Raised in the Djursholm district of Danderyd, Lo is an alumna of the music school Rytmus Musikergymnasiet. She formed the rock band Tremblebee in 2006. After it disbanded, Lo pursued a career in songwriting and earned a publishing deal with Warner/Chappell Music in 2011. Working with producers Alexander Kronlund, Max Martin and Xenomania, she became a successful songwriter, while also recording and releasing her own compositions independently.
In 2013, Lo was signed to Universal Music, Island and Polydor. The following year, Lo rose to prominence with her debut album, Queen of the Clouds. It spawned the sleeper hit single "Habits (Stay High)", which peaked at number three on the US Billboard Hot 100, as well as "Talking Body". Her second album, Lady Wood, was released in October 2016 and debuted at number 11 on the Billboard 200. Its lead single, "Cool Girl", became an international hit. Her follow-up records, Blue Lips (2017) and Sunshine Kitty (2019), also performed well, the latter spawning the song "Glad He's Gone", which was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Music Video.
In addition to her solo work, Lo has co-written songs for other artists, including: Lorde's "Homemade Dynamite" (2017) and Ellie Goulding's "Love Me Like You Do" (2015), a song that garnered her Grammy Award and Golden Globe nominations. She has collaborated with many artists, such as Charli XCX, Flume, SG Lewis, Dua Lipa, Kylie Minogue and Coldplay, among others.
Glad He's Gone
Tove Lo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You're better off, I'm glad that he's gone
He's gone, he's gone
You're better off, I'm glad that he's gone
I got a girlfriend, she's got a boyfriend
She calls me crying every day 'cause they got problems
He likes complaining, she's compromising
Coming to me for real advice when he just playing
I can tell she loves him way too deep
He loves being fucking hard to please
Cover the basics, it's pretty easy
He's a bitch with some expectations
Did you go down on his birthday? (Yup)
Did you let him leave a necklace? (Yup)
Or did you show him all your crazy? (No)
Blow him up on the weekends (Hmm)
Did you give in to his ego
Just to give a little confidence?
I think you know it's time to let go
(You're better off I'm glad that he's gone)
My baby
Never no tears for that sucker
Only one dick, that's a bummer
Dancing all night, get guys' numbers
(Better off, I'm glad that he's gone, he's gone)
Baby, no tears for that sucker
We'll never go dry this whole summer
Wanna get over, get under
(You're better off, I'm glad that he's gone)
He's gone, he's gone
You're better off, I'm glad that he's gone
Bitch, I love you, he never loved you
He never saw the pretty things in you that I do
I missed your madness, you're kinda ratchet
We used to go out every night, get into bad shit
You and me under each other's wing
We were free 'til he spoiled everything
Cover the basics, it's pretty easy
He's a bitch with some expectations
Did you go down on his birthday? (Yup)
Did you let him leave a necklace? (Yup)
Or did you show him all your crazy? (No)
Blow him up on the weekends (Hmm)
Did you give in to his ego? (Yup)
Just to give a little confidence (No)
I think you know it's time to let go
(You're better off I'm glad that he's gone)
My baby
Never no tears for that sucker
Only one dick, that's a bummer
Dancing all night, get guys' numbers
(Better off, I'm glad that he's gone, he's gone, oh yeah)
Baby, no tears for that sucker
We'll never go dry this whole summer
Wanna get over, get under
(Better off, I'm glad that he's gone)
He's gone, he's gone
You're better off, I'm glad that he's gone
You and me under each other's wing
But he spoiled everything
Bitch, I love you, he never loved you
He never loved you, my baby
Never no tears for that sucker
Only one dick, that's a bummer
Dancing all night, get guys' numbers
(Better off, I'm glad that he's gone)
Baby, no tears for that sucker
We'll never go dry this whole summer
Wanna get over, get under (We get under)
(Better off, I'm glad that he's gone)
He's gone, he's gone (He's gone)
You're better off, I'm glad that he's gone
He's gone, he's gone
You're better off, I'm glad that he's gone
In Tove Lo's song "Glad He's Gone", the lyrics tell the story of a female protagonist comforting her friend who is going through a break-up with her boyfriend. The singer is glad that he is gone because she believes he never loved her. The song begins with the repetition of "he's gone, he's gone, you're better off, I'm glad that he's gone", signifying that the friend is now free from a loveless relationship. The singer mentions that the girlfriend has been calling her every day to talk about their problems. She knows that her friend loves him too deeply, but he is never satisfied and always complaining. In this verse, Tove Lo calls out the ex-boyfriend for being "a bitch with some expectations."
