Western Wind (song)

Last updated
"Western Wind"
Carly Rae Jepsen - Western Wind.png
Single by Carly Rae Jepsen
from the album The Loneliest Time
ReleasedMay 6, 2022
Length3:46
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Rostam Batmanglij
Carly Rae Jepsen singles chronology
"It's Not Christmas Till Somebody Cries"
(2020)		"Western Wind"
(2022)		"Move Me"
(2022)
Music video
"Western Wind" on YouTube

"Western Wind" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Carly Rae Jepsen, released as the lead single from her sixth studio album The Loneliest Time on May 6, 2022, by 604, Schoolboy, and Interscope Records. The song, co-written with and produced by Rostam Batmanglij, was released alongside a music video directed by Taylor Fauntleroy which features Jepsen "in a lush landscape wearing pretty, flowing pastel outfits, aptly capturing the season and embracing spring fever." [1] [2]

Contents

Background

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Jepsen's maternal grandmother passed away, and due to Jepsen being in California, her grandmother being back in Jepsen's native Canada, and them being separated by international travel restrictions, Jepsen was alone while grieving. Per an interview with Crack 's Ilana Kaplan, the grief and separation from her family fueled her creativity, leading to "Western Wind", which Kaplan describes as a "bewitching, lightly percussive lead single that evokes Stevie Nicks and recalls [Jepsen's] love of James Taylor." Jepsen said "Western Wind" was chosen as the lead single because "it was so opposite to what I normally do, which is start with the jingle-esque type song, and leave the rest for later." [3]

Promotion

Jepsen first teased the single release via messages posted to her Twitter account, including lyrics excerpts and a hand-drawn map of California with the caption "x marks the spot" posted on April 4. This was followed on April 6 by billboards which had the words "Western Wind" and a phone number. Calling the phone number returned a prerecorded message from Jepsen where she said "Hello. You've reached the Carly Rae Jepsen hotline. Text me here to stay in the loop on all the kinds of things: new music, tour, secrets that I haven't even come up with yet. News... no, wait, there will be no news. Sorry. But there will be music for sure." [4] On April 16, Jepsen debuted the new song live at her Coachella set. [5]

Music video

The single was released alongside a music video directed by Taylor Fauntleroy. The video depicts Jepsen riding an electric scooter across green fields, twirling through yellow flowers, and frolicking in an assortment of diaphanous gowns. [1] Per The A.V. Club 's Gabrielle Sanchez, the video "feels like something plucked from a Wes Anderson film." [6] In an interview with Consequence of Sound 's Kyle Meredith, Jepsen says the video was inspired by Kate Bush's "Wuthering Heights" video, specifically regarding how "even though she was alone, you could tell she was really singing to someone ... that wasn't there" and that Jepsen wanted to capture that same feeling. She also mentions that the climbing she does in the video was less difficult after a childhood of climbing trees and running around barefoot in "gravel races", leaving her feeling "right at home". [7]

Style and reception

Stereogum 's Rachel Brodsky calls the song a "breezy", "earth goddess-y love letter to California" with "piano, synths, and an easy mid-tempo beat" over which Jepsen sings "a well-timed springtime jaunt" including the lyrics "Coming in like a western wind / Do you feel home from all directions / First bloom, you know it's Spring / Reminding me love that it's all connected." [8] Pitchfork 's Quinn Moreland calls the song "just the right amount of easy-going", with producer Rostam Batmanglij "once again assert[ing] himself as a skillful conjurer of chill vibes", creating a track that "coasts on a sumptuous blend of mellow keys, feathery drums, and an unassuming guitar solo." [1]

NPR Music 's Hazel Cills notes that on "Western Wind", Jepsen "shakes the glitter of her last few albums out of her hair, ditching her studied electro-pop for "Thank You"-biting bongos on this relaxed song about finding love in the wilds of California" which "builds on a slightly hippie-dippie, granola trend of pop girl restraint working its way through music over the last few years — think Folklore 's acoustic cottagecore, Solar Power 's off-the-grid optimism, the mid-'00s, Starbucks check-out CD minimalism of Haim's jazzy 2019 single "Summer Girl". [9]

