Blue Skies

Album: The Bright Side (2015)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • On the lead single from her fourth studio album, Lenka finds the confidence to weather life's storms because she knows there are blue skies ahead with her son by her side. She got the idea for the upbeat electro-pop track when she was riding in a car with 3-year-old Quinn on a rainy day.

    "I was just singing the refrain, 'blue skies for you and I,' and then I was like, 'that's kind of a good pop hook,'" she recalled in a 2015 interview with B-Sides.

    Once she had the hook, the Aussie songstress recorded the melody on her phone. Wanting to venture into new sonic territory, she was inspired by the electronic and ambient soundtrack to the 2011 action film Drive. Instead of sitting at her piano like she usually does, she got out her computer and made a demo, which she sent to Damian Taylor, a Montreal producer who previously worked with Bjork and Arcade Fire.
  • Lenka worked remotely with the album's producers, sending recordings back and forth from Sydney and, in the case of "Blue Skies," Montreal until the songs were finished. It was outside of the norm for the singer, who always preferred to work in person until she had a baby.

    "In the past, I would be like, 'Oh, there is this guy I want to work with in London'. I would just go to London for a month. I can't really do that anymore," she told The Jakarta Post in 2015. "It's not as fun as being in the studio together, but it was a sacrifice that I had to make, to stay home, be a mom and get the album made."
  • The album finds Lenka stepping back out into the light after the darkness of her previous album, Shadows (2013). "I wanted to just really flip it and do really something different to the last album," she told The Jakarta Post. "I guess when making this album, I didn't want to have any darkness or even much sentimentality. It's just about striving for happiness and keeping it."
  • The music video was directed by the singer's artist husband, James Gulliver Hancock. Lenka, who described the concept as having a "dreamy suburban vintage kind of feel" is shown lounging in the grass and watching the clouds make shapes in the blue sky.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Edie Brickell

Edie BrickellSongwriter Interviews

Edie Brickell on her collaborations with Paul Simon, Steve Martin and Willie Nelson, and her 2021 album with the New Bohemians.

Hawksley Workman

Hawksley WorkmanSongwriter Interviews

One of Canada's most popular and eclectic performers, Hawksley tells stories about his oldest songs, his plentiful side projects, and the ways that he keeps his songwriting fresh.

Into The Great Wide Open: Made-up Musicians

Into The Great Wide Open: Made-up MusiciansSong Writing

Eddie (played by Johnny Depp in the video) found fame fleeting, but Chuck Berry's made-up musician fared better.

Best Band Logos

Best Band LogosSong Writing

Queen, Phish and The Stones are among our picks for the best band logos. Here are their histories and a design analysis from an expert.

Charlie Daniels

Charlie DanielsSongwriter Interviews

Charlie discusses the songs that made him a Southern Rock icon, and settles the Devil vs. Johnny argument once and for all.

Supertramp founder Roger Hodgson

Supertramp founder Roger HodgsonSongwriter Interviews

Roger tells the stories behind some of his biggest hits, including "Give a Little Bit," "Take the Long Way Home" and "The Logical Song."