“Sour Diesel” by Zayn
First off, the audience should be made aware that sour diesel actually refers to “a popular strain of cannabis”. As such, when Zayn references “her” in the track he could be referring to the plant, an actual woman or both.
For instance, in the first verse we see that this lady is basically described as being a ‘murderer’. However, instead of actually alluding to deadly violence, Zayn is most-likely referring to the killer high he gets from hitting the sour diesel. In other words, as he points out in the pre-chorus, this “high” makes him feel like he has “taking off like a rocket” and is on a “spaceship”. Another way of looking at it is that the potency the singer attributes to this woman can be symbolic of her romantic interactions with men.
During the chorus instead of trying to figure out whether he is talking about a shorty or ganja, Zayn makes a direct comparison between the two. He states that “like sour diesel, she burn(s)”. Thus the woman he is referencing also reminds him of the plant he is singing about since they both “burn”, and based on the earlier part of the song, in relation to the woman, this is likely alluding to her playing men.
In the second verse – and indeed throughout the rest of the song – it seems more-obvious that the artist is singing about weed. And the overall sentiment he appears to be relaying is a sense of powerlessness in relation to the sour diesel as well as the lady he may be singing about.
Facts about “Sour Diesel”
- Zayn teased this track the day before it was officially released (17 July 2018) via Twitter. However, he first teased it way back on 22 May 2018 via Instagram.
- The music video to “Sour Diesel” featured Zayn portrayed as a “superhero” who combats a group of thieves.
- Even prior to the release of this track, Zayn was already known for being a ganja aficionado.
- “Sour Diesel” was written by Zayn along with Rob Cavallo and James Ho.
- Co-writers of the song (Cavallo and Ho) also produced the track.
- This song was officially released on 18 July 2018. It is the 16th track featured on Zayn’s 2018 album, Icarus Falls.
Was “Sour Diesel” released as a single?
Yes. It was one of the six singles from Icarus Falls. Other notable singles from that album include “Fingers” and “No Candle No Light“.
