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"Blouse" is a song by American singer-songwriter
Clairo Claire Elizabeth Cottrill (born August 18, 1998), known professionally as Clairo, is an American singer-songwriter. She began posting music on the internet at age 13. Clairo rose to prominence following the viral success of the music video for ...
, released through
Fader Label FADER Label is an American independent record label founded in 2002 by Rob Stone and Jon Cohen. They are currently based in New York City. History FADER Label was founded in 2002 by Rob Stone and Jon Cohen. In January 2016 the label esta ...
and
Republic Records Republic Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). Based in New York City, it was founded by Avery Lipman and Monte Lipman as an independent label in 1995, and was acquired by UMG in 2000. Republic was initially ...
on June 11, 2021, as the lead single from her sophomore studio album, '' Sling''. The song was written by Clairo, produced by Clairo and
Jack Antonoff Jack Michael Antonoff (born March 31, 1984) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is the lead vocalist of the rock band Bleachers, and previously the guitarist and drummer for the pop band Fun and the lead vocalist of t ...
, and features backing vocals from New Zealand singer-songwriter
Lorde Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor (born 7 November 1996), known professionally as Lorde ( ), is a New Zealand singer and songwriter. She is known for her unconventional style of pop music and introspective songwriting, and has been referred to ...
.


Background and composition

Clairo announced the release of "Blouse" on June 10, 2021, with the song scheduled to come out the following day. It is the lead single from '' Sling'', Clairo's second album. Clairo speaks about her experiences of being sexualized in the music industry in the song. Talking to ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' writer Angie Martoccio, Clairo highlighted the lyric of "Why do I tell you how I feel, when you're too busy looking down my blouse? If touch could make them hear, then touch me now" on the song. Clairo explained that "that line is really important to me, because it just captures so much of what that experience feels like. I was pissed off. I was pissed off that that's a part of this, and that I'm just supposed to accept the fact that that's a part of it. I have moments where I wonder if it even matters what I write. I put in so much effort, but is it going to get to a point where I'm just overly sexualized again? You're so desperate for someone to hear you out that you just let them do it." "Blouse" is a
folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk horror ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Fo ...
ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...
that features backing vocals from
Lorde Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor (born 7 November 1996), known professionally as Lorde ( ), is a New Zealand singer and songwriter. She is known for her unconventional style of pop music and introspective songwriting, and has been referred to ...
. Lorde's backing vocals were recorded on a rainy day in New Zealand, and raindrops can be heard in the background of her vocals. Speaking to Gemma Sanways of ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'', Clairo said of Lorde's involvement that "we talked a lot about how cool it was in the
Laurel Canyon Laurel Canyon is a mountainous neighborhood in the Hollywood Hills region of the Santa Monica Mountains, within the Hollywood Hills West district of Los Angeles, California. The main thoroughfare of Laurel Canyon Boulevard connects the neig ...
era, where people would secretly do background vocals on each other's music – like
Joni Mitchell Roberta Joan Mitchell (née Anderson; born November 7, 1943) is a Canadian and American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and painter. As one of the most influential singer-songwriters to emerge from the 1960s folk music circuit, Mitch ...
with
Carole King Carole King Klein (born Carol Joan Klein; February 9, 1942) is an American singer-songwriter and musician renowned for her extensive contributions to popular music. She wrote or co-wrote 118 songs that charted on the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billbo ...
– rather than as a way to benefit the business side of things. Back then it was just like: 'I love your voice: will you lend your talent to my song?'"


Critical reception

For ''
Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...
'', Quinn Moreland wrote that the song "immediately sets itself apart" from her 2019 album ''
Immunity Immunity may refer to: Medicine * Immunity (medical), resistance of an organism to infection or disease * ''Immunity'' (journal), a scientific journal published by Cell Press Biology * Immune system Engineering * Radiofrequence immunity ...
''. Of the music, Moreland said that "a hushed acoustic guitar melody is soon joined by gentle orchestral flourishes courtesy of co-producer Jack Antonoff and low-key backing vocals from Lorde". Addressing the line "if touch could make them hear, then touch me now", Moreland stated that the encounter was "a devastating prospect — wanting so badly to be genuinely validated that you contemplate compromising part of yourself". The review concluded by saying that "'Blouse' is a quiet yet bold leap forward for Clairo, one that puts a spotlight on her skills as a songwriter with remarkable ease". Margaret Farrell of ''Flood'' compared "Blouse" to Lorde's " Liability", saying that the songs "harness the same urgent closeness". Aside from that, Farrell also noted that "orchestral strings swell around Clairo's bruised words", and that "her vocals get slightly louder" towards the end of the song.


Live performances

On June 3, 2021, Clairo announced that she would debut "Blouse" on
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by actor and comedian Jimmy Fallon that airs on NBC. The show premiered on February 17, 2014, and is produced by Broadway Video and Universal Television. It i ...
. She performed the song on June 10 in-studio on the Tonight Show. In March 2022, videos surfaced of Clairo performing "Blouse" on the Sling Tour. Despite the song's lyrics detailing her discomfort being oversexualized, concertgoers took the opportunity to sexually harass her. The song was not returned to the setlist of her following tour, the Charm Tour. In 2023, Clairo recorded a live version of "Blouse" for her ''Live at Electric Lady'' extended play.


Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from
Tidal Tidal is the adjectival form of tide. Tidal may also refer to: * ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple * Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim * TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music * Tidal (servic ...
. *
Clairo Claire Elizabeth Cottrill (born August 18, 1998), known professionally as Clairo, is an American singer-songwriter. She began posting music on the internet at age 13. Clairo rose to prominence following the viral success of the music video for ...
– vocals, songwriting, production *
Jack Antonoff Jack Michael Antonoff (born March 31, 1984) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is the lead vocalist of the rock band Bleachers, and previously the guitarist and drummer for the pop band Fun and the lead vocalist of t ...
– production, bass, conductor, electric guitar, Mellotron, slide guitar, strings conductor, mixing, recording engineer *
Lorde Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor (born 7 November 1996), known professionally as Lorde ( ), is a New Zealand singer and songwriter. She is known for her unconventional style of pop music and introspective songwriting, and has been referred to ...
– background vocals * Eric Byers – cello * Evan Smith – flute, saxophones * Bobby Hawk – violin * Laura Sisk – recording engineer * John Rooney – recording engineer *
Chris Gehringer Chris Gehringer (born May 27, 1962) is an American mastering engineer at Sterling Sound in New Jersey. Gehringer is known for having mastered recordings by popular artists such as AJR, Dua Lipa, Drake, Ed Sheeran, Gwen Stefani, Harry Styles, ...
mastering engineer * Will Quinnell – assistant mastering engineer


Charts


References

{{Authority control 2021 singles 2021 songs 2020s ballads Clairo songs Folk ballads Songs written by Clairo Song recordings produced by Clairo Song recordings produced by Jack Antonoff