Rankings

Year-end rankings for Western Wind
PublicationListRankRef.
Spectrum CultureSpectrum Culture's 25 Best Songs of 2022
2
Stereogum Stereogum: James Rettig's Favorite Songs of 2022
7
The New York Times The New York Times: Lindsay Zoladz's Top 25 Songs of 2022
16
Slant Magazine Slant Magazine's 50 Best Songs of 2022
23
Pitchfork Pitchfork's 100 Best Songs of 2022
43
TrebleTreble's 100 Best Songs of 2022
72

Personnel

Charts

Chart performance for "Western Wind"
Chart (2022)Peak
position
Japan Hot Overseas ( Billboard Japan ) [16] 11

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carly Rae Jepsen</span> Canadian singer and songwriter (born 1985)

Carly Rae Jepsen is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and musician. After studying musical theatre for most of her school life and while in university, Jepsen garnered mainstream attention after placing third on the fifth season of Canadian Idol in 2007. In 2008, Jepsen released her folk-influenced debut studio album Tug of War in Canada before it was internationally released in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rostam Batmanglij</span> American musician (born 1983)

Rostam Batmanglij, known mononymously as Rostam, is an American record producer, musician, singer, songwriter, and composer. He was a founding member of the band Vampire Weekend, whose first three albums he produced. He has been described by Stereogum as one of the greatest pop and indie-rock producers of his generation. Rostam also works as a solo artist and is a member of electro-soul group Discovery. He produced his first number-one album, Vampire Weekend's Contra, when he was 27 years old.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carly Rae Jepsen discography</span>

Canadian singer and songwriter Carly Rae Jepsen has released seven studio albums, two remix albums, four EPs, 28 singles, 10 promotional singles, and 24 music videos. In 2007, Jepsen finished third in the fifth season of the talent series Canadian Idol. She subsequently signed a recording contract with Fontana and MapleMusic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">All That (song)</span> 2015 song by Carly Rae Jepsen

"All That" is a song by Canadian singer Carly Rae Jepsen from her third studio album, Emotion (2015). It was released as the first promotional single from the album on June 3, 2015, via 604, School Boy, and Interscope Records. The song was written by Jepsen and producers Ariel Rechtshaid, and Dev Hynes.

<i>Emotion</i> (Carly Rae Jepsen album) 2015 studio album by Carly Rae Jepsen

Emotion is the third studio album by Canadian singer and songwriter Carly Rae Jepsen. It was released on June 24, 2015 in Japan and worldwide on August 21, 2015 through 604, School Boy, and Interscope Records. Looking to transition from the bubblegum pop-oriented nature of her second studio album, Kiss (2012), Jepsen found inspiration in 1980s music and alternative styles. She enlisted a team of mainstream and indie collaborators, including Sia, Mattman & Robin, Dev Hynes, Ariel Rechtshaid, Rostam Batmanglij, Greg Kurstin, and Peter Svensson of the Cardigans, culminating in a largely synth-pop-centric effort.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Run Away with Me</span> 2015 single by Carly Rae Jepsen

"Run Away with Me" is a song by Canadian singer Carly Rae Jepsen. It was released as the second single from her third studio album Emotion on July 17, 2015, by Universal Music Group. The song was written by Jepsen, Mattman & Robin, Jonnali Parmenius, Oscar Holter, and Shellback. Produced by Mattman & Robin and Shellback, "Run Away with Me" is a dance-pop and synth-pop tune with an upbeat production containing a distorted, reverbed saxophone riff.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Your Type</span> 2015 single by Carly Rae Jepsen

"Your Type" is a song recorded by Canadian singer Carly Rae Jepsen for her third studio album, Emotion (2015). She co-wrote the track with Wayne Hector, Tavish Crowe, and its producers Rami Yacoub and Carl Falk. "Your Type" is a 1980s-inspired synth-pop song about unrequited love. Initially released to digital retailers August 14, 2015 as the fourth and final promotional single leading up to the album's release, it was re-issued as the third official single on November 9, 2015. An official remix package debuted December 11, 2015. An accompanying music video was released on November 3, 2015. The song received mostly positive feedback from the critics, but was not a chart success.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cut to the Feeling</span> 2017 single by Carly Rae Jepsen

