars winners Bro'Sis' 2001 debut single "I Believe"), and one of the biggest-selling German singles of the 2000s.[10] Thus, "Daylight" also debuted atop the German Singles Chart, where it remained another five weeks atop due to constant sales.[11] With more than one million copies shipped to stores, "Daylight in Your Eyes" was ranked first on the German year-end singles chart, and received a platinum certification by the BVMI.[10][12]
In Switzerland, the single sat six weeks atop the Swiss Top 100 singles chart, making it the 12th successful single of the year.[13] The song remained within the top 50 until July 2001, but fell out of the chart in early August—one week prior to the release of the band's third single "There Must Be an Angel". In Austria, however, "Daylight in Your Eyes" debuted at number four on the Ö3 Austria Top 40 chart, reaching the top position three weeks later for four consecutive weeks. The song charted until its 19th week on particular, and became the third successful single of the year behind Kylie Minogue's "Can't Get You Out of My Head" and Gigi D'Agostino's "Super (1, 2, 3)".[14]
Outside German-speaking Europe, the song reached number 50 on the French Singles Chart.[15] Released in early October 2001 in the United Kingdom and the United States, respectively, "Daylight in Your Eyes" also saw minor commercial success in both countries with peak positions of number 88 on the UK Singles Chart and a single entry at number 36 on the Billboard Hot Singles Sales chart.[16][17]
Music video
The original music video for "Daylight in Your Eyes" was directed and produced by Robert Bröllochs for Camelot Filmproduktionen and entirely filmed at the X-Sight-Studios in Groß-Gerau near Darmstadt, Hesse, on 22 December 2000.[18] Popstars coach Detlef Soost with whom the band had worked during the casting process, handled the video's choreography.[19] Shot in a time span of 17 hours, it is primarily composed of individual close shots and dance sequences using split screen and bluescreen technique.[19][20]
The video does not have a substantial plot, but as both the band's management and their label attempted to introduce aliases assigning each member of the group—similar to the Spice Girls pseudonyms—in due consideration of the polysemous title of the band's debut album, Elle'ments, focus is on the personalization of the classical elements.[18] While Nadja Benaissa ("Air"), Lucy Diakovska ("Fire"), Sandy Mölling ("Water"), and Vanessa Petruo ("Earth") incorporated one of the four archetypal type images for each themselves, a fifth element ("Spirit") was specially-created for Jessica Wahls because of a lack of another element.[18] The band later dismissed the video for its styling and make-up, both of which was widely influenced by the element theme and, according to Benaissa, made them look like a group of "five casted whores".[21]
The final video cut for "Daylight in Your Eyes" premiered in January 2001 at the end of its making of episode on the first installment of Popstars.[18] As the original music video was considered "too sexy" for broadcast on the North American television market, an alternate version for the song was shot by Stephen Scott in Toronto, Canada, in April 2001.[22] Set in a park, it abandons the elements topic of the original video in favor of performance and dancing routines.[22]
Cover versions
Following the success of the No Angels' interpretation of "Daylight in Your Eyes" the song has been covered by several artists. Among both versions by Victoria Faiella and New Life Crisis, German band Audiosmog released a rock version of the song, featuring Tobias Schlegl, as a single, which reached number 36 on the German Singles Chart in 2001. In addition, the track has been re-recorded by heavy metal band Lakehurst,[23] German-South African singer Howard Carpendale,[23] and Stefan Raab's studio band Herb & The Heavytones.[23] Rockabilly band Boppin'B covered the song on their 2003 studio album 42.[23]
Track listings
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Daylight In Your Eyes (Radio Version)" | 3:30 |
2. | "Daylight In Your Eyes (Extended Version)" | 5:03 |
3. | "Daylight In Your Eyes (Instrumental Version)" | 3:30 |
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Daylight in Your Eyes (Radio Version)" | 3:33 |
2. | "Daylight In Your Eyes (WIP "Wonderkins" Remix)" | 6:23 |
3. | "100% Emotional" | 3:01 |
4. | "Daylight In Your Eyes (CD-Rom Video Of US Promo)" | 3:30 |
Credits and personnel
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Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
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Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Austria (IFPI Austria)[32] | Platinum | 40,000* |
Germany (BVMI)[1] | Platinum | 500,000^ |
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[33] | Gold | 20,000^ |
*sales figures based on certification alone |
Release history
Region | Date | Format | Label |
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Austria | 5 February 2001 | CD single |
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Germany | |||
Switzerland | |||
United States | 17 July 2001 | MCA | |
Estonia | 1 October 2001 | Polydor | |
France | |||
United Kingdom |
See also
- List of number-one hits of 2001 (Austria)
- List of number-one hits of 2001 (Germany)
- List of number-one hits of 2001 (Switzerland)
References
- "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (No Angels; 'Daylight in Your Eyes')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
- dpa (15 November 2001). "Die neuen No Angels". Hamburger Abendblatt (in German). Retrieved 28 March 2008.(subscription required)
- dpa (15 February 2001). "Wem gehört der Song?". Der Spiegel. Retrieved 27 March 2008.
