Barefoot in the Park (song)

"Barefoot in the Park" is a song by English electronic music producer and singer-songwriter James Blake featuring Spanish singer and songwriter Rosalía. It was written by Blake, Rosalía and Paco Ortega and produced by Blake, Dominic Maker and Dan Foat. The single was released on 4 April 2019, by Polydor Records, as the fourth single from Blake's fourth studio album Assume Form (2019).[1] It is a Latin-infused ballad which blends Blake's electronic and UK bass style, trap drums and Rosalía's traditional flamenco influences. Inspired by the 1967 film Barefoot in the Park, its romantic lyrics celebrate togetherness.

"Barefoot in the Park"
Single by James Blake featuring Rosalía
from the album Assume Form
Language
  • English
  • Spanish
Released4 April 2019 (2019-04-04)
Length3:31
LabelPolydor
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
James Blake singles chronology
"Lullaby for My Insomniac"
(2019)		 "Barefoot in the Park"
(2019)		 "Mulholland"
(2019)
Rosalía singles chronology
"Con altura"
(2019)		 "Barefoot in the Park"
(2019)		 "Aute Cuture"
(2019)
Music video
"Barefoot in the Park" on YouTube

The song was met with positive reviews, with many commending Rosalía's vocal performance. Commercially, it managed the reach number 40 in Rosalía's native Spain and peaked at number 27 on the US Hot Dance/Electronic Songs. A music video for the single was shared on the single's release date. Both singers have performed the song live on a number of occasions, both solo or in duet.

Background and recording

James Blake was inspired to collaborate with Rosalía after his manager played her debut album Los ángeles to him; in an interview with iTunes, he related that he "honestly hadn't heard anything so vulnerable and raw and devastating in quite a while." Blake subsequently booked spontaneous recording sessions with Rosalía and André 3000 in order to "see what would happen, and the songs that emerged from them." Within the day, Blake and Rosalía had written "two or three things" including "Barefoot in the Park", with Blake commenting that he "loved the sound of [their] voices together."[2][3] During this session, Rosalía wrote lyrics about love in what Blake called a "very human, and beautiful, and romantic" way. He further commented "when you don't understand the lyrics, it takes on a completely different meaning, and you just hear the romance of the Spanish language in action."[4]

The songwriting process for the song began after Dominic Maker showed Blake an sound pool from 1971 by the then 13-year-old singer and harpist Valerie Armstrong playing the Irish folk song "Fil, fil a rún ó" for RTE.[5][4] Blake consequently decided to have "a couple goes at singing something over it, and [he] ended up with this one phrase that [he and Maker] liked." Because of its brevity, he doubled its length to make the song's chorus. Rosalía added a vocal harmony during her recording session with Blake. Blake took inspiration from the 1967 film Barefoot in the Park for the track, despite never having seen it; nevertheless, he "resonated" with its premise of a "man who is pretty uncomfortable, pretty anxious, pretty uptight, got a stick up his ass, basically, meets this woman and she brings him out of his shell slowly."[4]

Composition and lyrics

"Barefoot in the Park" was written by Blake, Rosalía and Paco Ortega, while its production was handled by the lead artist alongside Maker and Dan Foat.[6] It is a serene Latin-infused ballad duet which features trap drums as well as Rosalía's traditional flamenco influences.[7][8][9] Jessica Roiz of Billboard wrote that the song "fuses Blake's soulful electronic and UK bass sounds with Rosalia's alternative Spanish folk rhythms,"[1] while Philip Sherburne of Pitchfork noted the song's "tropical IDM beat."[10] Jon Pareles, writing for The New York Times, considered that the single was the only track off Assume Form to feature anything close to "one luminous, fully focused pop chorus [...] despite its minor key and somber descending chords."[11] According to Alexis Petridis of The Guardian, Blake's "naturally lugubrious" voice adds an slight edge of uncertainty to the romantic nature of the track.[12]

In its lyrics, the track celebrates "togetherness."[11] Blake explained several of the song's lyrics exclusively on Genius. Rosalía's verses use imagery of "the sun coming through the clouds and hitting you directly in the eye" to describe love, comparing it to a spiritual experience. Meanwhile, Blake's line "Who needs to pray?" reflects how he "[feels] so fucking satisfied in this situation that [he doesn't] need [his] usual devices of making [himself] feel better," rather than meaning "you don't need to pray." Another verse, "Saturn starts turning off each ring / Sky's locking up I think," is intended to resemble a bar closing, representing how a day with someone who you're "starting to feel a lot for" ends and "you want it to not be over."[4]

