In 2021, girl in red dropped her debut album, “if i could make it go quiet,” which garnered the attention of many alternative-pop listeners. Known for her unapologetic lyricism and distinct production style, the Norwegian singer-songwriter has produced some of her best work in her early 20s.
On this week’s “Music Notes,” we’re diving into arguably one of her best songs off that record: “I’ll Call You Mine.”
She opens the song with a romantic visual: two people driving together along a country hillside. The first set of lyrics emits a sense of nostalgia, with the singer knowing she won’t experience this side of her youth for long. girl in red sings, “Sitting in the back seat / We’re drivin’ so fast / Hands out the window / We’re not goin’ back,” an eerie tone in her voice that hints at a devastating loss.
Her voice is reminiscent of singers like Phoebe Bridgers and Lizzy McAlpine, but she puts her own twist on the song by activating her lower register. This technique makes the song sound more like an emotional gut-punch, especially as the singer admits to the two people in the car being herself and a former lover.
She says, “Somewhere on a green hill / Laughin’ so loud / Takin’ my body / And you’re takin’ it down,” opening up to listeners about her past with this person. It’s bittersweet, youthful and contains a hint of sensuality, and the song continues to build up to its chorus by adding more power behind these feelings.
The chorus is one of sacrifice, as girl in red vows to this person that she would let them do anything to her. At this point in the song, it still feels like love is present between the two as the singer croons, “Break me down / And I’ll call you mine / And I know I’ve been around / And I’ll call you mine.”
However, the singer dwells in her own loneliness, hinting that a breakup ensued. Emulating the first set of lines in the song, girl in red is more pessimistic this time, singing, “Sitting in the backseat / We’re driving so fast / Living in a daydream / It’s too good to last.” Her tone changes completely, with listeners hearing a lack of apathy in her voice.
One element of girl in red’s lyricism is that she wants listeners to have a visual to relate to her own pain. We see this in the next set of lyrics when the singer recalls a memory of standing in the rain, feeling lost and uncertain without her former lover. She says, “Rainy days and bad luck / Come in my way / I look for you when I’m lost / So I don’t go insane,” and for those who have been through a bad breakup, girl in red proves loneliness is the key feeling of loss and grief.
The song returns to the chorus, which grows more aggressive as the singer nearly shouts at her former lover. She quickly transitions into the bridge, begging this person to return to her. It’s a moment where we also see her beg for someone’s love and affection, possibly a jab at a relationship that was doomed from the start.
The singer says, “Show me that you really care / That you really care / Show me that you’re gonna stay / On my worst days,” with the production of the song amplified through a darker chord progression. The light, carefree guitar-playing listeners hear is replaced by a bass line that growls and matches the deep tone of a girl in red’s voice.
Wanting to feel appreciated, the girl in red then says, “Hold me like you’ll never leave / Like you’ll never leave / Like you’ll never leave,” and through this repetition, one can fully understand her suffering. She begins to ease on her forceful tone, her voice cracking when she begins to repeat the chorus. This is probably my favorite moment in the song, as it proves her strength as a storyteller.
The song ends with a final rendition of the chorus, the singer’s voice slowly fading into the distance. It is a beautifully written and produced track that stands out on the album because of its visual intrigue. It’s hard for many young singers to create powerful songs that can elicit feelings of heartbreak, but girl in red makes it look effortless even when reeling in pain from a breakup.
