Music
“Heat Waves” By Glass Animals Isn't As Romantic As You Think
The song has gone viral on TikTok, but what is it actually about?
Glass Animals’ catchy song “Heat Waves” went viral on TikTok soon after its release. The line “sometimes all I think about is you” has been used as a repeated hook in online videos, usually to nostalgically reflect on monumental life chapters such as going to school or living in a flat at university with friends.
Released in 2020 ahead of the Oxford native band’s third album, “Dreamland,” “Heat Waves” has been used in over 1.1 million videos on TikTok. The audio has also been slowed and remixed to enhance the feeling of nostalgia it evokes, enjoying a further 76K usages in these alternative formats.
With Glass Animals increasingly catering to North American audiences, their fanbase is now arguably bigger in the U.S. than in their native UK. The group’s latest music showcases a Californian edge above the wacky, distinctly British alt-pop sound they produced for their first album, “Zaba”. But what is the meaning behind their stand-out song “Heat Waves”?
Penned by frontman Dave Bayley, the viral track narrates the breakdown of a relationship. Despite being unable to get over this loss, the lyrics recognise that though this romance has failed, parting ways is for the best, which is symbolised in lines “You just need a better life than this, you need something I can never give.”
Admitting his failure to provide for his partner’s needs, the break-up is bittersweet, despite the song’s soft repetition of “sometimes all I think about is you, late nights in the middle of June.” These lyrics are often romanticised online, and could easily tell the story of the beginning of a relationship in isolation, but looking closer, this is a sad track tinged with feelings of loss and longing.
The accompanying music video sees Bayley carrying a boombox in a wheelbarrow through the streets of East London, bringing the band back to their British roots. Lamenting the loss of a relationship, he sings and dances through the streets, encouraging a new lease of life both for the narrator and the band’s sonic vision.
Read the full lyrics, here:
[Intro]
(Last night, all I think about is you)
(Don't stop, baby, you can walk through)
(Don't want, baby, think about you)
(You know that I'm never gonna lose)
Road shimmer wigglin' the vision
Heat, heat waves, I'm swimmin' in a mirror
Road shimmer wigglin' the vision Heat, heat waves, I'm swimmin' in a—
[Chorus]
Sometimes, all I think about is you
Late nights in the middle of June
Heat waves been fakin' me out
Can't make you happier now
Sometimes, all I think about is you
Late nights in the middle of June
Heat waves been fakin' me out
Can't make you happier now
[Verse 1]
Usually, I put somethin' on TV
So we never think about you and me
But today, I see our reflections clearly
In Hollywood, layin' on the screen
You just need a better life than this
You need somethin' I can never give
Fake water all across the road
It's gone now, the night has come, but
[Chorus]
Sometimes, all I think about is you
Late nights in the middle of June
Heat waves been fakin' me out
Can't make you happier now
[Verse 2]
You can't fight it, you can't breathe
You say somethin' so lovin', but
Now I gotta let you go
You'll be better off in someone new
I don't wanna be alone
You know it hurts me too
You look so broken when you cry
One more and then I say goodbye
[Chorus]
Sometimes, all I think about is you
Late nights in the middle of June
Heat waves been fakin' me out
Can't make you happier now
Sometimes, all I think about is you
Late nights in the middle of June Heat waves been fakin' me out
Can't make you happier now
[Bridge]
I just wonder what you're dreamin' of
When you sleep and smile so comfortable
I just wish that I could give you that
That look that's perfectly un-sad
Sometimes, all I think about is you
Late nights in the middle of June
Heat waves been fakin' me out
Heat waves been fakin' me out
[Chorus]
Sometimes, all I think about is you
Late nights in the middle of June
Heat waves been fakin' me out
Can't make you happier now
Sometimes, all I think about is you
Late nights in the middle of June
Heat waves been fakin' me out
Can't make you happier now
[Outro]
Road shimmer wigglin' the vision
Heat, heat waves, I'm swimmin' in a mirror
Road shimmer wigglin' the vision
Heat, heat waves, I'm swimmin' in a mirror
