Penthouse Floor (feat. Chance the Rapper)

The penthouse is the top floor of a hotel, which is reserved for people of a high social standing. John Legend sings on this funky empowering track about rising above. They float above the city lights Forget the truth inhale the lies Just enjoy the show They see us reaching for the sky Just ignore them to survive As Legend takes us up to the "Penthouse Floor," he has in mind the marginalized communities that are stuck on the ground, having been held back by the elite. Legend explained to the BBC that the song is "talking from the perspective of someone who lives on the wrong side of town, and is invisible to the powers that be." "The only time people notice his neighbourhood is when there's a police shooting and there's protesting in the streets," he added. "It's a reaction to housing segregation and the ghetto-isation of certain communities - how people ignore poverty and despair in certain neighbourhoods."

The song features a verse from Chance the Rapper. Legend explained during a listening party for Darkness And Light why he hooked up with the hip hop star. "I have a lot of friends from Chicago that have worked with him before," the singer shared. "I've been a fan for a while…I just really admire him. He's so young and bold. He's a really insightful artist."

This started out as a song about escaping your problems, but after Chance The Rapper came on board, it became a lot more political. Legend explained during a Darkness and Light listening party: "It talks about what's happening in our streets and how it's often ignored until something blows up, wanting to take your rightful place in society and finding a place where your voice and life matter. Chance and I were going back and forth as he was figuring out exactly what he was going to write about."