Common - The Light

"The Light" is the Grammy-nominated second single off Common's 2000 album Like Water for Chocolate. It is produced by Jay Dee and features keyboards performed by James Poyser. It samples "Open Your Eyes" as performed by Bobby Caldwell and the drums from "You're Getting a Little too Smart" by the The Detroit Emeralds. Framed as a love letter, it is a confession of Common's love for a woman whom many believe to have been his girlfriend at the time, Erykah Badu. Cythia Fuchs of PopMatters describes it as a "charming, tender, and undeniably soulful declaration of affection and respect." A music video directed by Nzingha Stewart features Common, Erykah Badu and "recognizable sensual delights" including "a homemade Minnie Ripperton cassette, a mango, a pink lava lamp and a deeply green water-beaded leaf.