“When R U Coming Home” exudes the effortless confidence that characterizes the music of Norwegian indie/dream pop songstress Anna of the North.
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“When R U Coming Home” – Anna of the North
“When R U Coming Home” asks a question that we all have considered when thinking of past flames from time to time – Lotterud’s just brave enough to ask it aloud.
The music of Anna Lotterud, better known as Anna of the North, exudes an effortless confidence. Take a listen to any of Lotterud’s dreamy, easygoing tracks and it’s obvious that her self-assurance is a potent and powerful ingredient to the sonic success that her debut album Lovers enjoyed. The same can be said for Lotterud’s sophomore sophomore album, Dream Girl, which was released in October 2019.
I wonder what you’re seeing
since you been away
Did you think about me?
I thought about you every day
I heard you met somebody new
(I heard you met somebody new)
But boy, you know she’s not for you
(But boy, you know she’s not for you)
Nobody knows you like I do
Don’t fight it, boy, you know it’s true
One of the tracks on the album, “When R U Coming Home,” offers listeners a slice of what makes Lotterud’s sound so distinctive. It has a story arc, revealed through the song’s lyrics, and Lotterud’s light, airy voice delivers the biting honesty of her feelings toward the song’s subject beautifully. When discussing the inspiration of the album that houses ‘When R U Coming Home’ with Billboard, Lotterud described it as, “‘the moving on album…like, we’re not going to be together, but I’m not going to lay down and die. I’m going to be fine.’” ‘When R U Coming Home is a beautiful demonstration of that precisely: it isn’t a plea, but a question. And it’s a question that Lotterud examines gracefully through the course of the song – and the album in its entirety. Lotterud knows that, independent of the person she has feelings for, life will continue. At the same time, she isn’t afraid to digress slightly. On ‘When R U Coming Home,’ Lotterud confesses that her past lover still relevant to her, and she still expects him to return to her eventually.
The song opens with her musing, “I wonder what you’re seeing since you been away // Did you think about me? I thought about you every day.” In the first few lyrics, Lotterud, in her characteristically soft, calm tone, establishes that this person hasn’t been accessible to her – whether in geographical proximity, or in emotional distance. She wonders if he’s thought about her, and admits, “I thought about you every day.”
I can picture you now,
easy riding in your car
With your windows down low,
wonder if you’re near or far
On the road for so long,
are you still playing our song?
You are my only one,
so when are you coming home?
Lotterud delivers the next few lyrics with a bit of a punch to them. “I heard you met somebody new (I heard you met somebody new) // But boy, you know she’s not for you (But you, you know she’s not for you),” she sings. This is the first mention of the subject of the song meeting somebody else, further solidifying their separation. She confidently quips, however, that she knows the boy and his new lover aren’t meant for eachother. The next confirm this, since she believes, “Nobody knows you like I do // Don’t fight it, boy, you know it’s true.”
The chorus, sonically, is a diversion from the rest of the song. Whereas the rest of the song has a mellow, controlled tempo, the chorus is faster, more reckless. This mirrors the feelings Lotterud mentions in this portion of the song. She sings, “I can picture you now, easy riding in your car // With your windows down low, wonder if you’re near or far // On the road for so long, are you still playing our song? // You are my only one, so when are you coming home?” Part of what makes Lotterud such a strong storyteller through her music is her ability to provide her listeners with several details that make them feel like they have experienced the entire situation. Such is the case with the chorus. Lotterud asks if he is “still playing our song,” as he drives, and reinforces that she feels they’re meant to be. She asks, “You are my only one, so when are you coming home?” She doesn’t wonder if he is coming home to her. This is because, through the eyes of Lotterud, it’s only a matter of when, not if, he will.
Did you make it through the ocean, so blue?
Did you dive deeper down
to the places I couldn’t take you?
I know you met somebody new
(I know you met somebody new)
We know you’re gonna leave her too
(We know you’re gonna leave her too)
Nobody knows you like I do
Don’t fight it, boy, you know it’s true
The second verse puts the boy Lotterud is singing about in a different scenario. She muses, “Did you make it through the ocean, so blue? // Did you dive deeper down to the places I couldn’t take you?” There is a hint of bitterness to this pondering. She continues to reveal his character to her listeners in the next lyrics, when she admits, “I know you met somebody new (I know you met somebody new) // We know you’re gonna leave her too (We know you’re gonna leave her too).” Lotterud’s personification of the song’s subject reveals his flaws to her listeners. She even goes as far as to tell the audience that she can predict what will be the demise of his new relationship before it has even happened. Throughout the course of the song, Lotterud shows that she knows the song’s subject perhaps better than he knows himself.
I wanna be your number one,
make me feel alive
I wanna be your number one,
make me feel alive
The bridge is simple, but ties together the sentiment of the entire song. Lotterud muses, “I wanna be your number one, make me feel alive // I wanna be your number one, make me feel alive.” In these lyrics, the vitality of her feelings towards the song’s subject are reinforced. She confesses to wanting to be important to him, and adds an instruction with, “Make me feel alive.” Though he’s currently in a relationship with “somebody new,” Lotterud can’t resist saying that she wants to be his “number one,” the most important person to him.
“When R U Coming Home” is a testament to the unbreakable bond that Anna of the North and the song’s subject have together.
Lotterud’s gentle, yet powerful lyrics combine beautifully with the sentiment and passion of this track. “When R U Coming Home” asks a question that we all have considered when thinking of past flames from time to time – Lotterud’s just brave enough to ask it aloud.
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“When R U Coming Home” – Anna of the North
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