"Cut to the Feeling" is a song recorded by Canadian singer and songwriter Carly Rae Jepsen, from the Canadian-French animated film Ballerina (2016). It was released as a single on May 26, 2017, to promote the film's release under the title Leap! in the United States. The song was written by Jepsen, Simon Wilcox, and Nolan Lambroza, and produced by Lambroza. The song serves as the theme song for the MTV reality series Siesta Key.

"Julien" is a song by Canadian singer Carly Rae Jepsen from her fourth album Dedicated. It was released on April 19, 2019, by 604, School Boy and Interscope Records as the fourth single off of the record. It is a midtempo funk-pop, synth-pop, disco, electropop and dance song influenced by soft rock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Party for One</span> 2018 single by Carly Rae Jepsen

"Party for One" is a song by Canadian singer Carly Rae Jepsen. It was released as the lead single from her fourth studio album Dedicated on November 1, 2018, through 604, School Boy and Interscope Records. The track was written by Jepsen, Tavish Crowe, Julia Karlsson, and Anton Rundberg, and produced by Hightower and Captain Cuts. "Party for One" was placed on Rolling Stone's list of 50 Best Songs of 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No Drug Like Me</span> 2019 song by Carly Rae Jepsen

"No Drug Like Me" is a song by Canadian singer Carly Rae Jepsen. It was first released as a double A-side single with "Now That I Found You" on February 27, 2019, by 604, School Boy and Interscope Records, to promote Jepsen's then-forthcoming fourth studio album, Dedicated. In June 2019, a remix of the song by Mansionair received an individual release as a promotional single. "No Drug Like Me" was inspired by a new love that Jepsen was experiencing at the time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Now That I Found You (Carly Rae Jepsen song)</span> 2019 single by Carly Rae Jepsen

"Now That I Found You" is a pop song by Canadian singer Carly Rae Jepsen. It was released as a double A-side single with "No Drug Like Me" on February 27, 2019 by 604, School Boy and Interscope Records, as the second advance single from Jepsen's fourth studio album, Dedicated. "Now That I Found You" was written by Jepsen, Ben Berger, Ryan McMahon, Ryan Rabin and Alexander O'Neill, while production was handled by Captain Cuts and Ayokay. According to Jepsen, "Now That I Found You" and "No Drug Like Me" are about "the giddy sugar rush of opening up to new love" and they "go thematically hand-in-hand".

<i>Dedicated</i> (Carly Rae Jepsen album) 2019 studio album by Carly Rae Jepsen

Dedicated is the fourth studio album by Canadian singer Carly Rae Jepsen. It was released on May 17, 2019, by 604 Records in Canada, and School Boy and Interscope Records in the United States. The album was preceded by the release of the singles "Party for One", "Now That I Found You", "No Drug Like Me", "Julien", and "Too Much". To support the album Jepsen embarked on The Dedicated Tour with dates in Europe, North America and Asia. A companion album, Dedicated Side B, featuring outtakes from Dedicated, was released just over a year later on May 21, 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Now I'm in It</span> 2019 single by Haim

"Now I'm in It" is a song by American band Haim, released as a single on October 30, 2019.

<i>Changephobia</i> 2021 studio album by Rostam Batmanglij

Changephobia is the third full-length solo album by American indie rock musician Rostam Batmanglij. The album has received positive reception from critics and appeared on several best-of lists for the year. It was followed by two volumes of remixes later in the year.