Critical reception

"Barefoot in the Park" was met with positive reviews, with Rosalía's vocal performance drawing the most praise. Ryan Keeling of Resident Advisor opined that the song is "a nice example of the creative openness Blake pursues throughout" Assume Form.[13] The Line of Best Fit writer Simon Edwards expressed the same opinion, adding that Rosalía "steals the show."[14] In the same vein, Felix Rowe of Clash wrote that the Spanish singer "adds another dimension" to the track.[15] The Observer's Kitty Empire considered the song "far more pleasing to the ear" than the collaborations with hip hop artists found on the album, describing it as a "humid and haunted thermal," though was somewhat critical of Blake's vocal performance which she claimed "has started resembling that of Chris Martin from Coldplay."[16]

Spin's Andy Beta described "Barefoot in the Park" as a "romantic [...] speedball of minor-key melancholia and flying sparks."[17] In his review of Assume Form for Stereogum, James Rettig wrote that Rosalía "wields an incredible power" on the track, and noted that it "could even get radio play if given the right push."[18] Wren Graves of Consequence of Sound applauded Rosalía's vocal performance, describing it as "like sunlight on cobwebs," and added that "Blake abandons all melodic restraint" before concluding that the song "gushes with loveliness."[19] One less enthusiastic review came from Pitchfork editor Philip Sherburne, who found the song's "tropical IDM beat and rising-and-falling melody [...] largely forgettable," though applauded Rosalía's "breathy warble" as its "best feature."[10]

Music video

A music video for "Barefoot in the Park" premiered on 4 April 2019.[1] It was directed by Diana Kunst and Mau Morgó.[20] The video opens with a shot of a young boy and girl standing in front of two cars that have been set ablaze after a collision. The two go their separate ways, with Blake observing the boy's journey and Rosalía the girl's at a distance. The children continue to walk, this time older, as their younger selves turn to dust. The boy later disintegrates as he looks at the sky. Blake and Rosalía are then seen driving, intertwined with surreal shots of sky, and the two briefly acknowledge each other. The video ends with the opening shot, though this time in an evening setting.[21][22][23]

Live performances

Blake performed seven tracks from Assume Form including "Barefoot in the Park" on 22 May 2019 at KCRW's Annenberg Performance Studio in Santa Monica, California.[24] He also performed it solo at the Primavera Sound festival in Barcelona during his set on 1 June.[25] However, during her performance that day at the same festival, Rosalía invited Blake onstage to sing the duet together.[26] The Spanish artist has also performed the track alone at her acclaimed sets on the third day of the Glastonbury Festival 2019[27][28][29] and at Somerset House on 16 July.[30][31][32]

Charts

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.[6]

Personnel

  • James Blake – producer, composer, lyricist, co-mixer, piano, programming, synthesizer, vocals
  • Rosalía Vila – composer, lyricist, vocals
  • Dan Foat – producer (also exec.)
  • Dominic Maker – producer (also add.), programming
  • Paco Ortega – composer, lyricist
  • Eric Eylands – assistant recording engineer
  • John Armstrong – assistant recording engineer
  • Nathan Boddy – co-mixer
gollark: It will be a glorious day of gollariosity.
gollark: With lyricly gone, I will take his place on the staff team.
gollark: No, I will.
gollark: I will screenshot this in case of apification.
gollark: LyricLy is unlikely to permanently ban himself.

