“Solar Power” by Lorde
Lorde’s “Solar Power” is intended to be a summer jam, which is why there is such an overt shoutout to the sun, i.e. “solar power”. Accordingly the narrative is set on a beach, and it is simple enough, being primarily based on a concept like Lorde and her female homeys “dancing in the sand”, i.e. enjoying themselves thereupon.
And the vocalist also utilizes the opportunity, i.e. the onset of the exciting summer season, to encourage listeners to adopt “a new” – we’re presuming more positive – “state of mind”. And practicing what she preaches, the second verse finds the narrator ‘throwing her cellular device in the water’, an act which is apparently symbolic of an attempt to do away with unfavorable aspects of the past and present.
So with that out of the way, if you got a look at the track’s cover art you would likely agree that it’s a bit unconventional, to say the least. Well it just so happens that said upskirt-less shot actually fits into the narrative of the song. For part of the story also features Lorde prancing around beach, most simply put, with her ass out.
Under normal circumstances, such would imply that she is wearing something like a G-string bikini. But in this particular case, we can’t necessarily take that for granted. Either way her boyfriend is “behind” her, apparently taking pics of her naked behind.
In Short…
So conclusively we can say that this is a modern-day summertime pop anthem. We often come across tunes, such as by those by contemporary Latin American raggaeton artists, that feature a male vocalist admiring female bodies on the beach. But this time around, it’s like one of those selfsame females has dropped a song herself. And as such she is celebrating her own beauty, which by the way is “kinda like a prettier Jesus”.
But more to the point, as noted earlier, is just her espousement of summertime, beach-based fun. So if nothing else, we can conclude that Lorde is happy that said season has finally commenced.
Facts about “Solar Power”
“Solar Power”, which was released on 10 June 2021, is the first single Lorde has put out since 2017. And it is also the title track of the first album she intends to release since that same year.
Lorde co-produced and co-wrote this song alongside the seemingly-everywhere Jack Antonoff. And she also co-directed its music video, in that regard working in conjunction with Joel Kefali.
The aforementioned release date of this track was also the day in which a solar eclipse occurred, specifically in the Northern Hemisphere. And to note, the label that put this song out is Universal New Zealand.
Some strong buzz was generated for this song prior to the track’s release when its cover art was revealed on 7 June 2021. That is due to said pic’s adult nature, which The Guardian describes as “the 24-year old singer springing over a camera on the ground, without underwear”, or, we should note, any lower garment on at all. And said flick was taken by a friend of hers named Ophelia.
NOTE
Despite taking such a lengthy hiatus between tracks, it isn’t as if Lorde has fallen off. In fact as of the release of “Solar Power”, she is still considered to be the most-popular New Zealand musicians in the world. That’s because both of the albums she has dropped thus far, especially the first one, Pure Heroine (2013), proved to be major successes. For instance, the above-noted project sold to the tune of 6,000,000 copies worldwide.
Even though her sophomore full-length, 2017’s Melodrama, didn’t fare as well commercially, unlike the first it topped the Billboard 200 and Canadian Albums Chart. And as far as singles go, her most-successful track as well as only Billboard Hot 100 and UK Singles Chart topper to date would also be Lorde’s debut single, Royals (2013). And she’s been able to build off that impressive reception with follow-up hits such as Yellow Flicker Beat (2014) and Green Light (2017).
