The Limelight origin

You have probably heard it said that someone you know enjoys being in the limelight, which indicates they bask in being the center of attention. There is a song by the group Rush titled Lime light which begins with:

“Living on a lighted stage approaches the unreal

For those who think and feel

In touch with some reality beyond the gilded cage

Cast in this unlikely role, ill-equipped to act

With insufficient tact

One must put up barriers to keep oneself intact

Living in the limelight, the universal dream

For those who wish to see

Those who wish to be

Must put aside the alienation

Get on with the fascination

The real relation, the underlying theme”

You may have assumed limelight was a synonym for spotlight as some people do use the terms interchangeably. These two terms, do mean the same thing to most of the population however, they have completely different origins. A spotlight is a bright light or lamp that is used to center on or focus upon an object or person. It illuminates the intended object so that all eyes will be on whatever or whoever is the center of attention.

A limelight is a type of stage lighting that once was used in theaters and music halls and produced a bright light by the use of incandescent quicklime. If you thought limelight meant a spotlight with a lime green tint, don’t feel bad, so did I for quite some time. Limelight is also known as Drummond light or calcium light and created an intense illumination when an oxyhydrogen flame is directed at a cylinder of quicklime. The light is created by a combination of incandescence and candoluminescence and limelight was replaced with the nvention of electrical lighting.

The word limelight continues to be utilized today to describe someone who is in the public eye. The actual lights are called "limes", but this term has been now been transferred to electrical equivalents. When calcium hydroxide (slaked lime) is heated in a stove burner it gives off a glow, although not nearly as bright as a real limelight. The limelight effect was discovered by Goldsworthy Gurney in the 1820s and was based on his work with the "oxy-hydrogen blowtorch. It was in 1825 that Scotsman Thomas Drummond saw a demonstration of the effect of limelight by Michael Faraday.

He realized that the light would be useful for surveying. and in 1826 Drummond built a working version of limelight. This why the device is sometimes referred to as the Drummond light. Spotlights came about 53 years later in 1879. Louis Hartmann from the United Stated was the inventor of the light that shines on a specified c spot. “Follow spotlights”will project spots that can easily be changed to cover a huge area or one that is as small as a human face.

When I think of spotlights I recall the 1978 hit single Flashlight by the funk group Parliament/Funkadrlic. The song tells the continuing saga of Sir Nose. D’void of funk who does not want the funk and refuses to dance. At one point the lyrics state: “ Most of all help him, help him find the funk, shine the spotlight on him.” In live concerts a spotlight would illuminate the band member who was portraying Sir Nose and when he gave in to the funk and began to dance the crowd would go wild flashing their own lights. All eyes as well as the spotlight would remain in Sir Node until the end of the song,

The bottom line to limelight’s and spotlights is that limelight’s were used in theaters only in the early 1800s. Spotlights came along a little over half a century later and at this point in time can be used anywhere. The police at times utilize spotlights to highlight a criminal they are trying to apprehend. Spotlights are used in maximum security prisons to prevent escapes. If you happen to slip up and say limelight don’t be too concerned because this term will probably be around for quite a while.