Shadows

From The Midnight Wiki
"Shadows"
Song by The Midnight
from the album Nocturnal
ReleasedOctober 13, 2017 (2017-10-13)
Length6:27
LabelThe Midnight Music
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Tim McEwan
Nocturnal track listing

"Shadows (Uppermost Remix)"
Remix Single by The Midnight
from the album The Midnight Remixed 02
ReleasedAugust 3, 2019 (2019-08-03)
Length4:10
LabelSilk Music
Songwriter(s)
The Midnight Remixed 02 track listing
The Midnight remix singles chronology
Synthetic (Mango, We Are All Astronauts, Lost Empire Remixes)
(2017)
Shadows (Uppermost Remix)
(2019)
Arcade Dreams (Timecop1983 Remix)
(2019)

Shadows[1] is a song by The Midnight. It is the first track from their album Nocturnal. A remix single of Shadows containing the Uppermost Remix was released by Silk Music on August 23, 2019, the first single from The Midnight Remixed 02.[2]

The song was written by band members Tim McEwan and Tyler Lyle and produced by McEwan. It has a running time of six minutes and 27 seconds and is in the key of F-sharp minor. The saxophone on Shadows was played by Thomas Edinger.

The vocal effects on Shadows heard after the chorus is a result of Lyle's vocals being cut up and pitched using the program KONTAKT, which allows the pitch to be adjusted without changing the tempo.

Regarding the underlying influence of the song, Lyle said: "If you want the secret code to ‘Shadows,’ it’s ‘The Thunder Rolls’ by Garth Brooks”.[3]

Official description

Shadows (Uppermost Remix)

Silk Music is honored to present an inspired new remix of The Midnight's "Shadows," courtesy of French virtuoso Uppermost. A household name amongst the indie-electronic set, due in part to several extraordinary artist albums over the past decade, Uppermost is an especially thrilling addition to our artist roster. Not unlike The Midnight, Uppermost was heavily influenced by the cult film "Drive," and his recent "Given by Nature" artist album -- a veritable masterpiece -- combines retro-laced electronic motifs with modern production techniques, to emotive and exhilarating effect.

The first of several 'remixed' singles ahead of our forthcoming "The Midnight Remixed 02" album release, Uppermost's remix of "Shadows" is a slow-burner that not only showcases The Midnight's evocative songwriting and (often) noir-tinged aural aesthetic, but also Uppermost's equally cinematic musical stylings. A dramatic, beat-less intro shines a spotlight on Tyler Lyle's gripping first verse; at the quarter turn, powerful, reverb-heavy drums begin to propel the arrangement forward, soon followed by an Uppermost signature: an entrancing series of pitched vocal effects, which conspire to create one of the song's most memorable hooks. The arrangement's patient crescendo reveals the second verse of "Shadows," later joined by the soaring, unforgettable refrain, "Shadows in the city / I'm a stranger to myself / On these streets I'm someone else." Following this climactic sequence, Uppermost treats the listener to his ornate orchestration one last time, as the arrangement features a dazzling coda, replete with the French maestro's mesmerizing, robot-on-acid vocal effects.

[2]

Demo version

An early demo of Shadows was released as a prize during the Fall 2020 ARG. Titled Shadows v4, the demo is very close to the final version of the song, and the changes made are rather subtle. There is no instrumental gap between the first verse and first chorus, and there are some differences in the pitched vocals following the chorus. The ending is slightly shorter. Compared to the other demos released during the ARG, this is one of the most complete and least changed.

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Track listing

All tracks are written by Tim McEwan and Tyler Lyle.

Shadows (Uppermost Remix)
No.TitleLength
1."Shadows (Uppermost Remix)"4:10
Total length:4:10

Lyrics

The city carved a silhouette
On the ocean after dark Over The lonely and the holy
And the red blood beating hearts

Up from the dirty black water
A shadow void of form Raised itself out of the river
And it climbed upon the shore

Neon on the black top
Theres a gentle rain downtown The shadow pooling underneath me
As it follows on the ground

Kissed you when I saw you
Stared deep into your eyes I meant to say ‘I love you’
But instead I said goodbye

Shadows in the city

I’m a stranger to myself On these streets I’m someone else Shadows in the city Like a demon in the dark
Come to tear us apart (neon on the city)

(shadows, downtown)
(neon on the city) (shadows, downtown) (neon on the city) (shadows, downtown) (neon on the city) (shadows, downtown)
(neon on the city)

For all my good intentions
There's a shadow in this dark It comes to me infrequently
And breaks your perfect heart

I don't know why I do it
(I) Apologize but it's too Late A single tear you leave me here and
Shadow slips away

Shadows in the city
I’m a stranger to myself On these streets I’m someone else Shadows in the city Like a demon in the dark
Come to tear us apart (neon on the city)

(shadows, downtown)
(neon on the city) (shadows, downtown) (neon on the city) (shadows, downtown) (neon on the city) (shadows, downtown) (neon on the city) (shadows, downtown)
(neon on the city)

(shadows, downtown)
(neon on the city) (shadows, downtown) (neon on the city) (shadows, downtown) (neon on the city) (shadows, downtown)
(neon on the city)
(shadows, downtown)
(neon on the city) (shadows, downtown) (neon on the city) (shadows, downtown)
(neon on the city)

Lyrics source[1]

Official versions

Shadows

from Nocturnal

Shadows (instrumental)

from Nocturnal (The Instrumentals)

Shadows (Uppermost Remix)

from The Midnight Remixed 02

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 "Shadows | The Midnight". Bandcamp. October 13, 2017. Archived from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  2. 2.0 2.1 "Shadows (Uppermost Remix) | The Midnight". Bandcamp. August 23, 2019. Archived from the original on April 11, 2022. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
  3. Vehling, Aaron (November 12, 2017). "Who Are The Midnight?: An Interview with the Masters of Modern Nostalgia". Vehlinggo. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved June 1, 2023.