A Look at Laufey's Newest Album 'Bewitched: the Goddess Edition'

Laufey, the Icelandic-Chinese jazz sensation, best known for her popular songs “From The Start” and “Valentine", recently released her deluxe album “Bewitched: The Goddess Edition." “Bewitched: The Goddess Edition," as described by Latinitas Magazine, is a “musical journey through heartbreak, unrequited love, and hopeful beginnings of a new love." Laufey's albums have always been known for their unique jazz and classical sound with heart-tugging lyrics, but something about this album sets it apart from her other masterpieces.

"Bewitched: The Goddess Edition" is a rerelease of her album “Bewitched,” which was released towards the end of 2023 and includes 4 new songs titled “Bored”, “It Could Happen To You”, “Trouble”, and “Goddess”. As a hopeless romantic, this album deeply connected with me. Listening to this album felt like reading a book that had a main character who at the start was done with love and slowly throughout the album opens her heart to trying again and finds a person that bewitches her heart.

Photo by Foundations Management from Wikimedia Commons

“Bewitched to me is just the state of like being in love, but not in the way that it's so straightforward. More like you're under some sort of spell where you almost can't make sense of what exactly is happening. And I knew I wanted the album to be a love album, but I don't know if I've ever felt deeply in love or deeply heartbroken. It's kind of everything in between. And I think this state of being bewitched is such a great way of describing it.”

Laufey's response to what being bewitched means to her in her 2023 Forbes interview

Dreamer

Have you ever felt annoyed and exhausted with dealing with the dating world? If so, this song would appeal to you. The introduction song, “Dreamer”, is an upbeat, light-hearted jazz song that discusses Laufey's desire to escape to her dream world instead of dealing with the stress of relationships. Laufey discusses her frustrations with other people and her past relationships; she repeatedly mentions that “no boy will kill the dreamer in me.” This song has a dreamy, fairytale-like feeling that sets the tone for the rest of this album.

Second Best

“Second Best” is a melancholic slow song that discusses the pain and heartbreak that comes with having feelings for someone who constantly overlooks you. In this song, Laufey mentions how stupid she felt being in love with a guy who broke up with her and didn't value her as much as she valued him.

She sings about her conflicting feelings regarding the fact that she is still wondering if he would still take her back even though she knows that she settled for less in being with him. This song tugs at your heart and makes you empathize with Laufey's conflicting feelings while hoping that she moves on from this guy who didn't treat her the way that she deserved.

Haunted

The soft and mellow melody of the cello and the guitar set the mood for the 3rd track of this album. In an interview with Genius, Laufey described this song as a “darker, and sexier song.” This song definitely has a more darker and sensual feel compared to the rest of the songs on this album. The mood of this song connects with the darkness and depth of the lyrics. "Haunted" describes how intense and overwhelming unrequited and toxic love can be.

Must Be Love

"Haunted" reveals the dark side of the captivity that comes with love, while "Must Be Love" captures its enchanting essence. “Must Be Love” feels like a love letter to the concept of falling in love. In this track, Laufey describes the feeling of falling in love while being in a healthy relationship. She mentions how falling in love made her feel incredibly happy and tongue-tied.

My favorite lyric from this song is “You make a sappy stupid something out of me. The kind I swore I'd never be, I'm awake inside a dream.” I love the way she described how love made her act out of character because it truly shows how we can't control how love affects us and alters our personality.

While You Were Sleeping

“While You Were Sleeping” is a different version of “Must Be Love”. “While You Were Sleeping” discusses the weightless and exhilarating feeling that comes with love. “While You Were Sleeping” truly depicts how being in love can affect a person. “While You Were Sleeping” is an ode to the tenderness and light feeling that love can bring. I love the softness of this song. In this song, Laufey pinpointed the exact moment she fell in love with someone and how surprised she was when she thought that her feelings were being reciprocated.

Lovesick

I love this song. “Lovesick” sounds like it belongs on a romance movie's soundtrack. In this track, Laufey acknowledges how cautious she has to be in this new relationship after her unrequited love that was mentioned in her song Haunted. Genius describes this song as a transition from the love and desire depicted in her previous song “Haunted” to the yearning expressed in “Lovesick.” I like how “Lovesick” acknowledged the trauma from her unrequited love and mentioned how that impacted her in her current relationship. Overall, “Lovesick” is an upbeat song that depicts the magical and cautious aspects of love.

California and Me

"California and Me" is a another song on this album that stands out because it features the Philharmonic Orchestra. I thought that it was so cool how Laufey wove classical music throughout her album. Having the Philharmonic Orchestra accompany her on this song was an amazing choice.

The light sound of the string instruments from the Philharmonic Orchestra in the background of this song helped to convey the feeling of heartbreak that is prevalent in the lyrics of this song. This song depicts the sadness and grief of a relationship being over because the relationship is lacking the love that was there in the beginning.

Nocturne (Interlude)

"Nocturne" is an enchanting interlude. This interlude features classical versions of all the songs leading up to this track on the album. I loved this interlude because it let me appreciate the beauty of the melodies that were in each song. This interlude is so peaceful and heart tugging because it helps the listener relive every song that was played before while also preparing them for what's coming next on this album.

"A lot of my songs, especially on my past record were about this idea, this very hopeless romantic idea of like falling in love with a stranger on a train. Seeing somebody yearning for this love that you've never had, feeling like you're falling behind. And I feel like after I wrote that album, I definitely experienced a lot more with love and this album is a little bit less of a hopeless romantic one and it's a little bit more. So I definitely did speak some of it into existence."

