Turn Off the Light

2001 single by Nelly Furtado

"Turn Off the Light" is a song by Canadian singer songwriter Nelly Furtado from her debut studio album, Whoa, Nelly! (2000). Written by Furtado, and produced by Gerald Eaton, Brian West, and Furtado, the song was released as the album's second single on 2 July 2001, reaching number one in New Zealand, Portugal, and Romania, as well peaking within the top 10 in several other countries, including Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

There are two music videos for "Turn Off the Light": the underground version and the regular version. The regular version was directed by Sophie Muller and was filmed in Chinatown's Central Plaza in Los Angeles, California. The music video for the regular version of "Turn Off the Light" begins in a swamp where Furtado is sitting on the edge of a log and people are swimming in the swamp. She begins to sing the first verse and when the chorus commences the people in the swamp pull her in and they start dancing in the swamp. When the second verse begins Furtado is seen at a temple singing while dancers jump out and dance with Furtado. During the second part of the chorus, she is surrounded by a group at the temple and they dance around her while she sings. During the bridge Furtado is shown at an old house singing and playing the guitar, with the flag of the Azores both behind her and on her guitar (this scene is interpolated with shots of a DJ playing, also with the Azorean flag behind him, and topless men dancing while using skirts that resemble those used in Sufi whirling). The video ends with Furtado back at the temple eating noodles. The underground video features Furtado playing the guitar in a wooden shed, wearing a white top and jeans. She is also seen buying flowers. Behind the scenes footage of the photoshoot for the Whoa, Nelly! cover is interwoven throughout the video.

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref. (Reference) Australia 2 July 2001 CD DreamWorks United States 17 July 2001 Contemporary hit radio United Kingdom 20 August 2001 12 inch single, 12 inch vinyl, CD, cassette single, cassette Germany 27 August 2001 CD Universal