Album: Brightest Blue (2019)
Charted: 97
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • According to the Songfacts dictionary, a "flux" is a "state of flow or continuous change." This piano-driven ballad finds Goulding contemplating on how her life is in a perpetual state of change due to the nature of her busy lifestyle, yet she's unable to let go of a past love.

    I'm still in love
    With the idea of loving you
    It's a state of flux
    But it's not enough


    Goulding is reflecting on how her life in the public eye, during which she's touring nonstop, has taken a toll on her relationships.
  • Goulding took inspiration from different relationships and stages in her life for this song. She told The Guardian: "Flux is about thinking about the person who you almost ended up with - I'm a sucker for what could have been."
  • Jim Elliot and Joe Kearns supplied the production. Their stripped-down accompaniment of piano and strings allow Goulding's vocals to soar above the instrumentation as the production intensifies. Eliot and Kearns also produced together Goulding's Delirium track "Scream It Out." Both have individual credits on some of the songbird's other tunes.
  • The black-and-white video, directed by Rianne White, shows Goulding in an empty warehouse playing piano in the pouring rain as she reflects on the pain of an unfinished love. White is known for her work with the Scottish hip-hop trio Young Fathers.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Rickie Lee Jones

Rickie Lee JonesSongwriter Interviews

Rickie Lee Jones on songwriting, social media, and how she's handling Trump.

Cheerleaders In Music Videos

Cheerleaders In Music VideosSong Writing

It started with a bouncy MTV classic. Nirvana and MCR made them scary, then Gwen, Avril and Madonna put on the pom poms.

Experience Nirvana with Sub Pop Founder Bruce Pavitt

Experience Nirvana with Sub Pop Founder Bruce PavittSong Writing

The man who ran Nirvana's first label gets beyond the sensationalism (drugs, Courtney) to discuss their musical and cultural triumphs in the years before Nevermind.

Sarah Brightman

Sarah BrightmanSongwriter Interviews

One of the most popular classical vocalists in the land is lining up a trip to space, which is the inspiration for many of her songs.

Mac Powell of Third Day

Mac Powell of Third DaySongwriter Interviews

The Third Day frontman talks about some of the classic songs he wrote with the band, and what changed for his solo country album.

Director Mark Pellington ("Jeremy," "Best Of You")

Director Mark Pellington ("Jeremy," "Best Of You")Song Writing

Director Mark Pellington on Pearl Jam's "Jeremy," and music videos he made for U2, Jon Bon Jovi and Imagine Dragons.