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."
Eugene
Arlo Parks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I had a dream we kissed
And it was all amethyst
The underpart of your eyes was violet
You hung a cigarette between your purple lips
We've been best buds since thirteen
I hold your head back when you're too lean
He was mean, he was mean
Hey
I know I've been a little bit off and that's my mistake
I kinda fell half in love and you're to blame
I guess I just forgot that we've been mates since day
Yeah, I don't know what to say
Hey
I know I've been a little bit off and that's my mistake
I kinda fell half in love and you're to blame
I guess I just forgot that we've been mates since day
Yeah, I don't know what to say
Yo
Yeah
Seein' you with him burns
I feel it deep in my throat
You put your hands in his shirt
You play him records I showed you
Read him Sylvia Plath
I thought that that was our thing
You know I like you like that
I hate that son of a bitch
We've been best buds since thirteen
But that don't change the things I feel
Oh, when I see you smile with your teeth at Eugene
Yeah, I can't deal
Hey (yo)
I know I've been a little bit off and that's my mistake
(Yeah) I kinda fell half in love and you're to blame
(Yo) I guess I just forgot that we've been mates since day
Yeah, I don't know what to say
Hey
I know I've been a little bit off and that's my mistake
(Yeah) I kinda fell half in love and you're to blame
(Yo) I guess I just forgot that we've been mates since day
Yeah, I don't know what to say (yep)
Yo
Yo
Arlo Parks's song "Eugene" explores the complicated emotions of being in love with a best friend who is in a relationship with someone else. Parks begins the song by describing a dream she had where she kissed her best friend, who she has been close with since the age of thirteen. In the dream, the underpart of her friend's eyes were violet and she had a cigarette in between her purple lips. This colorful imagery sets the tone of the song, highlighting the intensity of the emotions Parks is feeling.
Throughout the song, Parks describes the jealousy and hurt she feels watching her best friend be affectionate towards someone else, specifically a person named Eugene. She references memories they shared together, like holding her best friend's head back when she was too lean and holding Taco Bell while her friend cried over Eugene. Parks expresses her frustration, feeling like Eugene has taken her place in her best friend's life.
Despite her feelings, Parks also acknowledges her mistake in falling half in love with her best friend and putting their friendship at risk. She admits that she forgot that they have been mates since day one and doesn't know what to say or do about her conflicting feelings.
Overall, "Eugene" is a poignant and relatable song about the complicated feelings that can arise when you're in love with your best friend.
* Interesting facts:
- The song is inspired by a friend of Arlo Parks's who was in a similar situation.
- "Eugene" was released as a single in January 2020.
- The song was produced by Gianluca Buccellati, who has also worked with Frank Ocean and Blood Orange.
- "Eugene" was premiered on BBC Radio 1 as Annie Mac's Hottest Record in the World on its release day.
- The song was named after Eugene O'Neill, an American playwright and Nobel laureate in Literature.
- Arlo Parks's real name is Anaïs Oluwatoyin Estelle Marinho.
- Parks is a British singer-songwriter, poet, and rapper of Nigerian and Chadian descent.
- "Eugene" is one of the tracks on Parks's debut album, "Collapsed in Sunbeams," which was released in January 2021.
- The album received critical acclaim and was nominated for the Mercury Prize in 2021.
- Parks has cited influences such as King Krule, Solange, and Sufjan Stevens in her music.
Chords:
The chords for "Eugene" are Am, D, G, C.
Line by Line Meaning
Yo
I had a dream we kissed
And it was all amethyst
The underpart of your eyes was violet
You hung a cigarette between your purple lips
The singer dreamed about kissing their friend, with the friend's eyes and lips tinted purple, while holding a cigarette.
We've been best buds since thirteen
I hold head back when you're too lean
I hold the Taco Bell and you cried over Eugene
He was mean, he was mean
The singer has been friends with their companion since they were thirteen and has supported them through difficult times, including a time when they cried over Eugene, who was mean to them.
Hey
I know I've been a little bit off and that's my mistake
I kinda fell half in love and you're to blame
I guess I just forgot that we've been mates since day
Yeah, I don't know what to say
Hey
I know I've been a little bit off and that's my mistake
I kinda fell half in love and you're to blame
I guess I just forgot that we've been mates since day
Yeah, I don't know what to say
The singer is sorry for their recent behavior, realizing they have fallen in love with their friend but forgot they have been friends for a while, and they don't know how to express their feelings.
Yo
Yeah
Seein' you with him burns
I feel it deep in my throat
You put your hands in his shirt
You play him records I showed you
You read him Sylvia Plath
I thought that was our thing
You know I like you like that
I hate that son of a bitch
The artist is frustrated and jealous seeing their friend with someone else, especially when they share things they thought were unique to their friendship, and expresses dislike for the other person.
We've been best buds since thirteen
But that don't change the things I feel
Oh, when I see you smile with your teeth at Eugene
Yeah, I can't deal
Although they have been friends for a long time, the artist still struggles with their feelings when they see their friend happy with someone else.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Anais Oluwatoyin Estelle Marinho, Gianluca Buccellati
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@luneengels9770
Yo
I had a dream we kissed
And it was all amethyst
The underpart of your eyes was violet
You hung a cigarette between your purple lips
We've been best buds since thirteen
I hold head back when you're too lean
I hold the Taco Bell and you cried over Eugene
He was mean, he was mean
Hey
I know I've been a little bit off and that's my mistake
I kinda fell half in love and you're to blame
I guess I just forgot that we've been mates since day
Yeah, I don't know what to say
Hey
I know I've been a little bit off and that's my mistake
I kinda fell half in love and you're to blame
I guess I just forgot that we've been mates since day
Yeah, I don't know what to say
Yo
Yeah
Seein' you with him burns
I feel it deep in my throat
You put your hands in his shirt
You play him…
@holland3185
records I showed you
You read him Sylvia Plath
I thought that was our thing
You know I like you like that
I hate that son of a bitch
We've been best buds since thirteen
But that don't change the things I feel
Oh, when I see you smile with your teeth at Eugene
Yeah, I can't deal
Hey (yo)
I know I've been a little bit off and that's my mistake
(Yeah) I kinda fell half in love and you're to blame
(Yo) I guess I just forgot that we've been mates since day
Yeah, I don't know what to say
Hey
I know I've been a little bit off and that's my mistake
(Yeah) I kinda fell half in love and you're to blame
(Yo) I guess I just forgot that we've been mates since day
Yeah, I don't know what to say (yep)
Yo
Yo
@eadgarcia
"You play him records I showed you,"
My HEART
@eduardodudi1559
YES :(
@gianabakanos9131
sharing music with people is deffo a love language
@shaym4306
And read him Sylvia Plath which was their thing :(
@AreadLeano
Anticipating this line gives me chills
@giuliafragapane6423
I still can't get over her angelic voice, i'm not kidding when I say that her angelic voice is enough to calm me down. You're such a great singer Arlo, thank you for blessing all of us with your music.
@galaxylucia1898
It really is beautiful. I’m so glad I randomly clicked on her videos. 🥰
@kaykayy8573
same it is so weird how easily we could have never heard her
@brucebanner8956
@Galaxy Lucia same 👌🔥
@spunkuro-wee1478
Yup when I need to calm down I listen to her and magic