I know a couple of JVKE’s (Jacob Lawson) songs, but I don’t really know him well, so I was excited to listen to “Golden Hour.” After playing this song, I realized that I’ve heard it a couple times (or at least parts of it) on TikTok, but I’ve never actively listened to the song and its meaning. As a result, I found myself feeling like I was truly hearing the song for the first time.

To begin, “Golden Hour” begins with a simple piano riff and the sound of children laughing. The laughing sounds very distant which creates a feeling of nostalgia. It instantly reminded me of childhood core memories of playing in the sun during a bright spring day. Even seconds in, a soft atmosphere was created for the listeners.  

This song is about falling in love with someone and being completely taken by their beauty. The term golden hour refers to the time of day when the sun is setting or rising, and it beams an orange-colored warmer light that is less harsh. It makes people seem like they’re glowing and gives an iridescent look to the skin and body. The narrator is talking about how wonderful his partner is, and he gets overwhelmed which is displayed through the speed of his words picking up and the quick word play. Then, he takes a second to look at her and realizes that she is absolutely glowing. She seems so magical that she can stop time and all his thoughts with her beauty. The instrumentals slow down and become more intense as he talks about her “golden hour.” This heavenly-feeling sound is amplified by the piano and violin that play beautiful riffs throughout the song, particularly the beginning and the ending. 

Whenever I experience a moment in my life that is truly life-altering, I experience it in slow motion. It feels like I’m living out a movie scene that’s part of the big story that is my life. The slowing down of time by love or even just beauty is a common theme in movies and tv-shows with cheesy slow-motion scenes, but I haven’t heard it much in music which makes this song unique, yet still universal.    

I enjoy JVKE’s other songs, and “Golden Hour” is no exception. The song’s premise is very simple, but it still manages to utilize instrumentals and emotion-inducing lyrics to create a great experience. As a result, I will be adding this song to my playlist.  

 

Work Cited:  

JVKE – Golden Hour. genius.com, https://genius.com/Jvke-golden-hour-lyrics. Accessed 11 Mar. 2023. 

Images:  

https://www.billboard.com/music/features/jvke-golden-hour-record-label-independent-interview-1235165743/ 

https://soundcloud.com/itsjvke/golden-hour 

https://soundcloud.com/jvkesecret