In the pre-chorus of the song, the singer interrogates the girlfriend about what she did in the relationship. She asks if she ever went down on his birthday, if she let him leave a necklace, if she showed him all her crazy, if she blew him up on the weekends or if she gave in to his ego. The answers to these questions do not matter, as the singer signs off, telling her friend that it is time to let go and that she is better off without him, thus repeating the chorus.
Lastly, the song concludes with the singer telling her friend that she never saw the pretty things in her that she does. She misses her friend's madness and their carefree lifestyle before the boyfriend arrived, ruining everything. In this verse, Tove Lo admits to herself and her friend that she loves her and that her ex-boyfriend never loved her, leading to the final chorus.
Line by Line Meaning
He's gone, he's gone
Her ex-boyfriend is no longer part of her life.
You're better off, I'm glad that he's gone
She believes that her friend is better without her ex-boyfriend and she is happy that he is gone.
I got a girlfriend, she's got a boyfriend
She has a female friend who has a boyfriend.
She calls me crying every day 'cause they got problems
Her friend calls her every day in tears because of issues she faces in her current relationship with her boyfriend.
He likes complaining, she's compromising
Her friend's boyfriend has a tendency to complain and her friend often compromises to keep the peace.
Coming to me for real advice when he just playing
She turns to her for practical advice because her friend's boyfriend cannot provide her with effective advice to deal with their relationship problems.
I can tell she loves him way too deep
She can see that her friend has feelings for her boyfriend that run deeply.
He loves being fucking hard to please
Her friend's boyfriend takes pleasure in being difficult to please.
Cover the basics, it's pretty easy
There are basic things that a boyfriend should do, and he is not meeting them.
He's a bitch with some expectations
She views her friend's boyfriend as someone who is weak for having many requirements but not fully meeting them.
Did you go down on his birthday? (Yup)
She is questioning whether her friend had sexual relations with her boyfriend on his birthday and her friend confirms that she did.
Did you let him leave a necklace? (Yup)
Her friend confirms that she let her boyfriend leave a necklace at her place.
Or did you show him all your crazy? (No)
She asks her friend if she revealed her emotional flaws to her boyfriend, but her friend confirms that she did not.
Blow him up on the weekends (Hmm)
She questions whether her friend expresses her love for her boyfriend more on weekends and her friend confirms this with a thought.
Did you give in to his ego
She questions whether her friend compromises to uphold her boyfriend's ego, and her friend confirms that she has.
Just to give a little confidence?
She questions whether her friend's compromises to uphold her boyfriend's ego are for her boyfriend to gain self-confidence.
I think you know it's time to let go
It's time for her friend to move on from her current relationship.
(You're better off I'm glad that he's gone)
Her friend will be better off without her ex-boyfriend.
My baby
Term of endearment for her friend.
Never no tears for that sucker
There won't be any sadness for the ex-boyfriend.
Only one dick, that's a bummer
The ex-boyfriend was the only person she could have sex with, and now she's disappointed.
Dancing all night, get guys' numbers
She is dancing and enjoying her life by getting numbers from different guys at the party.
(Better off, I'm glad that he's gone, he's gone, oh yeah)
She is happy that her friend has moved on and that her ex-boyfriend is out of the picture.
We'll never go dry this whole summer
There will be no shortage of men to have sex with or date throughout the summer.
Wanna get over, get under (We get under)
The only way to move on from the ex-boyfriend is to get under someone.
You and me under each other's wing
She and her friend have always supported each other.
But he spoiled everything
The ex-boyfriend ruined everything for her friend and her.
Bitch, I love you, he never loved you
She reminds her friend that she loves her and that her ex-boyfriend never truly loved her.
He never saw the pretty things in you that I do
She recognizes things about her friend that her ex-boyfriend never appreciated, but she does.
I missed your madness, you're kinda ratchet
She remembers the old days when she and her friend were wild and crazy, and she misses that part of her friend that is a little ratchet.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Tove Lo, Shellback, Jakob Bo Jerlstroem, Ludvig Karl Dagsson Soederberg
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind