"These Walls" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Dua Lipa featuring Pierre de Maere | ||||
from the album Radical Optimism | ||||
Released | 8 November 2024 [1] | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:38 | |||
Label | Warner | |||
Songwriter(s) |
| |||
Producer(s) |
| |||
Dua Lipa singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Pierre de Maere singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Lyric video | ||||
"These Walls" on YouTube |
"These Walls" is a song by English and Albanian singer Dua Lipa from her third studio album, Radical Optimism (2024). It was written by Lipa,Andrew Wyatt,Danny L Harle,Billy Walsh and Caroline Ailin,and produced by Wyatt and Harle. "These Walls" received favourable reviews from music critics and reached top 40 in the United Kingdom and Norway. An alternative version of "These Walls" featuring Belgian singer Pierre de Maere was released as the fourth single from Radical Optimism on 8 November 2024.
In an interview with Apple Music's Zane Lowe,Lipa said she wrote "These Walls" on 16 January 2023. [2] She said she got the idea of the track from being able to feel the energy of two people who have been arguing when you walk into a room. [2] "Rooms capture things and they hold on to things",she said. "I think this song is a really good example of addressing the inevitable,it's that conversation that no one really wants to have,but you have to do it". [2] "These Walls" was released on 3 May 2024 by Warner Records,on Lipa's third studio album, Radical Optimism . [3]
An alternative version featuring Belgian singer Pierre de Maere was released as the fourth single from Radical Optimism on 8 November 2024. [1] [4] This duet version includes additional lyrics in French (sung by de Maere,and,to a much lesser extent,by Lipa). [5]
Lipa wrote "These Walls" with Billy Walsh,Caroline Ailin,and its producers Andrew Wyatt and Danny L Harle. [3] "These Walls" is a dance-pop, [6] indie pop, [7] and soft rock [8] breakup song. [2] It is the only track tacked with the "explicit" label on Radical Optimism. [2] [3] It opens with Lipa illustrating a couple that's gotten used to shutting each other out. "Maybe we should switch careers'/ Cause,baby,you know no one beats our poker faces/ And when the night ends up in tears/ Wake up and we blame it all on being wasted",she sings. [2] But the chorus is where Lipa gets real,singing that "if these walls could talk" they'd say,"enough,give up,you're fucked". She continues,"It's not supposed to hurt this much/ Oh,if these walls could talk/ They'd tell us to break up". [2]
"These Walls" received positive reviews from music critics. Neil Z. Yeung of AllMusic called "These Walls" a "chilled-out,dance-pop bop that lightens the spirit". [6] Writing for The Observer ,Kitty Empire noted that "These Walls" is the "pithiest" of the non-single tracks on Radical Optimism. [9] In Variety ,Steven J. Horowitz wrote,"'These Walls' is the album's most arresting song,on which Lipa bemoans the growing distance from a lover with a knowing nod:'They tell us go and face your fears / It's getting worse the longer that we stay together / We call it love but hate it here / Do we really mean it when we said forever?'". [10] Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine called the track "the most serenely devastating break-up song in recent memory",due to its blend of tropical melodies with more lovelorn lyrics. [11] According to Helen Brown of The Independent ,the song is "so sweetly peppy that non-Anglophones are unlikely to realise is a breakup song". [12]
Within its first week of availability,"These Walls" became the most commercially successful non-single song from Radical Optimism. It debuted at number 40 in the United Kingdom, [13] becoming Lipa's 27th top 40 chart entry on the UK singles chart. [14] It also debuted at numbers 39 in Norway, [15] 44 in Ireland, [16] 54 in Sweden [17] and 65 in Canada. [17]
Weekly charts
| Monthly charts
|
Dua Lipa is a British and Albanian singer and songwriter. Her accolades include seven Brit Awards and three Grammy Awards. Time magazine included her in its list of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2024.
Dua Lipa is the debut studio album by English singer Dua Lipa. It was released on 2 June 2017 through Warner Bros. Records. The album is a dance-pop, electropop, and R&B record with elements of disco, hip hop, and tropical house. It includes a sole guest appearance from Miguel, as well as additional vocals from Chris Martin of Coldplay.
"Blow Your Mind (Mwah)" is a song by English and Albanian singer Dua Lipa from her eponymous debut studio album (2017). The song was written by Lipa alongside Lauren Christy and its producer Jon Levine. The song was released for digital download and streaming through Warner Bros. Records on 26 August 2016 as the fifth single from the album, and impacted contemporary hit radio as Lipa's first single in the United States. It is a disco and electropop song with dark moombahton and chambré tropical house elements. The production includes tropical beats, indietronica vocals and sawtooth synths. Lyrically, the song is about being comfortable in one's own skin.
