Coming Out of the Dark

In 1990 Gloria Estefan and her family were involved in a major motor accident when the Estefans' tour bus was hit by a semi-truck and crashed into a tractor trailer in Pennsylvania. Her husband and son received minor injuries but Gloria was critically injured with a broken vertebra. She took a year to recover and this song was written by her about her recovery. The title was inspired by a phrase her husband had written on a piece of paper as a helicopter transported her for delicate surgery to repair her broken back. Gloria explained to Billboard: "My husband had been in one of the helicopters traveling from one hospital to the other. It was really dark and gray, and he was traumatized. He got this ray of light that hit him in the face, and he got the idea for 'Coming out of the Dark.'"

It was the first song that Gloria performed and also the first single she released after her near-fatal accident. She debuted the song at the American Music Awards, held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, on January 29, 1991.

Included in the backing choir are Jon Secada (who co-wrote the song) and R&B singer Betty Wright.