Broken Clocks
by SZA

Album: CTRL (2017)
Charted: 82
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Here, SZA sings about working hard in order to accumulate a sum of money.

    Got a shift at 10 AM
    Gotta dip at 10 PM
    Gotta get that cash
    Won't get past the lunch break


    SZA told Billboard magazine back in 2013 that before getting into music, she got through a variety of jobs. "After I graduated I just started doing random jobs," she said. "I figured I was going to be a scientist and travel the world or something like that. But in the meantime I just needed money. I got fired from every job I ever had, though."
  • The song is based around a vocal sample of River Tiber's 2016 single "West." SZA is in good company with choosing to sample the Toronto singer-songwriter. Back in 2015, River Tiber was plucked out of obscurity when his song "No Talk" was sampled by Drake on his If You're Reading This It's Too Late track "No Tellin'."
  • SZA sang this at the Grammy Awards in 2018. She was nominated for Best New Artist, but lost to Alessia Cara.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

How The Beatles Crafted Killer Choruses

How The Beatles Crafted Killer ChorusesSong Writing

The author of Help! 100 Songwriting, Recording And Career Tips Used By The Beatles, explains how the group crafted their choruses so effectively.

Lace the Music: How LSD Changed Popular Music

Lace the Music: How LSD Changed Popular MusicSong Writing

Starting in Virginia City, Nevada and rippling out to the Haight-Ashbury, LSD reshaped popular music.

Steely Dan

Steely DanFact or Fiction

Did they really trade their guitarist to The Doobie Brothers? Are they named after something naughty? And what's up with the band name?

Millie Jackson

Millie JacksonSongwriter Interviews

Outrageously gifted and just plain outrageous, Millie is an R&B and Rap innovator.

Harry Wayne Casey of KC and The Sunshine Band

Harry Wayne Casey of KC and The Sunshine BandSongwriter Interviews

Harry Wayne Casey tells the stories behind KC and The Sunshine Band hits like "Get Down Tonight," "That's The Way (I Like It)," and "Give It Up."

Francis Rossi of Status Quo

Francis Rossi of Status QuoSongwriter Interviews

Doubt led to drive for Francis, who still isn't sure why one of Status Quo's biggest hits is so beloved.