English-Albanian singer Dua Lipa has released three studio albums, two reissues, one remix album, one live album, five extended plays (EPs), thirty-six singles, ten promotional singles, two charity singles, and thirty-five music videos. After signing with Warner Bros. Records, she released her debut single "New Love" in 2015. The following year, she gained recognition through the singles "Hotter than Hell" and "Blow Your Mind (Mwah)". In 2017, Lipa released her self-titled debut studio album, which reached the top 10 charts in Australia, Belgium, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden and the United Kingdom. The album's chart-topping hits "Be the One", "New Rules" and "IDGAF" propelled Lipa to international fame.
"IDGAF" is a song by English and Albanian singer Dua Lipa from her eponymous debut studio album (2017). The song was written by Lipa, MNEK, Larzz Principato, Skyler Stonestreet, and Whiskey Water, with Koz handling the production. It was released for digital download and streaming on 12 January 2018 as the eighth and final single from the album. A pop song, Lipa uses a deadpan vocal delivery, backed by an electro palm-muted electric guitar riff and a militaristic drum line. Lyrically, the song is about an ex-boyfriend who intends to get back with the singer, who is uninterested.
"New Rules" is a song by English and Albanian singer Dua Lipa from her eponymous debut studio album (2017). The song was written by Caroline Ailin, Emily Warren, and Ian Kirkpatrick. Kirkpatrick also handled the production and offered it to Lipa after it was rejected by multiple artists. The song was released through Warner Bros. Records for digital download and streaming on 7 July 2017 as the album's seventh single. It is an electropop and tropical house track with an EDM production that includes dance-pop beats and dancehall rhythms. The lyrics see Lipa giving herself a set of rules in order to get over a former boyfriend. Lipa stated that it was the breakup song that she wished she had when she was breaking up with someone.
"Kiss and Make Up" is a song by English and Albanian singer Dua Lipa and South Korean girl group Blackpink from Dua Lipa: Complete Edition (2018), the reissue of the former's eponymous debut studio album. The song was written by Lipa, Chelcee Grimes, Yannick Rastogi, Zacharie Raymond, Mathieu Jomphe-Lepine, Marc Vincent, and Teddy Park, while production was handled by Banx & Ranx. It was released through Warner Bros. Records as the final promotional single from all editions of the album on 19 October 2018, alongside the reissue's release.
"Don't Start Now" is a song by English and Albanian singer Dua Lipa. Lipa wrote the song with Caroline Ailin, Emily Warren, and its producer Ian Kirkpatrick. The song was released for digital download and streaming by Warner Records on 31 October 2019, as the lead single from her second studio album, Future Nostalgia (2020). A nu-disco song, it features a funk bassline, inspired by music by the Bee Gees, Daft Punk and Two Door Cinema Club. Elements used in the production include handclaps, a crowd noise, cowbells, synth bursts and accented strings. Lyrically, Lipa celebrates her independence and instructs a former lover to forget about their past relationship.
Future Nostalgia is the second studio album by English and Albanian singer Dua Lipa. It was released on 27 March 2020 by Warner Records. Lipa enlisted writers and producers including Jeff Bhasker, Ian Kirkpatrick, Stuart Price, the Monsters & Strangerz, and Koz to create a "nostalgic" pop and disco record containing influences from dance-pop and electronic music. The album was inspired by the music that Lipa enjoyed during her childhood.
"Physical" is a song by English and Albanian singer Dua Lipa from her second studio album, Future Nostalgia (2020). Lipa wrote the song with Jason Evigan, Clarence Coffee Jr. and Sarah Hudson, taking inspiration from 1980s music and the 1983 film Flashdance. It was produced by Evigan and Koz, and stemmed from a Persian flute synth sample that was played by the former. An uptempo dance-pop, power pop and synth-pop song, the song features a chugging synth bassline, drums and various percussion instruments. Lipa uses a spoken word, belting and chanting vocal delivery. The lyrics describe the honeymoon phase of a relationship and the importance of trusting one's instincts.
"Levitating" is a song by English and Albanian singer Dua Lipa from her second studio album, Future Nostalgia (2020). The song was written by Lipa, Clarence Coffee Jr., Sarah Hudson, and Koz, who produced the song with Stuart Price, and stemmed from a Roland VP-330 synthesizer sample played by Koz. The song is an electro-disco and nu-disco song with several disco tropes. It incorporates elements of dance-pop, pop-funk, power pop and space rock, as well as 1970s, 1980s and 1990s pop and R&B styles. The lyrics describe the idea of "levitating" when falling in love, with several outer space references.
"Love Again" is a song by English and Albanian singer Dua Lipa from her second studio album, Future Nostalgia (2020). The song was written by Lipa alongside Clarence Coffee Jr., Chelcee Grimes and its producer Koz. They wrote the song based on the concept of manifesting positive things into one's life and Lipa later described it as her favourite song on the album. It was sent for radio airplay in France on 11 March 2021 as the sixth and final single from Future Nostalgia before being released for digital download and streaming on 4 June globally. It is a classic-sounding dance-pop, disco and electropop song with a 21st-century nu-disco production that includes disco beats and 1970s-styled disco strings. The song samples "My Woman" by Al Bowlly with Lew Stone and His Monseigneur Band, using it for several aspects, thus Bing Crosby, Max Wartell and Irving Wallman are also credited as writers. The lyrics explore themes of heartbreak and personal growth, seeing Lipa falling in love again with a new lover following a rough split.