<i>The Loneliest Time</i> 2022 studio album by Carly Rae Jepsen

The Loneliest Time is the sixth studio album by Canadian singer Carly Rae Jepsen. It was released on October 21, 2022, through 604 Records in Canada, and School Boy and Interscope Records. The album was preceded by the release of its lead single, "Western Wind", which was followed by "Beach House", "Talking to Yourself", and the title track. The album received positive reviews and was placed in several lists of best of the year. In support of the album, Jepsen embarked on The So Nice Tour, which began in September 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beach House (Carly Rae Jepsen song)</span> 2022 single by Carly Rae Jepsen

"Beach House" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Carly Rae Jepsen, released August 5, 2022, by 604, Schoolboy, and Interscope Records as the second single from her sixth studio album The Loneliest Time. The song was written by Jepsen, Alex Hope, and Nate Cyphert, and produced by Hope and SameSame.

"Move Me" is a standalone collaborative single by French synth-pop producer Lewis OfMan and Canadian pop singer Carly Rae Jepsen, released July 15, 2022, by Profil de Face. The release's cover art was illustrated by OfMan's father Jean-Philippe Delhomme.

"Talking to Yourself" is a song by Canadian singer Carly Rae Jepsen from her sixth studio album, The Loneliest Time (2022). Jepsen wrote it with songwriter Simon Wilcox, and Benjamin Berger and Ryan Rabin from Captain Cuts, the production team that produced the song. The record labels School Boy and Interscope Records released it as the album's third single on September 16, 2022. "Talking to Yourself" is a dance-pop and synth-pop song, in which Jepsen recalls a previous relationship with an ex-lover and wonders if he still has feelings for her.

<i>The Loveliest Time</i> 2023 studio album by Carly Rae Jepsen

The Loveliest Time is the seventh studio album by Canadian singer Carly Rae Jepsen, released on July 28, 2023, by 604, Schoolboy and Interscope Records. It serves as a companion piece to The Loneliest Time (2022), featuring songs from recording sessions for that album. It was preceded by the single "Shy Boy" and received positive reviews.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Moreland, Quinn (May 6, 2022). "Carly Rae Jepsen: "Western Wind" Track Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  2. ↑ Kreps, Daniel; Legaspi, Althea (May 6, 2022). "Carly Rae Jepsen Embraces Spring Fever in Lush "Western Wind" Video". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  3. ↑ Kaplan, Ilana (May 8, 2022). "Cover story: Carly Rae Jepsen: More Than a Feeling". Crack. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  4. ↑ Shutler, Ali (April 7, 2022). "Carly Rae Jepsen teases new music with "Western Wind" billboard". NME. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  5. ↑ Brodsky, Rachel (April 16, 2022). "Watch Carly Rae Jepsen Debut New Song "Western Wind" at Coachella". Stereogum. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  6. ↑ Sanchez, Gabrielle (May 6, 2022). "Carly Rae Jepsen kicks off her "Western Wind" era with a lush new single". The A.V. Club. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  7. ↑ Meredith, Kyle (June 27, 2022). "Carly Rae Jepsen on New Music, Rostam, and Kate Bush". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  8. ↑ Brodsky, Rachel (May 6, 2022). "Carly Rae Jepsen - "Western Wind"". Stereogum. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  9. ↑ Cills, Hazel (May 9, 2022). "Carly Rae Jepsen, "Western Wind"". NPR. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  10. ↑ Strazzabosco, Domenic (December 20, 2022). "Spectrum Culture's 25 Best Songs of 2022". Spectrum Culture. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  11. ↑ Rettig, James (December 13, 2022). "Stereogum: James Rettig's Favorite Songs of 2022". Stereogum . Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  12. ↑ Zoladz, Lindsay (December 7, 2022). "The New York Times: Lindsay Zoladz's Top 25 Songs of 2022". The New York Times . Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  13. ↑ Mac, Sam C. (December 6, 2022). "Slant Magazine's 50 Best Songs of 2022". Slant Magazine . Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  14. ↑ Larson, Jeremy D. (December 5, 2022). "Pitchfork's 100 Best Songs of 2022". Pitchfork . Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  15. ↑ Easton, Ben (December 4, 2022). "Treble's 100 Best Songs of 2022". Treble. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  16. ↑ "Billboard Japan Hot Overseas – Week of May 18, 2022". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). May 18, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.