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

Julian Lennon

Julian LennonSongwriter Interviews

Julian tells the stories behind his hits "Valotte" and "Too Late for Goodbyes," and fills us in on his many non-musical pursuits. Also: what MTV meant to his career.

Alice Cooper

Alice CooperFact or Fiction

How well do you know this shock-rock harbinger who's been publicly executed hundreds of times?

Bass Player Scott Edwards

Bass Player Scott EdwardsSong Writing

Scott was Stevie Wonder's bass player before becoming a top session player. Hits he played on include "I Will Survive," "Being With You" and "Sara Smile."

Emilio Castillo from Tower of Power

Emilio Castillo from Tower of PowerSongwriter Interviews

Emilio talks about what it's like to write and perform with the Tower of Power horns, and why every struggling band should have a friend like Huey Lewis.

James Williamson of Iggy & the Stooges

James Williamson of Iggy & the StoogesSongwriter Interviews

The Stooges guitarist (and producer of the Kill City album) talks about those early recordings and what really happened with David Bowie.

Grammar In Lyrics

Grammar In LyricsMusic Quiz

Lyrics don't always follow the rules of grammar. Can you spot the ones that don't?