We’ve waved goodbye to March and the cold, and as April continues and turns to May, we’ve bloomed into one of my favorite seasons: spring. For me, spring represents new growth in nature, warm weather, sunshine, healing, and the start of summer — something that Lorde’s third album, Solar Power, fully embodies. I love this album and think it is highly underrated, so to show it some love, I’ve broken the album down into my favorites, along with the meanings of each song. Come join me as we journey through Solar Power.
Solar Power, Lorde’s third album, was released on August 20th, 2021, and is comprised of twelve songs that center around many themes including nature, sunshine, life lessons, personal growth, and more.
1. The Path
“The Path” begins the album by discussing the atmosphere of being a celebrity and what it is like to be judged and observed by millions of people every single day. Lorde discusses how overwhelming this can be and how she needs a break from her own career as well, not taking a call “if it’s the label or the radio.” She adds to this by discussing how the general public idolizes her, asking for guidance in their own lives to “save” them from their problems. She stops to say: “if you’re looking for a savior, it’s not me,” stepping down from the pedestal that celebrities are often put on to make people realize that, despite her fame, she is as normal as the rest of us. She makes it clear that “we’re all broken and sad,” referring to the general public and celebrities as a whole, and that to truly heal we can “hope the sun will show us the path.” This starts the theme of using nature to heal those inner wounds caused by our often-cruel world.
My Rating: 7.5/10
Favorite Lyric: “Teen millionaire having nightmares from the camera flash”
2. Solar Power
“Solar Power,” the lead single and name of the album, is a sunny anthem. Lorde starts the song being blatantly honest, saying “I hate the winter, can’t stand the cold, I tend to cancel all my plans.” She counters this, explaining how “when the heat comes, something takes a hold,” describing that feeling many of us get when it is the first warm day after hundreds of cold ones: pure bliss. She continues the song talking about going to the beach and soaking up the sun, and then finally, “blink three times and you feel it kicking in, that solar power.” This song honors the beauty and positive effect the sun can have on a person, brightening things up literally and metaphorically.
My Rating: 8/10
Favorite Lyric: “Can you reach me? No, you can’t (aha)”
3. California
In the third track, “California,” Lorde delves into her personal testimony of when she knew she made it into the music industry and how it came tons of success and lots of opening doors, but also a whole new environment that the California lifestyle represents. She explains that she has “spent thousands on you darling/oh, the hotels and the jets, and I’d pay it all again to have your golden body back in my bed,” talking about how much money she’s invested in the California lifestyle and how she would do lots to have only the good things back. She continues with saying “but I don’t miss the poison arrows aimed directly at my head/goodbye to all the bottles, all the models,” referring to the sometimes-intense lifestyle Los Angeles celebrities often live. She no longer wants “that California love” and wishes to adopt some features of her lifestyle in Zew Zealand before her fame.
My Rating: 6/10
Favorite Lyric: “Bye to the kids in the lines for the new Supreme”
4. Stoned at the Nail Salon
“Stoned at the Nail Salon” is the fourth song of the album, representing Lorde’s inner thoughts and the life lessons she’s learned. She talks about the quieter lifestyle she now has, saying “I love this life that I have, the vine hanging over the door/And the dog who comes when I call/But I wonder sometimes what I’m missing.” Despite being happier with a slower life than the California lifestyle she left, she thinks about the touring, songwriting, and the industry routine she was used to before. In this song, she searches for a balance between the two sides of her, doing a little bit of overthinking. This song makes me feel like I am in Lorde’s brain, especially when she says “I don’t know, maybe I’m just stoned at the nail salon,” representing that feeling we all get when we get so lost in our minds, wondering how we got there. She is doing what’s best for her, but also does wondering just like the rest of us.
My Rating: 8/10
Favorite Lyric: “Well, my hot blood’s been burning for so many summers now/It’s time to cool it down”
5. Fallen fruit
The album’s fifth song discusses our climate crisis with analogies from the book of Genesis in the Bible. Lorde is overwhelmed with the condition our parents’ generation left us in, saying they “had no idea the dreams we had were far too big,” alluding to the fact that the overuse of resources from past generations was too much for our Earth to handle. She is disappointed in their actions and wants to appreciate the earth and its beauty, but feels conflicted. “But how can I love what I know I am gonna lose,” insinuates the eventual downfall of the planet if we do not take action soon.
