Northern Lights

Dunford wrote the music and Thatcher the lyrics. It was recorded between November 1977 and January 1978 in London with David Hentschel producing, and appears on A Song for All Seasons. Haslam said the song was about her and Roy Wood, and about her being away touring while he stayed home. Thatcher wrote about the loneliness and separation Haslam felt on the road, and the title is wordplay rather than a reference to the aurora. Wood suggested triple-tracking Haslam's vocal, which she said just lifted the song. She had tried the technique on her solo album Annie in Wonderland (1977), which Wood produced. The first verse begins "Destination outward bound, I turn to see the northern lights behind the wing". The song was also performed for The Mike Douglas Show alongside Day of the Dreamer.

Warner Bros. and Sire released it as a single on 26 May 1978 with Opening Out on the B-side, on a seven-inch picture disc. It spent eleven weeks on the UK singles chart and peaked at number 10, which Haslam called their only hit. Melody Maker placed it at number 7 on 19 August 1978, and it earned a BPI Silver award on 1 September 1978. Dave Lee Travis made it Radio 1 record of the week while the band toured the United States. The band played it on Top of the Pops on 13 July and 10 August 1978, and on The Mike Douglas Show in the US on 4 May 1978.

Live

Setlist.fm counts 66 performances, making it one of the band's most played songs. A concert from the Tower Theater in Philadelphia on 12 April 1978 appears on the 2019 reissue of the album. Haslam recalled fans shouting for Wood's songs at him while she sang this one to him. A Top of the Pops performance of the song is on the Blu-ray of Can You Hear Me? Broadcasts 1974-1978, issued in 2024. Judith Durham recorded it on her album Mona Lisas (1996).