License to Kill

"License to Kill" is the fourth and final single by MIDNIGHT from her debut album Demons. The single was released April 18, 2011 and shows MIDNIGHT in a different genre compared to previous singles, "License to Kill" having a more rock-based and angrier sound to it. In an interview on the Freshly Squeezed show, she described the meaning of the song as "being a murderer in disguise, because you haven't actually committed the crime yet but you've got the mind-set as one. So it's about unleashing those dark thoughts locked inside of your head and finally taking control and making those thoughts a reality." The song was nominated for Best Single and Best Video at the 20th Urapopstar Awards.

Singles
The song debuted at #1, giving MIDNIGHT her fourth consecutive number one on the UK Singles Chart; selling 96,028 copies in its first week. The single was certified Gold in its fourth week. After eight weeks on the chart, the single became MIDNIGHT's fourth consecutive Platinum single.

Airplay
The single debuted at #15 on the airplay chart on the week of the songs release and then rose to a new peak of #3 a week after.

Downloads
On 27th February, 2011, the song charted at #12 on the downloads chart, over a month before the single release. After weeks of moving up and down gradually on the chart, it reached a new peak of #10 two weeks before the single release. It rose to #7 on the week of its release and peaked at #3 on the day the single charted.

Music video
In its early stages, the video for "License to Kill" was rumoured to being through a great deal of censorship to make it appropriate for daytime TV. However, MIDNIGHT threatened her label that she would attempt to terminate her contract if they went against her artistic vision by censoring her ideas. The matter was soon resolved and no censored version of the video was made, meaning the video was banned from TV but could be available to watch on MIDNIGHT's VEVO channel and on her official website.

The official music video premiered on April 11th, a week before the single release.

The video opens with MIDNIGHT seen playing 'Red Riding Hood' whilst the armed police force play the 'Big Bad Wolves'. The 'wolves' seek for MIDNIGHT's love throughout the video by keeping her under control as they attempt to keep her as their own whilst MIDNIGHT experiences the troubles with love throughout the video - such as betrayal, pain, pressure and regret. They drag her along whilst she struggles to break free from their hold as the beginning of the song eventually begins after the sound of strong wind was previously heard for the opening. Her girl gang look on from behind, dressed in black as if they're attending a funeral, looking expressionless and helpless as they watch MIDNIGHT get taken away; representing betrayal. MIDNIGHT is eventually dragged through an old-fashioned building by the 'wolves' as she continues to try and break free without any luck. She soon arrives to a dining room where she sees other prisoners that they have captured, all of them dressed in rabbit-masks to express their more feminine nature and also keep the fairytale-like theme of the video, as MIDNIGHT described in her behind the scenes video as "Malice in Wonderland". The 'wolves' force her to sit down as the opening lyrics begin as she sings, looking around the table at the masked-rabbits in confusion as the police force walk away from the dining room and wait upstairs to observe the happenings; representing pressure. MIDNIGHT looking around worried whilst singing, wondering if she's ever going to break free of their hold. Quick images appear on screen as MIDNIGHT looks around the dining table. We see shots such as cupcakes decorated with pills as well as broken barbies, along with MIDNIGHT cutting into a chicken heart as blood pours out of it; the cutting of the heart representing pain. We see MIDNIGHT's face again, looking on at the masked-rabbits as they begin to eat the pill-covered cupcakes; showing that their freedom is completely gone as they are fully under the control of the 'wolves' without a mind of their own, MIDNIGHT refuses to eat and finishes cutting at the heart furiously, blood soaked all over the plate. In a new scene, MIDNIGHT is seen staring at the camera as her hair hangs down by her shoulder, inspired by the story of Rapunzel, except having her own famous raven-haired locks instead; continuing the fairytale theme of the video. She holds up a pair of scissors to the screen as we begin to see the video play in double speed, MIDNIGHT seen cutting her hair off; representing the rebellious side to her which is about to be shown in the dining room as she cuts away her innocence. Back in the dining room, a now-rebellious MIDNIGHT crawls onto the table slowly and stands up, walking over the food and then beginning to trash it by kicking it off the table. The other female prisoners reach out to her to try and stop her - knowing what consequences are to come for her actions. However she continues to rebel at the feast as she sings to the camera, continuing to trash everything on the table as the masked-rabbit prisoners look on in shock. The 'wolves' who have been observing at the top of the stairs in the old-fashioned building hear the disruption and charge down the stairs to the dining room. They begin attacking the masked-rabbit prisoners who are observing MIDNIGHT and trying to get her down from the table. Violent scenes are shown as they are punched to the ground and kicked repeatedly by the 'wolves'. They then turn to MIDNIGHT who continues trashing everything as she stands on the table, they go to grab her, pulling her off the table as MIDNIGHT lets out several unsettling screams, once again trying to break free from their control. The scene changes to outside of the building as we see the 'wolves' throw MIDNIGHT out as she sits on the steps outside. Her girl gang look on from the sides, still looking expressionless, MIDNIGHT tries to grab their attention but they make no sign of contact with her as she hangs her head low; representing regret. In the real 'Red Riding Hood' story, the woodcutter comes to save her, however, in MIDNIGHT's world, the woodcutter has teamed up with the 'wolves' to destroy her. MIDNIGHT looks on in fear as she looks at the woodcutter holding an axe in a threatening way as she waits for him to serve her the punishment. The scene changes to show MIDNIGHT in position ready to get her punishment, the woodcutter traces his fingers along her neck-line as she closes her eyes, waiting for what's to come. The video turns to slow motion as the music stops, the woodcutter throws the axe up into the air and then slams it down with force, right as we're about to see it slice her head off, the screen blacks out and the music begins again. A shot of her decapitated head appears at the end.

Behind the scenes
The behind the scenes video premiered on MIDNIGHT's official site on April 2nd.

''The behind the scenes footage begins with several, quick snapshots of many of the significant details in the video. Such as cupcakes decorated with pills and doll heads on trays.''

MIDNIGHT: "As the director of the video, I really wanted to do something completely different from the typical man-killing kind of video that I did for 'License to Kill'. For such a strong, rock-influenced and powerful track, I think people will be surprised with the video, but there's definitely moments in the video that live up to the violent nature of the song. I opted for a surreal, bittersweet kind of video... it's all about the representation of love, how bittersweet it is and how dangerous it is. In the video, I play Red Riding Hood who obvious finds herself in a massive dilemma in the actual story, but it's my take on the story if it was purely based around the theme of love. At the beginning, the 'Big Bad Wolves' are played by the police force who capture me because they want me as their own, there's definitely strength in numbers and that's why I wanted more than one bad guy. As I rebel against them and think the nice woodcutter man who ends up coming along in the actual story is gonna save me, that's where I'm wrong when I'm dragged out of the place and meet him... but that's a surprise for the actual video. It's definitely quite disturbing! If the wolves can't have me, nobody can... that's basically the story in short."

The main scene in the music video, an Alice in Wonderland inspired feast in a dining room where the 'deadly treats' come into play.

MIDNIGHT: "This is the most significant scene in the whole video where we're all at the table, with the deadly but delicious treats all scattered around on the table. I'm surrounded by girls with rabbit-masks which brings out the Alice in Wonderland inspiration from it all... but I wanted my own play on it, 'Malice in Wonderland' maybe? It's all very fairytale-like. I thought the rabbit-masks compared to the whole 'wolves' theme made the rabbits seem more feminine, as if we're all of the wolves prisoners or something. There's most definitely a threatening presence in the video that ends up making me suffer... which leads to the whole 'love is pain' story. They're the ones with the license to kill because they determine my fate."

As the Alice in Wonderland-like feast happens downstairs in the dining room, another scene plays at the top of the stairs as armed police (who play the 'Big Bad Wolves') wait.

MIDNIGHT: "The police are the threatening presence because they're always looking down at me throughout that whole scene... they're the 'Big Bad Wolves' as I mentioned, there's definitely a role switch from the video compared to the real story. If you look at the real one, the wolf has very little power when it comes to the end, he dies. But in my world, he has all the power; to even the point where him and the woodcutter are actually friends instead of enemies in the real story where the woodcutter in the forest comes to the rescue. The 'Big Bad Wolves' represent heartbreak in the video and end up leading me to the pain that I soon find at the end of the video, it's a constant build-up."

Live performances

 * URAPS Legends
 * Dancing on Ice Final
 * BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge

Track listings

 * Promo CD
 * 1) "License to Kill" (Radio Edit)
 * 2) "License to Kill" (Album Version)
 * 3) "License to Kill" (Instrumental)


 * CD1
 * 1) "License to Kill"
 * 2) "Love Songs"
 * 3) "License to Kill" (Alesha's Just for the Thrills Remix)


 * CD2
 * 1) "License to Kill"
 * 2) "Downfall"
 * 3) "License to Kill" (Phoenix Rising's Judge & Jury Club Anthem)


 * Remix EP
 * 1) "License to Kill"
 * 2) "License to Kill" (Phoenix Rising's Judge & Jury Club Anthem)
 * 3) "License to Kill" (Alesha's Just for the Thrills Remix)
 * 4) "License to Kill" (Always Climbing Mix)
 * 5) "License to Kill" (Bella-May's Electric Chair Club Mix)
 * 6) "License to Kill" (Phoenix Rising's Executioner Dub)
 * 7) "License and Shoot to Kill" (MIDNIGHT vs. Alesha & Indigo Peak)


 * Vinyl
 * 1) "License to Kill"
 * 2) "License to Kill" (Acoustic)