Solar Power (song)

Solar Power
General information
Artist	Lorde
Release Date	11 June 2021
Genre	Pop, indie-folk
Length	3:12
Label	Universal Music New Zealand
Songwriter(s)	Lorde, Jack Antonoff
Producer(s)	Lorde, Jack Antonoff
Album	Solar Power
Singles chronology
Previous	"Homemade Dynamite (Remix)"
Current	"Solar Power"
Next	"Stoned at the Nail Salon"
Solar Power chronology
"The Path"
"Solar Power"
"California"
Music Video

"Solar Power" is a song by New Zealand singer-songwriter Lorde. It is the lead single and title track from Lorde's third studio album Solar Power. The song was written and produced by Lorde and Jack Antonoff and was released on 11 June 2021 by Universal Music New Zealand, after being announced on Lorde's website alongside the message "Patience is a virtue". The song also briefly leaked hours before its release and was pushed forward from its initial release date, 20 June. Musically, "Solar Power" is an indie folk, pop, psychedelic, and sunshine pop song.

The song received positive reviews from critics, who praised the summer-like sound of the song as well as its departure from Lorde's previous works. The song peaked inside the top-20 on charts in Australia, Bolivia, Ireland, Japan, and New Zealand, and it received gold certification from the Recorded Music NZ (RMNZ).

Lorde and Joel Kefali directed the music video for "Solar Power", which has drawn comparisons to the 2019 folk horror film Midsommar. The song was translated into the Māori language by Hēmi Kelly, and was performed and released by Lorde as "Te Ao Mārama / Solar Power", the second track from her EP Te Ao Mārama, released on 9 September 2021.

Writing and production

"Solar Power" has been described as a guitar-led indie folk, pop, psychedelic, and sunshine pop song. Lorde wrote the song while visiting her friend Cazzie David on Martha's Vineyard off the coast of Massachusetts. She wrote the song on a Yamaha DX keyboard and later brought the demo to producer Jack Antonoff for further work.

Lorde initially thought the song sounded similar to Robbie Williams' 2000 single "Rock DJ" (both songs include references to A Tribe Called Quest's "Can I Kick It?"), but she was later informed of its similarities to "Loaded", a 1990 single by the British band Primal Scream. Although the similarity to "Loaded" was unintentional, and Lorde said she had never heard of Primal Scream beforehand, she contacted the band's lead singer Bobby Gillespie to clear "Solar Power" with him. In an interview Apple Music 1 DJ Zane Lowe, Lorde said Gillespie had given "Solar Power" his approval: "He was so lovely about it — he was like, 'These things happen, you caught a vibe that we caught years ago.' And he gave us his blessing. So let the record state: 'Loaded' is 100% the original blueprint for this, but we arrived at it organically. And I’m glad we did."

Aside from "Loaded", "Solar Power" has also been compared to George Michael's 1990 song "Freedom! '90". Michael's estate issued a positive statement on the similarities between the songs after the release of "Solar Power", stating "We are aware that many people are making a connection between 'Freedom '90' by George Michael and 'Solar Power' by Lorde, which George would have been flattered to hear, so on behalf of one great artist to a fellow artist, we wish her every success with the single."

The song features backing vocals from indie rock musicians Phoebe Bridgers and Clairo.

Artwork

The cover image was photographed by Lorde's friend Ophelia, showing Lorde's buttocks. The cover art was released on Lorde's official website and the official Instagram account of her frequent collaborator Jack Antonoff on 7 June 2021, and was widely shared on social media. However, due to a large scale DMCA takedown, many Twitter accounts sharing the cover were locked for several hours. The photo quickly went viral online. Lorde responded that, "It's a specific experience thinking about everyone in your life seeing your butt. I have no regrets. I love this cover and am happy for this to be how people see my butt." There is another version of the cover art, which obscures Lorde's butt with sunlight. This obscured version was shown to Spotify users in Japan, users of China's top music streaming platforms like NetEase Cloud Music and QQ Music, Apple Music users in mainland China, Hong Kong, Japan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

Critical reception

The music video for "Solar Power" was released on 11 June 2021, directed by Lorde and Joel Kefali, which "posits Lorde almost as the leader of a happy-go-lucky, hippie solstice cult — almost a benign, yassified [sic] version of Midsommar". Stewart Sowman-Lund of The Spinoff also noted a similar connection, writing that "the music video is like if Midsommar was shot in New Zealand". Lorde told Triple J that "we built literally basically a universe on a secret beach. The first video is me introducing you to the world of the album and the videos, I play a kooky tour guide almost". The music video was met with a mixed reception from critics.

