Susanne Sundfør is a Norwegian singer/songwriter and producer who has toppe… Read Full Bio ↴Susanne Sundfør is a Norwegian singer/songwriter and producer who has topped the charts in her homeland and won critical praise with her poignant mix of chamber folk, electronic pop, and icy dance music. Emerging in the mid-2000s with a sound that evoked a blend of Stina Nordenstam, Depeche Mode, Tori Amos, and Radiohead, Sundfør achieved significant regional success with the release of her eponymous, folk-inspired debut album in 2007. She pivoted to a denser electronic style in the 2010s, culminating in the release of 2015's chart-topping Ten Love Songs, which elicited acclaim both at home and abroad.

Susanne Sundfør began her rise to fame in her homeland in 2005. That year she toured the country opening for English singer/songwriter Tom McRae, and in 2006 she joined Madrugada on tour, performing their song "Lift Me," a duet the band originally recorded in the studio with singer Ane Brun. Late in 2006, she digitally released her debut single, "Walls," which would climb to number three on the Norwegian singles chart. It was the same position her debut self-titled album took on the album charts when it was released in 2007. The live effort Take One followed in 2008 -- the same year that her debut won the Spellemannprisen for Best Female Performance. Sundfør accepted the award with some hesitation, stating her work represented her as an artist first, and a woman second, bringing into question whether the Norwegian Grammy board was acting archaically with such gender-specific awards. Two years later, her album The Brothel would climb to the top of the Norwegian album charts thanks in part to the success of its title track. Jazz keyboardist Christian Wallumrød and members of Jaga Jazzist appeared on her 2011 effort, the all-instrumental A Night at Salle Pleyel. In 2012 she released the single "White Foxes" along with the album The Silicone Veil. She ended the year collaborating with Morten Myklebust on the track "Away," along with electronica duo Röyksopp on their single "Running to the Sea."

In 2013, Sundfør collaborated with French electronic band M83 on the Oblivion soundtrack, and later that year her back catalog was released in the U.K. for the first time. She went on to make her production debut for Bow's Each Other record. By 2014 she was set to release her fifth studio album, which was preceded by the single "Fade Away." Ten Love Songs went on to become a commercial and critical success for Sundfør upon its release in 2015, and saw the record appear in many year-end "best-of" lists. Following that record's release, she spent time traveling the world, and her follow-up record reflected the different environments and politics she encountered, along with the anxiety felt by many due to an ever-changing world. Music for People in Trouble was released in 2017, with the track "Undercover" as the lead single. The ten-track record also featured a guest appearance from John Grant on its last song, "Mountaineers." In 2019 Sundfør issued the accompanying concert LP People in Trouble: Live from the Barbican, which was recorded in London the year prior. ~ David Jeffries, Rovi

Gravity
Susanne Sundfør Lyrics

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Your eyes are greener than ever
But you are as empty as the bottle of wine you've already out
Your bed is where you take cover
And you want to wash your clothes

'Cause they're so full of smoke
And perfume
And scents of your girlfriend

But now as I watch you parade
I wish you would only once look my way

Oh, gravity
Come on, make me heavy
So I won't sing any more
Don't let me sing
Any more

You play your character thoroughly
But you are so empty that it's easy to see right through you
You talk so sincerely
But I know your sentences

Are beautiful, true
But unmistakably fairy tales
But now as I try to be strong
I find myself writing to you a song

Oh, gravity
Come on, make me heavy
So I won't sing any more
Don't let me sing
Any more

Oh, gravity
Come on, make me heavy
So I won't sing any more

Don't let me sing
Any more

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Susanne Sundfør's song Gravity speak about unrequited love and the paradoxical situation of wanting the love and attention of someone who is incapable of reciprocating those feelings. The first stanza describes the person the singer is in love with, highlighting their physical attributes like green eyes but also their emotional emptiness, comparing them to an empty bottle of wine. The second stanza continues with the description of the person, revealing that they have a girlfriend and that their sincerity is laced with falsehoods. The chorus, "Oh, gravity, come on, make me heavy, so I won't sing any more, don't let me sing any more," reflects the singer's desire to escape the pain of unreturned love and the frustration of being unable to communicate those feelings to the person they desire.

The song's overall theme is melancholic, with the lyrics painting a vivid picture of someone who is infatuated with another person but unable to express that love. The language used is poetic and evocative, with the imagery of green eyes, smoke, and perfume contributing to the mood of the song. The chorus, repeating "Oh, gravity," adds to the ethereal quality of the song and emphasizes the singer's feeling of being adrift and grounded at the same time. Despite the sadness of the lyrics, the song is beautiful and haunting and reflects the universal experience of unrequited love.

Line by Line Meaning

Your eyes are greener than ever
Although your eyes still appear attractive, they no longer hold the same spark and life that they once did.

But you are as empty as the bottle of wine you've already out
Despite your external appearance and the pleasure you indulge in, you lack any genuine substance or meaning in your life.

Your bed is where you take cover
You retreat to your bed, finding only temporary solace from the emptiness that constantly plagues you.

And you want to wash your clothes
You feel the need to physically cleanse yourself of the contamination that clings to your external belongings.

'Cause they're so full of smoke
Your clothes reek of smoke, representative of the destructive and unhealthy habits you engage in.

And perfume
The perfume you wear is a superficial tactic to mask the negative traits and emptiness you carry within.

And scents of your girlfriend
The lingering scent of your girlfriend serves as a painful reminder of the emptiness you feel despite engaging in a relationship.

But now as I watch you parade
As I observe you flaunting your superficiality and engaging in self-destructive behaviors, it becomes increasingly difficult to maintain my admiration for you.

I wish you would only once look my way
Despite knowing how hollow and unhealthy your presence is, I still long for your attention and validation.

Oh, gravity
The force that pulls us towards the Earth - here, the weight of the emptiness and dissatisfaction that drags the artist down.

Come on, make me heavy
The artist longs to be weighed down by gravity as a physical manifestation of how overwhelming and unbearable their emotions have become.

So I won't sing any more
The gravity is so heavy that the artist no longer has the energy or desire to continue creating and expressing themselves through music.

Don't let me sing
The artist pleads with gravity (the symbol of the unbearable emotional weight they carry) to silence them and take away their need to create despite the importance of music in their life.

Any more
Repetition of the previous line for emphasis.

You play your character thoroughly
You are fully committed to the act of being superficial and empty, leaving no opportunity for any true personality to shine through.

But you are so empty that it's easy to see right through you
Your surface-level enjoyment of life and relationships is so transparent that it's impossible to believe it stems from any genuine emotions or desires.

You talk so sincerely
Your words and promises appear genuine and heartfelt, but I am unable to believe in the authenticity behind them.

But I know your sentences
I am familiar with the patterns and tendencies of your empty, insincere behavior - it doesn't take much to see through your facade.

Are beautiful, true
The artist acknowledges that your words and promises are lovely in theory, but ultimately lacking in genuine emotion or action.

But unmistakably fairy tales
Despite the beauty inherent in your words, the artist knows they are too fantastical and unrealistic to truly manifest in reality.

But now as I try to be strong
As much as the artist tries to maintain a facade or keep up the act of being okay, the weight of their emotions is becoming too much to bear.

I find myself writing to you a song
Writing music and lyrics is the only way for the artist to process and express the emotions they feel towards you.

Contributed by Addison L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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