"Neon (Lonely People)" is the sixth single by German recording artist Lena Meyer-Landrut. It was released on 15 March 2013. The single version is a faster remix of the version which was previously published on the album Stardust on 12 October 2012.
Background
"Neon (Lonely People)" was written by Meyer-Landrut in collaboration with the British singer-songwriters Mathew Benbrook and Pauline Taylor who previously worked with Paolo Nutini, Dido, or Faithless. The remix was created in early 2013 by Jochen Naaf, a producer from Cologne, who already created remixes of songs by Klee, Polarkreis 18, and Lady Gaga.[1]
Lena performed this song for the first time unplugged during a promotional event in Munich on 30 July 2012 in front of members of the press.[2] The first television presenting was on breakfast television at the broadcasting station Sat.1 on 12 October 2012.[3] The radio premiere of the single version was on 18 January 2013 and the first live performance in front of a large audience was during the television show Unser Song für Malmö in Hanover on 14 February 2013.[4]
In an interview with Universal, Lena described this song as follows:
I think everybody knows that feeling when you are feeling lonely, even though many people are around you. At night at a club, for example. When the whole world appears so full and yet so empty. But then, on the dancefloor, a certain person crosses your path and suddenly the loneliness is gone. That's the point in "Neon". Everything is good when the music starts. Or something like that.[5]
On 22 February 2013, the digital media stores iTunes and Amazon.de offered a new edition of the Stardust album with the single version of Neon (Lonely People).[6]
Music video
The music video was shot in early February 2013 in the Rathenau-Hallen in Berlin.[7] The director was Bode Brodmüller[8] who also directed Lena's Stardust music video in 2012. Premiere was on 1 March 2013. The video is set in an empty warehouse and is showing Lena in different postures, including dancing, lying, standing, and sitting on a swing. Sometimes she is accompanied by female dancers performing some ballet-like moves. Strip lights which are hanging on the ceiling illustrate the titular neon light from the lyrics.[9]