My Rating: 6/10
Favorite Lyric: “you’ll leave us dancing on the fallen fruit”
6. Secrets From a girl (Who’s Seen It alL)
The sixth song, “Secrets from a Girl (Who’s Seen it All)” is undoubtedly my favorite song on the album. The song contains so many life lessons that Lorde has learned over her years — almost like a list of big sister advice to her audience. I have listened to this song so many times, taking Lorde’s lyrics word-by-word. She talks about the passing of time and how she “couldn’t wait to turn 15, then you blink and it’s been ten years,” realizing that time moves so quickly, and how short life truly is. To really grasp it, you have to listen yourself, as it is a masterpiece.
My Rating: 10/10
Favorite Lyric: “Everybody wants the best for you, but you gotta want it for yourself”
7. The Man With The Axe
The seventh song on the album is a little love ballad Lorde writes in honor of her new relationship, talking about the simplicity of her love with this new person. She talks about the things she struggles with, like her “throat that fills with panic every festival day” and her “fistful of tunes that it’s painful to play,” but all of that melts away when she thinks of her lover’s “doll’s lashes, your infinite T-shirts.” It sounds like this person helped her out of a complicated time in her life, as she says “but there, by the fire, you offered your hand, And as I took it, I loved you, the boy with the plan.” She thanks this new lover for all he’s done for her by writing him this love song.
My Rating: 7/10
Favorite Lyric: “I writing a love song for you, baby”
8. Dominoes
“Dominoes,” a shorter track, digs into the type of person everyone knows who constantly wants to rebuild themselves, try a new wellness technique, or rebrand their lifestyle. Lorde talks about this domino effect and what it is like to be “Mr. Start Again” over and over.
My Rating: 5/10
Favorite Lyric: “And I watch them flick them down like dominoes”
9. BiG Star
“Big Star” is the ninth song on Lorde’s album, all about her dog, Pearl, who passed away in 2019. She talks about how lucky she was to have an amazing companion like Pearl. The song is about grief and processing it, and how losing a pet can be one of the more difficult things in life.
My rating: 6/10
Favorite Lyric: “Everyone knows you’re too good for me, don’t they?”
10. Leader of a New Regime
This very short 10th track delves into a futuristic world that is unlivable and broken, where Lorde begs, “won’t somebody, anybody, be the leader of the new regime,” asking for a savior amongst the broken world.
My Rating: 5/10
Favorite Lyric: “Free the keepers of the burnt-out scene another day”
11. Mood Ring
“Mood Ring,” another one of my favorite songs on the album, is all about wellness culture and how we use endless different remedies to try to heal our bodies in different ways. Lorde expresses her trouble by saying she “can’t seem to fix her mood/today it’s as dark as my roots,” and then lists many ways to fix her internal problems. “Ladies begin your sun salutations/transcendental in your meditations,” “you can burn sage and I’ll cleanse the crystals,” and “all the vitamins I consume” are several lyrics that shed light on the different natural remedies we use to cope through sad situations and moods.
My Rating: 9/10
Favorite Lyric: “I can’t feel a thing, I keep looking at my mood ring”
12. Oceanic Feeling
This six-minute closer, “Oceanic Feeling,” is all about where Lorde is in life, wondering what her future will look like, talking about her siblings, and her current relationship. She delves deep into her life and how she learned her life lessons through her experiences. She tells her audience she’s “taking it one year at a time.” This song shows Lorde’s development as a person, how far she’s come, and the knowledge she can now share with the world.
My Rating: 7/10
Favorite Lyric: “I just had to breathe/And tune in”
Don’T Be Shy, give it a listen
If you have not taken a listen to Solar Power yet and are in need of some beach-themed self-growth jams, definitely take some time to enjoy the beautiful melodies Lorde has composed. I hope the album has given you “solar power” to glide through the summer and spring seasons with ease. Happy listening!