Goddess

Album: Bewitched (2024)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Here, Laufey bares her soul about the bitter side of love. Heartbreak ballads are a dime a dozen, but this one has a rather interesting twist. It turns out the Icelandic jazz-pop star was, well, worshipped by her ex-boyfriend. Like, literally worshipped. Apparently, the fellow saw her not as Laufey, talented musician and all, but as a full-blown deity. Imagine the pressure!
  • The song itself is a bit of a downer, a mournful piano number that underscores the vast gulf between the fantasy of fame and the messy realities of love. The chorus is all about how famous types like Laufey are just human beings underneath the glitter and the glam, yearning for normal connections just like anyone else.

    I can't even tell who you want to know
    I'm a goddess on stage
    Human when we're alone


    Quite touching, really. Laufey even throws in a bit of Greek myth for good measure in the second verse, with her being hoisted onto this ridiculous pedestal, bound to come crashing down eventually.

    You must have felt so damn deceived
    When you made up a version of
    Me that you thought you'd love
    But I am not your Aphrodite


    Laufey throws in a F-bomb in the outro, suggesting this whole episode left a bit of a scar on the singer.
  • Laufey wrote "Goddess" alone at her piano, grappling with the realization that the dude had fallen for a stage persona, not the real her. "They deemed me to no longer be a shiny thing when the glamour wore off, reduced to skin and bone," she shared.

    Laufey elaborated in a Rolling Stone interview: "It feels like these are just the feelings of being a woman. Feeling like you're so perfect when you're out in public, but then you go home and you feel not as glamorous."
  • The song opens with a soft-pedaled piano, creating an intimate space for Laufey's hesitant croon. Three-quarters of the way through, a subtle shift occurs. Laufey and her fellow Berklee College of Music alumnus Spencer Stewart introduce an assured defiance into her voice, mirroring it with a swelling orchestral arrangement.

    Laufey collaborated with Stewart on most of the tracks on her breakthrough Bewitched album, including the single "From The Start."
  • Laufey debuted "Goddess" live on February 21, 2024, at the Brussels, Belgium stop of her Bewitched Tour. She released it as the lead single from the deluxe version of Bewitched on March 6, 2024.
  • The song's music video was directed by Past Lives director Celine Song and shot in Brooklyn, New York on 35mm film. Laufey stars in the visual alongside William G. Hardy (from Netflix' Heartstopper).

    "It was so special to work with Celine on the 'Goddess' short film," said Laufey. "She has such a clear vision with her work, which became immediately evident to me while watching Past Lives, and her ideas around 'Goddess' harmonized perfectly with the narrative of the song."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull

Ian Anderson of Jethro TullSongwriter Interviews

The flautist frontman talks about touring with Led Zeppelin, his contribution to "Hotel California", and how he may have done the first MTV Unplugged.

Boz Scaggs

Boz ScaggsSongwriter Interviews

The "Lowdown" and "Lido Shuffle" singer makes a habit of playing with the best in the business.

Jon Anderson of Yes

Jon Anderson of YesSongwriter Interviews

From the lake in "Roundabout" to Sister Bluebird in "Starship Trooper," Jon Anderson talks about how nature and spirituality play into his lyrics for Yes.

Gavin Rossdale On Lyric Inspirations and Bush's Album The Kingdom

Gavin Rossdale On Lyric Inspirations and Bush's Album The KingdomSongwriter Interviews

The Bush frontman on where he finds inspiration for lyrics, if his "machine head" is a guitar tuner, and the stories behind songs from the album The Kingdom.

Billy Gould of Faith No More

Billy Gould of Faith No MoreSongwriter Interviews

Faith No More's bassist, Billy Gould, chats to us about his two new experimental projects, The Talking Book and House of Hayduk, and also shares some stories from the FNM days.

Lecrae

LecraeSongwriter Interviews

The Christian rapper talks about where his trip to Haiti and his history of addiction fit into his songs.