"Break My Heart" is a song by English and Albanian singer Dua Lipa from her second studio album, Future Nostalgia (2020). The song was written by Lipa, Ali Tamposi, Stefan Johnson, Jordan K. Johnson, and Andrew Watt, while the production was handled by Watt alongside the Monsters & Strangerz. Due to a similarity to the guitar riff in INXS's 1987 song "Need You Tonight", band members Andrew Farriss and Michael Hutchence are also credited as writers, and the similarity is credited as an interpolation. The song was released for digital download and streaming through Warner Records as the third single from Future Nostalgia on 25 March 2020. It is a retro-futuristic dance-pop and disco-funk song with elements of house and 1980s music that is set to a Europop beat. A vulnerable song, it sees Lipa questioning whether a new love will leave her broken-hearted.
"We're Good" is a song by English and Albanian singer Dua Lipa from Future Nostalgia: The Moonlight Edition (2021), the deluxe reissue of her second studio album Future Nostalgia (2020). The song was written by Lipa alongside Emily Warren, Scott Harris and Sly, with the latter of the three handling the production. It was released for digital download and streaming on 11 February 2021 as the lead single from the reissue, simultaneously with the reissue's release. "We're Good" is a bossa nova and 2000s-styled, midtempo tropical-pop song with trap and reggae rock elements. It sees the singer fantasising about an amicable breakup with a former boyfriend.
"Cold Heart (Pnau remix)" is a song by English singer and songwriter Elton John and English and Albanian singer Dua Lipa from the former's 32nd studio album, The Lockdown Sessions (2021). It was released on 13 August 2021 as the lead single from the album for digital download and streaming in various countries by EMI and Mercury. Created during the COVID-19 pandemic, the collaboration between the artists was a testament to their friendship, which was established in November 2020. The song is a medley of four songs written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin, as well as Andrew Meecham, Dean Meredith, Nicholas Littlemore, Peter Mayes and Sam Littlemore, with the production completed by the latter three as part of the dance music group Pnau. Interpolating John's songs "Rocket Man" (1972), "Kiss the Bride" (1983), "Sacrifice" (1989) and "Where's the Shoorah?" (1976), the remix is an upbeat contemporary synth-pop, dance, dance-pop and pop song describing the decline of a relationship.
"Potion" is a song by Scottish disc jockey Calvin Harris, English and Albanian singer Dua Lipa and American rapper Young Thug from Harris's sixth studio album, Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 2 (2022). The song was written by Harris, Lipa, Young Thug, Jessie Reyez and Maneesh Bidaye, with the production completed by Harris. It was released as the lead single from the album for digital download and streaming in various countries by Sony on 27 May 2022. The song combines dance, disco, EDM, and pop music to create a laidback atmosphere, accompanied by 1970s-style instrumentation of bongos, electric guitars and pianos. Its lyrics center around the essence of a potion that promises a good summer experience.
"Houdini" is a song by English and Albanian singer Dua Lipa. It was released on 9 November 2023 through Warner Records, as the lead single from Lipa's third studio album, Radical Optimism (2024). The song was produced by Danny L Harle and Kevin Parker. Lipa co-wrote the song with Harle, Parker, Caroline Ailin and Tobias Jesso Jr.
"Training Season" is a song by English and Albanian singer Dua Lipa from her third studio album, Radical Optimism (2024). Lipa wrote it with Caroline Ailin, Danny L Harle, Tobias Jesso Jr., Martina Sorbara, Nicholas Gale, Shaun Frank, Steve Francis Richard Mastroianni, Yaakov Gruzman, and its producer, Kevin Parker. Warner Records released it as the album's second single on 15 February 2024. A disco-pop song with influences of Eurodisco, "Training Season" details Lipa's demands from romantic partners as she chides bad dates and underscores her self-worth.
Radical Optimism is the third studio album by English and Albanian singer Dua Lipa. It was released on 3 May 2024 through Warner Records. Her first full-length studio album in four years since Future Nostalgia (2020), Lipa worked on Radical Optimism with producers such as Kevin Parker, Danny L Harle, Ian Kirkpatrick, and Andrew Wyatt. The album was preceded by three singles, "Houdini", "Training Season", and "Illusion", all of which peaked within the top ten of the UK Singles Chart.
"Illusion" is a song by English and Albanian singer Dua Lipa. It was released through Warner Records on 11 April 2024, as the third single from her third studio album, Radical Optimism (2024). A dance song containing psychedelic and French house influences, it was written by Lipa along with Caroline Ailin, Tobias Jesso Jr., and its producers Danny L Harle and Kevin Parker. "Illusion" topped the US Dance/Electronic Songs chart and reached the top ten in the United Kingdom, Bulgaria, Croatia, Honduras, San Marino, Flanders, Turkey, and the Commonwealth of Independent States.