- "No Angels: 'Daylight in Your Eyes'". BR-Online. Archived from the original on 23 August 2007. Retrieved 18 March 2007.
- Elle'ments (Media notes). No Angels. Polydor Records. 2001.CS1 maint: others (link)
- Taylor, Chuck (9 June 2001). "Reviews & Previews — Singles". Billboard. Retrieved 27 November 2016 – via Google Books.
- SonyBMG (21 January 2008). "Chart-Triple: Nummer eins in den Single-, Airplay und Album-Charts". SonyBMG Newsletter. Archived from the original on 29 February 2008. Retrieved 28 June 2008.
- ots (15 February 2001). "NO ANGELS: Daylight in Your Eyes-Hit definitiv nicht 'geklaut'!". Presseportal. Retrieved 27 June 2008.
- dpa (14 December 2001). "Popgruppe Bro'Sis schon erfolgreicher als No Angels". Die Welt. Retrieved 28 December 2007.
- Schaertl, Marika (19 February 2001). "Holger, der Engel-Macher". Focus (in German). Retrieved 28 March 2008.
- "Offiziellecharts.de – No Angels – Daylight in Your Eyes". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
- "Top 100 Singles-Jahrescharts – 2001" (in German). Offizielle Deutsche Charts. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
- "Swiss Year-End Charts 2001". swisscharts.com. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
- "Jahreshitparade Singles 2001". austriancharts.at (in German). Retrieved 6 May 2020.
- "Chat-Log (2001)". Beepworld. Retrieved 28 February 2007.
- "No Angels: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
- "Hot 100 Singles Sales". Billboard. Vol. 114 no. 22. 1 June 2002. p. 82. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 6 May 2020 – via Google Books.
- "Episode 13". Popstars. Season 1. Episode 13. 31 January 2001. RTL II.
- "Daylight in Your Eyes (version I)". MVD Base. Retrieved 28 February 2007.
- "No Angels zu Gast bei "NBC GIGA" (2001)". NBC Giga (in German). YouTube. Retrieved 24 May 2018.
- "Bye Bye No Angels (Dokumentation Pro 7, 2003) TEIL 2". YouTube. ProSieben. Retrieved 7 July 2012.
- "Daylight in Your Eyes (version II)". MVD Base. Retrieved 28 February 2007.
- "Cover-Version "Daylight in Your Eyes"". Coverinfo. Retrieved 19 September 2008.
- "No Angels - Daylight In Your Eyes (CD) at Discogs". discogs.com. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
- "No Angels - Daylight In Your Eyes (CD) at Discogs". discogs.com. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
- "Austriancharts.at – No Angels – Daylight in Your Eyes" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
- "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 18 no. 10. 3 March 2001. p. 11. OCLC 29800226. Retrieved 6 May 2020 – via American Radio History.
- "Lescharts.com – No Angels – Daylight in Your Eyes" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
- "Swisscharts.com – No Angels – Daylight in Your Eyes". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
- "Year in Review – Eurochart Hot 100 Singles 2001" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 19 no. 52. 23 December 2001. p. 14. OCLC 29800226. Retrieved 6 May 2020 – via American Radio History.
- "Hits der Nullerjahre: Grönemeyers "Mensch" an der Spitze". Musikmarkt (in German). 17 December 2009. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 10 September 2010.
- "Austrian single certifications – No Angels – Daylight in Your Eyes" (in German). IFPI Austria.
- "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (No Angels; 'Daylight in Your Eyes')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.