“Pray It Away” by Chlöe
As “Pray It Away” progresses, it does become increasingly spiritual in nature, in a manner of speaking.
But it is also made pretty clear from the lyrical onset that despite its title track, this track is not a gospel. Rather it is firmly implied that what we’re dealing with here is a song of romantic discontent, whereas Chloe sets things off by damning a “f*ck nigga”.
WHAT IS A “F*-K NIGGA”?
A “f*ck nigga”, in context, would be the same as a f*ckboy, i.e. a guy who is alarmingly superficial when it comes to romance and sexual relationships. And to the chagrin of the vocalist, her ex has proven to be such an individual.
So in the first verse, Chloe goes about forthrightly expressing that this guy “really… hurt” her feelings, to the point that in retrospect, she deems their romance to have been a “waste [of] time” that amounted to “nothing”.
The second verse which, given the motif of the song, relies more heavily on religious imagery, going about revealing that this person’s main fault is being “disloyal”. So again when looking back, the vocalist realizes that she should have never been serious with him to begin with.
And it isn’t all about Chloe’s feelings being hurt, or the vocalist considering herself holier than the next woman. Instead, when she feels as if she’s been played, as in this scenario, “the gun is off safety”. In other words, Chloe can’t keep her feelings pent up and resultantly becomes outspoken and, as more plainly illustrated in the pre-chorus, vengeance-oriented.
CHLOE’S IDEAL REMEDY TO A ROMANTICALLY-TROUBLED HEART
In the second verse, Chloe also interestingly notes that her “halo is gone”. That’s another way of saying, more simply put, that she doesn’t consider herself to be innocent, nor shall we say righteous per se.
But as shown in the chorus, she has concluded that the best solution to the matter at hand would be to “take it to church” and “pray it away”, i.e. entreat a higher power to remove the hurt and anger that she feels on the inside.
And as strongly inferred throughout, that would be because if she doesn’t take the higher, spiritual road, then the rage welling up on the inside will become so pressing that she won’t have any choice but to seek revenge, i.e. give the addressee “what he deserves”, as it is he whom she “learned to hate from”.
ABOUT CHLOE BAILEY
Chloe Bailey, a prodigy of Beyoncé Knowles, initially became music industry active alongside her little sister, Halle, as part of an act known as Chloe x Halle. In more recent times Chloe began venturing out on her own, and her debut solo single, “Have Mercy” (2021), did prove to be a certifiable hit.
As of this writing, Chloe is now on the verge of dropping her first album, “In Pieces”, during March of 2023. “Pray It Away” is lead single from that project, itself being released a couple of months prior, on January 27th. This outing is backed by Parkwood Entertainment, the label Beyoncé founded in 2010, in conjunction with the longer-tenured Columbia Records (whom the Queen B has been affiliated with since her Destiny’s Child days).
THE TEAM BEHIND “PRAY IT AWAY”
The only artist credited as both a writer and producer of this song is ThankGod4Cody, who is actually a regular Sza collaborator. The other authors, besides Chloe herself, are the lesser known Martin Alexander Pitt, Eric Moore and Jozzy. And the additional producers of this track are:
- Pitt Tha Kid
- ECassshh
- Puredandyy
THE LONG AND SHORT OF “PRAY IT AWAY”
No woman takes kindly to feeling used romantically, and reactions differ based on the individual involved. As presented, Chloe’s inclination after being deceived by “a f*ck nigga” is to get his ass back for playing her. But at the same time she knows that such a reaction, in the grand scheme of things, is not for the best.
So more ideally, she is “call(ing) on the Lord” to make things right. And the conclusive implication is that if He doesn’t, then she will proceed to take matters into her own hands.
“Maybe I should go and take it to church (uh)
And wash it away ’cause I want that ni–a to hurt
But I’ma just pray it away
Before I give him what he deserves first”
THE MUSIC VIDEO
The music video to this track, keeping within the overarching theme of “Pray It Away”, was filmed inside of “a historical Los Angeles church”. Madeline Kate Kann, who has previously worked with the likes of Megan Thee Stallion and Pentatonix, directed the visual.
