In 2018, she began uploading demos to BBC Music Introducing. This caught the attention of radio presenters across the UK who distributed these demos to Ali Raymond of Beatnik Creative, who soon began managing Parks. She made her solo debut when she released the song Cola through Beatnik Records in November 2018, by November 2019, the song had amassed over three million streams on Spotify.
Following the release of Cola, Parks signed to Transgressive Records, where she release the four-track EP Super Sad Generation in early April 2019. The EP was recorded in her home in South West London and an Airbnb in the Angel district of London with producer and co-writer Gianluca Buccellati.
Throughout the last half of 2019 Parks released the songs George, Second Guessing, Sophie and Angel's Song ahead of her second EP, Sophie, which was released in November 2019. Sean Kerwick told DIY that the five-track EP "oozes with the hang-ups of heartbreak and mortality; a topic that seems to overshadow many gen-Z musicians."
Parks embarked on her first headlining tour of Europe in February and March 2020, but could not complete it due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In May 2020, Parks released the singles Eugene and Black Dog, which were well received during the COVID-19 lockdown, the latter of which became BBC Radio 1's Tune of the Week. She won the AIM Independent Music Award for One to Watch in 2020 in August 2020.
Parks released her debut album, Collapsed in Sunbeams, on 29 January 2021. The album received widespread acclaim, with many music critics praising Parks' versatility and vulnerability. The record was supported by seven singles including Black Dog and Hurt. The album won the 2021 Mercury Prize and was nominated for Best Alternative Music Album at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards. Parks told NME in October 2020 that the album is "a series of vignettes and intimate portraits surrounding [her] adolescence and the people that shaped it. It is rooted in storytelling and nostalgia – I want it to feel both universal and hyper specific."
Devotion
Arlo Parks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Shaking to Deftones, glitter in my bones
Love you like I don't know better
Girl, I wanna protect you, I do, oh
Your touch embroiders me
I'm wide open, hmm
All yours, baby
All yours, baby
Flood me with your nervous love
All yours, baby
Come down like a million tonnes
All yours, baby
Now I got my shot glass out the punch is stickin'
Tryna deduct blue, why do I trust you?
When you tell me I'm a good thing
Girl, I wanna protect you, I do, oh
Your eyes destroying me
I'm wide open, hmm
All yours, baby
Come down like a million tonnes
All yours, baby
Flood me with your nervous love
All yours, baby
Come down like a million tonnes
All yours, baby
Flood me with your nervous love
All yours, baby
Come down like a million tonnes
All yours, baby
Flood me with your nervous love
All yours, baby
Come down like a million tonnes
All yours, baby
Flood me with your nervous love
I think in a way, I've always loved you
I used to hate it when people said that shit
But I mean it
You make me feel free
Ripping it out of me like you feel
The lyrics to Arlo Parks's song "Devotion" evoke themes of vulnerability, love, and protection. The singer acknowledges their own emotional turmoil, admitting that they sometimes fall apart but do not hold any resentment towards the person they are addressing. The line "Shaking to Deftones, glitter in my bones" suggests a sense of excitement and intensity in their connection, with the reference to Deftones representing a musical preference that brings them joy. They love the person deeply, almost to the point of ignorance, and express a strong desire to protect them.
The chorus repeats the phrase "All yours, baby," emphasizing a surrender to their partner, willing to be enveloped by their love and intensity. The comparison to a "million tonnes" underscores the overwhelming strength and weight of their devotion. The phrase "flood me with your nervous love" conveys a sense of both exhilaration and uncertainty, capturing the rollercoaster of emotions that come with being in love.
In the second verse, the singer reflects on their own vulnerability and their struggle to decipher their emotions. They question why they trust the person despite the potential risks involved. The desire to protect the other person remains prevalent, with the repetition of "Girl, I wanna protect you, I do, oh." However, the singer acknowledges that they are being emotionally affected by the other person, as their eyes "destroy" them. This intensifies their openness and susceptibility in the relationship.
