Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Aug 1, 2026

Red Light Spells Danger

"Red Light Spells Danger" is a single recorded by Billy Ocean in 1977. It was written by Ocean, and producer Ben Findon. The song became his second UK top 10, peaking at number two.

Last revised
Aug 1, 2026
Read time
≈ 2 min
Length
430 w
Citations
17
Source
Wikipedia ↗
"Red Light Spells Danger"
Single by Billy Ocean
A-side"Red Light Spells Danger"
B-side"Sweet Memories"
Released11 March 1977
GenrePop
Length3:33
LabelGTO
SongwritersLeslie Charles, Ben Findon
ProducerBen Findon
Billy Ocean singles chronology
"Stop Me (If You've Heard It All Before)"
(1976) 		"Red Light Spells Danger"
(1977) 		"Let's Put Our Emotions in Motion"
(1979)

"Red Light Spells Danger" is a single recorded by Billy Ocean in 1977. It was written by Ocean (credited under his real name, Leslie Charles), and producer Ben Findon.1 The song became his second UK top 10, peaking at number two.

It was first released by GTO Records on 11 March 1977.2 The songs b-side, "Sweet Memories", was written by Ocean (again credited under his real name) and Geoff Downes, later of The Buggles.1 The song is sung in the key of E.3

Reception

The song charted in the United Kingdom, Germany, Netherlands, and New Zealand. In the UK, it peaked at number two (his second single to peak at number two after "Love Really Hurts Without You"), with "Knowing Me, Knowing You" by ABBA preventing the song from reaching the top of the charts for two weeks.45 It went to number ten in New Zealand, number eleven in the Netherlands, and number fifteen in Germany.678

"Red Light Spells Danger" ranked 47 in the 1977 Year-end charts.9 The song was certified gold in 2020, forty-three years after its release, and by 2025, was double platinum.10

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1978) Peak
position
Germany (GfK Entertainment charts)8 15
Netherlands (Dutch Charts)7 11
New Zealand (Official Aotearoa Music Charts)7 10
UK Singles (OCC)11 2

Year-end charts

Chart (1978) Peak
position
UK Singles (OCC)9 47

It is the 'walk on' music of British professional darts player Ross Smith.12

References

References

  1. Billy Ocean - Red Light Spells Danger, 1977, retrieved 2026-04-11
  2. "Song: Red Light Spells Danger written by Ben Findon, Billy Ocean | SecondHandSongs". secondhandsongs.com. Retrieved 2026-04-11.
  3. Song Key of Red Light Spells Danger / retrieved 11 April 2026
  4. Official Singles Charts - 17-23 April 1977 / retrieved 11 April 2026
  5. "RED LIGHT SPELLS DANGER". Official Charts. Archived from the original on 2026-03-03. Retrieved 2026-04-11.
  6. Hung, Steffen. "charts.org.nz - Billy Ocean - Red Light". charts.nz. Archived from the original on 2025-12-11. Retrieved 2026-04-11.
  7. Hung, Steffen. "Discografie Billy Ocean - dutchcharts.nl". dutchcharts.nl. Archived from the original on 2023-04-29. Retrieved 2026-04-11.
  8. German Charts - Billy Ocean / retrieved 11 April 2026
  9. Hunter, Nigel; Scaping, Peter, eds. (1978). "Top 100 Singles in 1977". BPI Year Book 1978
  10. "BRIT Certified Awards". BPI Membership Community. Retrieved 2026-04-11.
  11. Official Singles Charts - Darts / retrieved 10 April 2026
  12. "Song: Ross Smith | Darts News". dartsnews.com. Retrieved 2026-06-24.