[Listen] Ryan Tedder - "Broken Lights" (Demo for Demi Lovato's "Neon Lights")
Before "Neon Lights", there was "Broken Lights". Ryan Tedder's demo for the Demi Lovato single has surfaced online and it doesn't put Demi in a good position. The EDM track is featured on the pop singer's self-titled fourth studio album which was released in May last year and which has sold, as of March 2014, 352,000 copies.
Why this demo put Demi in a not so good position you ask? Well, if you take a look at the booklet within "Demi", you will see as writers for "Neon Love" the following; Mario Marchetti, Tiffany Vartanyan, Ryan Tedder, Noel Zancanella and Demi Lovato herself. What is the problem? Well, the demo (listen below) proves Ryan have had the song in his 'vault' for quite some time (hence the different title, 'Broken Lights') and that it wasn't made specifically for Demi, and that Ryan had already finished making the base production and complete lyrics before Demi even appeared asking for one of his hits.
Again, what is the problem you ask? Well, mainly that Demi shouldn't be in the 'writing credits' for this song at all. Just listen to the demo below. What did she do? Just change 'broken' for 'neon'?. Can't understand why would Ryan let Demi take a slice of the 'Neon Lights' cake so easily. Perhaps he thought Demi would actually make this song a monster smash all around the world and that the relinquishing a bit of 'publishing royalties' was worth the shot? Well, "Neon Lights" only reach #36 on the Hot 100. Did he screw up?