This song likens the feeling of falling in love to the transformative effects of sunset.
The Process
JVKE describes the process of creating this song as being akin to a compositional golden hour. According to the singer-songwriter, everything just fell into place. It was exactly the right moment and everything aligned perfectly, which allowed inspiration to strike.
He was working on a piano loop when the idea suddenly shone through, and he could see everything in a different light. It was as if this new song idea could make things look magical, beautiful and golden.
While the rap section was to be refined and adjusted at a later date, the chorus and pre-chorus were all recorded in just one shot.
“And it just perfectly connected in the studio,” JVKE said in a YouTube video. “I feel like that’s always the case. Whenever you have an amazing song, it just kind of flows out of you. And for me, Golden Hour was just such an amazing writing experience. And once you have that sort of moment, it’s like, man, I want to get back into the studio and have more moments like that. Because that’s one I’m never going to forget.”
What’s a golden hour?
If you’re still unclear what Golden Hour means, here’s JVKE’s definition: “If you’ve ever taken a selfie and the sun is just, like, hitting you, and it’s just like, yo, I’m looking extra good right now. That’s golden hour.”
This selfie-inspiring time of day also served as the inspiration for the song’s music video.
“I just love to appreciate beautiful people. They just radiate this pure energy that I just had to write a song about. So the song is called ‘Golden Hour’. It’s for all you beautiful people.”
Lyrical Breakdown: All References
“It was just two lovers / Sittin’ in the car, listenin’ to Blonde / Fallin’ for each other”
With the lyric, “Blonde,” he’s referring to the album by Frank Ocean. According to JVKE, it’s always a good choice for listening material when you’re with someone you care about – the perfect soundtrack for two lovers at sunset.
“Pink and orange skies, feelin’ super childish / No Donald Glover”
These lines contain wordplay that refers to well-known rapper, Donald Glover, AKA Childish Gambino.
The majority of the lyrics aren’t hard to unpack because they can either be taken literally, or they create an ambiguous meaning that’s up to the listener to decide. Take, for instance, the line:
“Radio on blast, make the moment last, she got solar power”
This could be Lorde’s album, Solar Power, but that interpretation is unverified.
“I was all alone with the love of my life / She’s got glitter for skin / My radiant beam in the night / I don’t need no light to see you”
In the pre-chorus, JVKE reveals how the magic of the hour isn’t entirely due to the position of the sun in the sky nor the angle of sunbeams penetrating through the Earth’s atmosphere. Rather, the girl he’s in love with seems to emit her own light. He goes so far as to say that even if the sun wasn’t shining, he’d still be able to see her.
Lyrics
It was just two lovers
Sittin’ in the car, listening to Blonde
Fallin’ for each other
Pink and orange skies, feelin’ super childish
No Donald Glover
Missed call from my mother
Like, “Where you at tonight?” Got no alibi
I was all alone with the love of my life
She’s got glitter for skin
My radiant beam in the night
I don’t need no light to see you
Shine
It’s your golden hour (oh)
You slow down time
In your golden hour (oh)
We were just two lovers
Feet up on the dash, drivin’ nowhere fast
Burnin’ through the summer
Radio on blast, make the moment last
She got solar power
Minutes feel like hours
She knew she was the baddest, can you even imagine
Fallin’ like I did?
For the love of my life
She’s got glow on her face
A glorious look in her eyes
My angel of light
I was all alone with the love of my life
She’s got glitter for skin
My radiant beam in the night
I don’t need no light to see you
Shine
It’s your golden hour (oh)
You slow down time
In your golden hour (oh)
Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Jake Lawson / Zac Lawson
golden hour lyrics © DistroKid, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