The final lines reveal a personal revelation by the singer. They admit that they have always loved the other person, despite initially being resistant to accepting such a powerful emotion. The love they feel for this person makes them feel liberated, as if a part of themselves is being extracted forcibly but willingly.
Overall, "Devotion" explores the complexities of love, vulnerability, and the desire for emotional protection, painting a vivid picture of the whirlwind of emotions that come with giving oneself completely to another person.
Line by Line Meaning
Got me falling on myself but I don't resent you
I am utterly captivated by you, even though it can sometimes make me lose control of myself. But I bear no ill feelings towards you.
Shaking to Deftones, glitter in my bones
Your presence makes me feel so alive and excited, like the energetic music of Deftones. It's as if there is an effervescent joy deep within me.
Love you like I don't know better
My love for you is so intense and overwhelming that it surpasses any logical reasoning. It's a love that defies rationality.
Girl, I wanna protect you, I do, oh
I have a strong desire to shield and safeguard you from any harm or pain, genuinely and wholeheartedly.
Your touch embroiders me
The way you touch me leaves an intricate and beautiful mark on my soul, like delicate embroidery on fabric.
I'm wide open, hmm
My emotions and vulnerability are fully exposed and laid bare for you. I am completely open to you, with no walls or defenses.
All yours, baby
I surrender myself to you completely. I am entirely yours, without any reservations or hesitations.
Come down like a million tonnes
When you come to me, it feels overwhelming and powerful, like the weight of a million tonnes crashing down. Your presence is immense.
Flood me with your nervous love
Drench me in the intensity of your affection, which simultaneously excites and unsettles me. Your love is filled with both excitement and anxiety.
Now I got my shot glass out the punch is stickin'
I am preparing myself to indulge in the intoxication and emotional impact of our connection. The punch of our relationship lingers and affects me deeply.
Tryna deduct blue, why do I trust you?
I am attempting to understand and decipher the profound emotional state that consumes me. I question why I place my trust in you despite the uncertainty and vulnerability it brings.
When you tell me I'm a good thing
Your affirmation and recognition of me as a valuable presence in your life uplifts and reassures me. It means a lot to hear that from you.
Your eyes destroying me
The intensity and power of your gaze have the ability to dismantle and overwhelm me emotionally. I am profoundly affected by the way you look at me.
I think in a way, I've always loved you
In a sense, I realize that my love for you has been present within me for a long time, even before I consciously acknowledged it. It has always been there.
I used to hate it when people said that shit
Previously, I despised hearing others make similar declarations of love, as it felt insincere or cliché. But now, I understand and embrace its truth.
But I mean it
I genuinely and sincerely mean every word when I express my love for you. It is not an empty or superficial sentiment.
You make me feel free
Being with you brings about a sense of liberation and liberation. My soul feels unburdened and liberated when I am with you.
Ripping it out of me like you feel
You have a profound ability to draw out and evoke my deepest emotions and desires. It's as if you can sense and understand them with an intuitive connection.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Anais Oluwatoyin Estelle Marinho, Baird Acheson, Paul Epworth, Romil Hemnani
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@bryngillings8941
This is an exemplary embodiment of modern meets vintage and its an absolute honor to have gotten to be alive for it. Thank you God!
@bestbeatstoreacid
THIS TRACK IS ON MY REPEAT!🌎🔥🔥
@melvaalvarado9196
For sure
@nina403
ARRRLLOOOOOO THIS HITSSSS
@cortneywonder
On point.
@cashusclay69able
This one track is gonna blow you up to the stratosphere!!! When the guitars hit.... it's a wall of emotions breaking down. This is straight 🔥
@MrGordonGartrelle
Beautiful vocal line over the warbling bass then THE ROCK. GREAT TUNE!
@robertocausey
One of my favorite tracks of 2023 ❤
@lemocide
i was never expecting this sound from you, the guitar hits like a truck and id really kill to hear more of this. keep it up arlo!! <33
@MatthewMuhammad
Hearing this on the radio for the first time. Absolutely lovely.