Lark

Album: All Mirrors (2019)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This is the opening track from All Mirrors, a set of songs concerned with toxic relationships and their aftermath. It finds Angel Olsen taking issue with a lover who promised to support her, but when she started to pursue her dreams, he made her feel bad.

    You say you love
    Every single part
    What about my dreams?
    What about the heart?


    Olsen explained in a press release: "The message of the song developed at first from an argument I once had with someone about trust and support. Later, I pulled from recurring themes in my life as a musician and as a human that dreams for a living. It's easy to promise the world to those we love, but what about when our dreams change and values split?"
  • The song took Olsen a long time to finish. She started working on the lyrics right before she made her 2016 My Woman album, but felt it was too dark for the set. After touring My Woman, Olsen had time to revisit the song.

    "It reminded me of the way I used to write, which was kind of meandering," she told Pitchfork. "I've never really had chorus-verse-chorus stuff, but this felt like four different songs in one. I thought of it more as a piece - almost like piano music that sometimes goes on for several minutes, and there's a fast, intense orchestral part, and then it's really quiet."
  • Olsen's long-term relationship ended in early 2018, sending her into a tailspin of isolation and doubt. However, All Mirrors isn't just about that breakup. "It's never about a specific person or one specific event, but instead about multiple events that have been similar in a lot of ways," she told MTV News.
  • Olsen and cinematographer Ashley Connor, a longtime collaborator, worked on the concept for the song's video together. The filming involved the beach at sunrise, horses, rain and multiple locations.

    "This one was the hardest we've made because there was like seven minutes. It felt like we were in Twister, chasing a tornado," Olsen told Uncut magazine. "We got up at 5 a.m. trying to get the horses on the beach which was frustrating because we couldn't really get them to run to the ocean."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Metallica

MetallicaFact or Fiction

Beef with Bon Jovi? An unfortunate Spandex period? See if you can spot the true stories in this Metallica version of Fact or Fiction.

Marvin Gaye

Marvin GayeFact or Fiction

Did Marvin try out with the Detroit Lions? Did he fake crazy to get out of military service? And what about the cross-dressing?

Jason Newsted (ex-Metallica)

Jason Newsted (ex-Metallica)Songwriter Interviews

The former Metallica bassist talks about his first time writing a song with James Hetfield, and how a hand-me-down iPad has changed his songwriting.

Dan Reed

Dan ReedSongwriter Interviews

Dan cracked the Top 40 with "Ritual," then went to India and spent 2 hours with the Dalai Lama.

Little Big Town

Little Big TownSongwriter Interviews

"When seeds that you sow grow by the wicked moon/Be sure your sins will find you out/Your past will hunt you down and turn to tell on you."

Brandi Carlile

Brandi CarlileSongwriter Interviews

As a 5-year-old, Brandi was writing lyrics to instrumental versions lullabies. She still puts her heart into her songs, including the one Elton John sings on.