While 30 Lives received a release in the iTunes Session (2013), from late 2010 into 2011 it was played live with additional lyrics and different instrumentation, known collectively as Starlight. The only studio audio known to be available is a 1:19 instrumental demo uploaded to the band’s channel on August 10, 2010. Full audio exists only in live recordings.

An alternate version of 30 Lives was released in the Songs for the Philippines Album (2013) with the same guitar as Starlight, though it lacks the additional lyrics and runtime. A download link for this version of 30 Lives, referred to as the Original Demo Version (July 2010), was given as a reward for achieving a perfect score on a trivia quiz about the band after the release of the Whatever It Takes music video in October 2017.

During a live performance in 2014 Dan Reynolds revealed that this song was written for Tyler Robinson, a boy who died of cancer. Imagine Dragons have founded the Tyler Robinson Foundation to support the families of those with childhood cancer in honor of him.