Passenger’s “Let Her Go” Lyrics Meaning

The title of this track (“Let Her Go”) alludes to the idea of someone conscientiously breaking up with his girlfriend, i.e. ‘letting her go’. Indeed the sentiments expressed in the song occur well after the fact after such has transpired. Verily Passenger has stated that he did indeed write this song ‘literally after a break up’ he experienced.

And the feeling expressed throughout is one of remorse. That is now that he has actually lost this lady he regrets doing so. Or more to how such sentiment is relayed, he has only now come to realize her true value in his life in the aftermath of she no longer being a part of it. 

And he uses different elaborate metaphors to illustrate this point, specifically how people have a tendency to underappreciate factors which are actually essential to their well being. That is they don’t perceive their importance until they’re devoid of them. Then they come to realize, as Passenger has in this case, how foolish such callousness was in the first place. 

Or as he himself puts it, he has only now to come to realize that he loves her after letting her go.

“Let Her Go” is a Cautionary Tale

And the way the song reads honestly is as if it is a cautionary tale. In other words, the singer address “you”, as in ‘you the listener’. And yes, he does so while simultaneously relaying his own story. Or another way of looking at it is that the true purpose of him airing out his personal business is to warn the listener. And the intended admonishment is clear – don’t wait until something that is essential to your life is gone before acknowledging its value. 

Or more to the point, don’t casually break up with a woman only to later realize that you’ve made one of the biggest mistakes of your life by ‘letting go’ of someone you actually love.

“Well you only need the light when it’s burning low
Only miss the sun when it starts to snow
Only know you love her when you let her go”

Passenger continues:

“Only know you’ve been high when you’re feeling low
Only hate the road when you’re missing home”

Music Video of “Let Her Go” amasses Billions of Views on YouTube

The music video to “Let Her Go”, which had Dave Jensen as its director, is ranked amongst the most-viewed videos, in general, of all time. This is due to it having amassed over a billion views on famous video-sharing site YouTube. As of 2019, it has in excess of two and-a-half billion views on the aforementioned site!

Release Date of “Let Her Go”

This song was released by Black Crow Records and the Nettwerk Music Group on 24 July 2012. It was done so as single number 2 from Passenger’s “All the Little Lights” album. This was the fourth studio album of Passenger’s career.

Major Success

The success of this track was phenomenal, having topped music charts in over 20 countries. This includes major charts such as the following:

• UK Singles Chart
• Billboard’s Adult Alternative Songs
• Adult Contemporary (United States)
• Adult Top 40 (United States)

“Let Her Go” has also achieved multi-Platinum status in over 10 countries.  Where it fared best in that regard is Australia, where the track has been certified seven-times Platinum.

Spotify Success

Moreover in late 2019 it became only the 42^nd song in history to surpass one-billion listens on the popular music-streaming service, Spotify.

Did Passenger write “Let Her Go”?

This song was written exclusively by Passenger, a solo artist from the UK.  And he claims to have written this hit in “under an hour”.

He wrote it as he was recoiling from a less-than-appreciated performance at an Australian university bar. Indeed at that particular point in time he was in fact a busker.

Passenger also co-produced “Let Her Go”, though in that regard with assistance from Chris Vallejo.

Budweiser Advert Appearance

This track was actually featured on a popular Budweiser commercial that aired during the Super Bowl in 2014. Some believe its appearance in the aforementioned ad contributed to its massive success in America.