Laufey's response about what her songwriting inspiration is in her 2023 Forbes interview

Promise

“Promise” is another heartbreaking installment on this album. This track depicts the sadness that comes with realizing that a relationship is completely over but still yearning for that person to come back. I loved this song because it made me emphasize with Laufey's conflicting feelings while listening to it's captivating melody. This song feels like it would be featured in a movie where the main character just broke up with their significant other because the relationship was draining their mental health.

From the Start

"From The Start" is another one of Laufey's songs that went viral on TikTok. This upbeat and jazzy track depicts the joy and warm feelings that come with having a crush on someone. Laufey mentions desperately wanting to confess her feelings for someone while also acknowledging the fact the other person might not be feeling the same intense emotions that she was feeling. This track is another one of my top favorite songs because it is so upbeat, catchy, and discusses emotions that I could relate to.

Misty

"Misty" is a jazz standard that was originally written by Erroll Garner and more famously sang by Ella Fitzgerald and Lesley Gore. The standard has been trending on TikTok since January and I was excited to see how Laufey would cover this song. "Misty" has always been calming and soothing song but Laufey's vocals make this song even better. This track describes the emotional and soothing feelings that comes being around the person you like.

Serendipity

“Serendipity” is similar to "From The Start" as it describes the unpredictability of falling in love. However, "Serendipity" discusses a different take about falling in love. “Serendipity” explains how fate brought Laufey and this person together and how no matter what happens to them in the future, she hopes that they will still be together and in love. This is a really slow and sweet song that discusses how fate and love are intertwined.

Letter To My 13 Year Old Self

“Letter To My 13 Year Old Self” is my favorite song on this album. In this song, Laufey sings to her younger self about how life will get better even though she didn't fit in with everyone else. This song is a tear jerker because everyone can relate to not fitting in with the crowd and feeling uncomfortable.

My favorite lyrics are "You'll grow up, grow tough, charm them, write your story, fall in love a little too, do things you never thought you would-I wish I could go back and give her a squeeze, myself at thirteen, and let her know she's beautiful." The soft melody of the guitar complimented the touching and relatable lyrics. This was another one of Laufey's songs that blew up all over TikTok. Everyone posted about the relatable lyrics of this song and how it connected with their own personal experiences.

Bewitched

"Bewitched" is truly a gorgeous song. This song opens up with violins and guitars lightly playing in the background of Laufey's delicate vocals. This song is about the joy and excitement of liking a new person. The overall feel of this song depicts the tenderness that comes with liking someone.

"Bewitched" makes it easy to visualize the excitement Laufey felt when she met this person that she would come to have feelings for. This song definitely stands out from the rest of her album for the warm feeling that it gives you when you listen to it. This song is definitely one of my favorite songs from this album.

Bored

"Bored" is a relatable song. In “Bored”, Laufey describes the feeling of being annoyed and disgusted with your partner when they being self-absorbed. The song depicts a boring and exhausting relationship that has lost all of it's passion.

I really like this song because the melody is really nice and captivating. I also love Laufey's vocal runs in this song.

Her vocal technique brings this song to another level. My favorite lyrics are “can't remember the last time we kissed, and it tickled my heart. I think that it's best that we spend time apart; I just yawn listening to you talk about yourself again and again.”

Trouble

While “Bored” discusses being annoyed and bored with a relationship,“Trouble” discusses the feeling of being scared of loosing a valuable relationship and being lonely. The 18 second saxophone solo in this song adds a jazzy and old feel to the track. The DiamondBack stated that “Trouble” touches on “the trouble with having something to lose” in romantic relationships and the confusion that can come with them." This song is one of my least favorites on this album because it doesn't really stand out or add something memorable to the album and album storyline.

It Could Happen To You

Laufey said she wanted to “bring back the popularity to jazz standards” and she did. With almost 300,000 streams on YouTube and almost 2 million streams on Spotify, this song has proven to be a hit. “It Could Happen To You” is a jazz standard that was originally written by Johnny Burke and James Van Heusen. I loved how Laufey added her own spin on the track and made it more modern and upbeat. “It Could Happen To You” describes how unpredictable love is.

Goddess

"Goddess" is the title track and last song on this album. The final track of the Bewitched deluxe album has been described by Laufey as her most personal and honest song. “Goddess” explores the reality of being a star in the dating world while also acknowledging the dangers that come with idolizing a celebrity. In this song, Laufey describes how it feels to be a star and have someone want to date her just because of her celebrity status.

Laufey brings up the importance of remembering that celebrities aren't their personas and the dangers that come with people being in love with the idea of someone versus the actual person. I really liked this song because it felt softer and more a more personal look into the difficulties that come with being a celebrity. “Goddess” is a heart wrenching song that concludes the Bewitched album.

Review

I am obsessed with this album. Laufey conveys so many different tender emotions while incorporating classical instruments in her songs. Her voice is so calming and angelic, which makes it easier to focus on the weight that her lyrics carry in different songs. I loved listening to Laufey sing about the many feelings that come with falling in and out of love.

This album has also encouraged me start to listen to different jazz artists like Frank Sinatra and Chet Baker, who are both artists that she takes inspiration from. Overall, I would rate this album a 9 out of 10 because it is definitely an album that you will definitely replay more than once.