Filming location

With a presumption that the video was filmed in New Zealand, Newshub claimed that the location of the music video was Cactus Bay on Waiheke Island, guessing that the landmass in the distance was the Coromandel Peninsula, and presuming that a cargo ship in the background placed the video's location north of Auckland. The chair of the Waiheke Local Board, Cath Handley, also claimed that the location of the music video was Cactus Bay, which she called a "beautiful beach", but that she hoped that the music video "doesn’t hurdle huge numbers of people towards Waiheke". While not disclosing the location of the beach, in an interview with Jesse Mulligan of The Project, Lorde asked people not to "go and desecrate any beaches with selfie sticks or anything" when asked about where the video was filmed.

Chart performance

"Solar Power" debuted at #64 on the Billboard Hot 100 during the chart week of June 25, 2021. In her home country, New Zealand, she reached the 2nd position, where it was certified gold 4 months later. It was also nominated for "Single of the Year" at New Zealand's biggest awards show, Aotearoa Music Awards.

Live performances

On 15 July 2021, Lorde debuted "Solar Power" live on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. The performance took place on the rooftop of the Ed Sullivan Theater. On July 30, Lorde premiered two performances with Jack Antonoff of "Solar Power" on YouTube. Both performances were shot on the roof of Electric Lady Studios in New York in July 2021 with a day of difference. In an email sent to fans on July 30, 2021, Lorde wrote they had plans to "do a handful of songs" for the performance, "but the fine warm day became a large storm, and we got through one take of Solar Power and had to tap out for fear of electrocution."

Solar Power (Late Show with Stephen Colbert)

Solar Power (Summer Storm Version - Rooftop Performance)

Solar Power (Rooftop Performance)

Te Ao Mārama / Solar Power

"Te Ao Mārama / Solar Power" is a song recorded by New Zealand singer-songwriter Lorde. It is the second track from her Te Ao Mārama EP, and is performed fully in the Māori language. "Te Ao Mārama" translates to "world of light" in Māori, which is both a reference to the title of Solar Power, and the phrase "mai te pō ki te ao mārama", which Leonie Hayden of The Spinoff called "the transition from night to the enlightened world that comprises part of the Māori creation narrative (similar to Adam and Eve’s apple, but from the point of view that knowledge is a good thing)".

The song was translated into Māori by Hēmi Kelly, who said of the song, "I love the warmth of summer so it was easy for me to connect with the lyrics. It talks about leaving your worries behind and moving into a positive space. That reminded me of the transition in our creation narratives of moving from darkness, te pō, into the world of light, te ao mārama. That’s a transition we continually navigate throughout our lives."

Lyrics

I hate the winter, can't stand the cold
I tend to cancel all the plans (I'm so sorry, I can't make it)
But when the heat comes
Something takes a hold
Can I kick it? Yeah, I can

My cheeks in high colour, overripe peaches
No shirt, no shoes, only my features
My boy behind me, he's taking pictures
Lead the boys and girls onto the beaches
Come one, come all, I'll tell you my secrets
I'm kinda like a prettier Jesus

Forget all of the tears that you've cried
It's over (Over, over, over)
It's a new state of mind
Are you coming, my baby?

Acid green, aquamarine
The girls are dancing in the sand
And I throw my cellular device in the water
Can you reach me? No, you can't (Haha)

My cheeks in high colour, overripe peaches
No shirt, no shoes, only my features
My boy behind me, he's taking pictures (He's taking pictures)
Lead the boys and girls onto the beaches
Come one, come all, I'll tell you my secrets
I'm kinda like a prettier Jesus

Turn it on in a new kind of bright
It's solar (Solar, solar, solar)
Come on and let the bliss begin
Blink three times when you feel it kicking in

That solar power, oh that power
Solar power, oh that power
Solar power, oh that power
Solar power, oh that power
Solar power, oh that power
Solar power, oh that power