"Turn da Lights Off" is a song by American singer Tweet from her second studio album, It's Me Again (2005). It features guest vocals from American rapper Missy Elliott, who co-wrote and co-produced the song with Kwamé. The song was released on October 5, 2004, as the album's lead single. "Turn da Lights Off" contains a sample of Nat King Cole's "Lost April" and portions of Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell's "If This World Were Mine". Proposals for the It's Me Again lead single dates back to early 2004, where MTV reported that the Missy Elliott-produced "Shook Up", featuring rapper and former 106 & Park co-host Free, was in consideration for a lead single choice. However, complications from the merging between Elektra Records and Atlantic prevented the song's release, resulting in the song's cancellation and a pushback date for Tweet's It's Me Again album.[2] On October 5, 2004, "Turn da Lights Off" was released and began to appear on numerous mixtapes to help spread the word of the song's release.[3] A promotional remix featuring 50 Cent and an alternate line by Elliott was also released to mixtapes in order to generate further buzz for the single. The song met generally mixed to favorable reviews. Shaheem Reid of MTV's Mixtape Monday complimented the track for its guest production by rapper Kwamé. Reid also praised Missy Elliott for her vocals and opening line, "we gonna take it back like polka dots", for its reminiscent-throwback feel of "a fly era".[3] By contrast, Andy Kellman of AllMusic criticized Elliott's vocals, stating that her "berserk squawks vandalize[d]" Tweet's "return single". On a lighter note, Kellman did favor Elliott's production for the single, in which he felt it was reminiscent of her other produced-single, "So Gone" by Monica. Kellman had also listed "Turn da Lights Off" as a "Song Pick", where it was cited as the "most representative" of the It's Me Again album.