"
Northern Lites" is the ninth single by
Super Furry Animals. It was the first single to be taken from the
Guerrilla album and reached number 11 in the
UK Singles Chart after its release on 10 May 1999. The song was written by singer
Gruff Rhys and was inspired by the
El Niño phenomenon. The track's title refers to the
Aurora Borealis, a natural light display which the band were convinced they had seen prior to the song being written. Rhys wrote the melody for "Northern Lites" several years before it was completed but only decided on a
calypso style after he wrote the lyrics. The
steel drums on the track are played by
keyboardist Cian Ciaran and were added on the spur of the moment after the group saw them "lying around"
Real World Studios during recording.