These Walls

Album: Radical Optimism (2024)
Charted: 40 101
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • On "These Walls" Dua Lipa details the messy reality of a dissolving relationship. The lyrics are a chronicle of arguments echoing in the air, and that dreaded conversation looming like a storm cloud – the one neither partner wants to have but everyone knows is coming.

    "I think this song is a really good example of addressing the inevitable, it's that conversation that no one really wants to have, but you have to do it," Lipa explained on the Zach Sang Show. "Someone has to just pull the plug and as painful as it is, it's usually for the right reasons. You know for sure what's meant for you is meant for you and your gut instinct will always tell you when something's right. We just don't want to listen sometimes."
  • "If these walls could talk" is an idiomatic expression used to convey the idea that if walls had the ability to speak, they would have stories to tell about past events, conversations, or experiences that have taken place within that space. Lipa uses the phrase with a twist. Here, the walls aren't just keeping secrets, they're screaming the truth: This relationship is toast.
  • Other songs that use the phrase "if these wall could talk" include:

    "If These Walls Could Talk" by Andy Hersey

    "We Built This House" by Scorpions ("Oh man, if these walls could talk")

    "These Walls" by Kendrick Lamar ("If these walls could talk. I can feel your reign when it cries.")
  • Lipa co-wrote "These Walls" on January 16, 2023, with British producer and electronic musician Danny L Harle (Charli XCX, Caroline Polachek); Post Malone's go-to songwriting partner Billy Walsh; Norwegian songwriter Caroline Ailin; and American songwriter and producer Andrew Wyatt. Ailin and Wyatt both helped Lipa pen her contribution to the Barbie soundtrack, "Dance The Night."

    "It was actually on the 15th of January, the day before, we were talking about these walls [in the studio] like if these walls could talk," Lipa said on the Zach Sang show. "But it also felt like maybe it was a thing that was said so many times, you know, it's such a cliché. But I think you can feel that energy. I think if you know when you walk in a room and there have been two people who have been arguing or there's been upset, there's an energy, there's a feeling, there's a heaviness that you feel whether you like it or not."
  • Wyatt and Harle produced "These Walls." They stripped back Lipa's signature dance-floor grooves, allowing her voice to take center stage, raw and brimming with emotion. The stripped-down approach underscored that gut-wrenching moment when you realize a relationship has run its course.
  • So, who is the mystery ex that inspired this sonic heartbreak? While Lipa keeps her lips sealed, it's worth noting that she was single in the year leading up to writing "These Walls." Her previous public relationship was with Anwar Hadid (brother of supermodels Gigi and Bella), which ended in 2021.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

70s Music Quiz 1

70s Music Quiz 1Music Quiz

The '70s gave us Muppets, disco and Van Halen, all which show up in this groovy quiz.

Al Jourgensen of Ministry

Al Jourgensen of MinistrySongwriter Interviews

In the name of song explanation, Al talks about scoring heroin for William Burroughs, and that's not even the most shocking story in this one.

The Punk Photography of Chris Stein

The Punk Photography of Chris SteinSong Writing

Chris Stein of Blondie shares photos and stories from his book about the New York City punk scene.

Mike Campbell

Mike CampbellSongwriter Interviews

Mike is lead guitarist with Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, and co-writer of classic songs like "Boys Of Summer," "Refugee" and "The Heart Of The Matter."

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: '80s Edition

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: '80s EditionMusic Quiz

You know the scenes - Tom Cruise in his own pants-off dance off, Molly Ringwald celebrating her birthday - but do you remember what song is playing?

Chris Squire of Yes

Chris Squire of YesSongwriter Interviews

One of the most dynamic bass player/songwriters of his time, Chris is the only member of Yes who has been with the band since they formed in 1968.