References
  1. Roiz, Jessica (4 April 2019). "James Blake & Rosalia Debut Enchanting 'Barefoot in the Park' Video: Watch". Billboard. Archived from the original on 5 April 2019. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  2. Ch, Devin (19 January 2019). "James Blake & ROSALÍA Go "Barefoot In The Park"". HotNewHipHop. Archived from the original on 20 January 2019. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  3. Cliff, Aimee (17 January 2019). "James Blake: learning to share". Dazed. Archived from the original on 17 January 2019. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  4. "James Blake – Barefoot in the Park Lyrics". Genius. Archived from the original on 27 July 2019. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  5. Power, Ed (11 February 2019). "Album Review: James Blake, Assume Form". Hot Press. Archived from the original on 8 April 2019. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  6. "Assume Form / James Blake". Tidal. Archived from the original on 19 January 2019. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  7. Renshaw, David (18 January 2019). "James Blake's Assume Form is a pivot to romance". The Fader. Archived from the original on 19 January 2019. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  8. Brown, Helen (18 January 2019). "James Blake, Assume Form, album review: Euphoric sepia soul and loved-up doo-wop". The Independent. Archived from the original on 18 January 2019. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  9. Hall, Michael James (23 January 2019). "James Blake: Assume Form (Republic) Review". Under the Radar. Archived from the original on 28 July 2019. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  10. Sherburne, Philip (22 January 2019). "James Blake: Assume Form Album Review". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 22 January 2019. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  11. Pareles, Jon (16 January 2019). "James Blake Finds Love, Moodily, on 'Assume Form'". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 16 January 2019. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  12. Petridis, Alexis (17 January 2019). "James Blake: Assume Form review – lovestruck producer turns dark into light". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 17 January 2019. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  13. Keeling, Ryan (18 January 2019). "RA Reviews: James Blake – Assume Form on Universal Music (Album)". Resident Advisor. Archived from the original on 19 January 2019. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  14. Edwards, Simon (18 January 2019). "James Blake's Assume Form is his most direct, sincere LP yet". The Line of Best Fit. Archived from the original on 27 July 2019. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  15. Rowe, Felix (18 January 2019). "James Blake – Assume Form". Clash. Archived from the original on 27 July 2019. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  16. Empire, Kitty (19 January 2019). "James Blake: Assume Form review – a big, glitchy, swooning, hyper-modern declaration of love". The Observer. Archived from the original on 19 January 2019. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  17. Keeling, Ryan (18 January 2019). "James Blake's Assume Form Makes Room for Love (and Travis Scott)". Spin. Archived from the original on 18 January 2019. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  18. Rettig, James (17 January 2019). "Premature Evaluation: James Blake Assume Form". Stereogum. Archived from the original on 18 January 2019. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  19. Graves, Wren (17 January 2019). "James Blake Strikes a Perfect Emotional Balance on Assume Form". Consequence of Sound. Archived from the original on 17 January 2019. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  20. Kaye, Ben (4 April 2019). "James Blake shares video for Rosalía collaboration "Barefoot in the Park": Watch". Consequence of Sound. Archived from the original on 5 April 2019. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  21. Blistein, Jon (4 April 2019). "Watch James Blake, Rosalia Collide in New 'Barefoot in the Park' Video". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 4 April 2019. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  22. Alston, Trey (4 April 2019). "James Blake And Rosalía Have A Near-Death Experience In Emotional 'Barefoot In The Park' Video". MTV. Archived from the original on 5 April 2019. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  23. Blake, James (4 April 2019). "James Blake – Barefoot In The Park". Archived from the original on 4 April 2019. Retrieved 29 July 2019 – via YouTube.
  24. Mims, Taylor (22 May 2019). "KCRW Unveils New Live Studio With Performance From James Blake". Billboard. Archived from the original on 22 May 2019. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  25. Krol, Charlotte (2 June 2019). "Primavera Sound: the 12 best acts we caught at the Spanish festival's groundbreaking 2019 edition". NME. Archived from the original on 8 June 2019. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  26. Blais-Billie, Braudie (1 June 2019). "Rosalía Brings Out James Blake for "Barefoot in the Park": Watch". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 1 June 2019. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  27. Vincent, Alice (28 June 2019). "Rosalía review, John Peel Stage, Glastonbury: vocals with a purity that rose above the crowd and sent it into raptures". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 29 June 2019. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  28. Hannah, Mylrea (28 June 2019). "If you haven't listened to Rosalia – or seen her live – you need to. ASAP". NME. Archived from the original on 29 June 2019. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  29. Pollard, Alexandra (28 June 2019). "Rosalia review, Glastonbury day three: The exhilarating, dramatic and startlingly accomplished set of a future headliner". The Independent. Archived from the original on 29 June 2019. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  30. Greenwood, Douglas (16 July 2019). "Rosalía at Somerset House review – the making of a new kind of megastar". NME. Archived from the original on 28 July 2019. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  31. Empire, Kitty (20 July 2019). "Rosalía review – leftfield flamenco forms make for perfect pop". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 20 July 2019. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  32. Potton, Ed (16 July 2019). "Rosalía review — grandstanding melancholy from the Rihanna of flamenco". The Times. Archived from the original on 16 July 2019. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
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