Cold Heart: The timeless appeal of Dua Lipa’s best song
Dua Lipa has made a name for herself as one of the world’s most versatile pop stars. Her songs “No Lie” and “New Rules” each have over 1 billion views on YouTube, and her two studio albums, Dua Lipa (2017) and Future Nostalgia (2020), are the most-streamed female albums on Spotify. They have over ten billion streams each.
Simply put, Dua Lipa is the real deal. The greatest example of her talent, however, is the single “Cold Heart.” This track highlights the artist’s range, blending together elements of blues, soul, electronica, and even some trap beats.
With evocative lyrics creating an emotional focus throughout the song, “Cold Heart” is Lipa’s defining song. Here’s a full breakdown of what makes it stand out in her already stellar discography.
Lyrical Content
The lyrics in this song show off Lipa’s mastery of storytelling and focus on themes such as recovering from heartbreak, staying strong despite emotional pain, and growing from unexpected experiences.
She begins the track by describing a broken heart that seemingly took some time to get over (“Cold, cold heart / Hardened by you (oh) / Some things lookin’ better, baby”) and progresses to reference the lyrics of Elton John’s “Rocket Man”: (“And I think it’s gonna be a long, long time/ ‘Til touchdown brings me ’round again to find.”)
These lines demonstrate how one can learn to cope with grief over time and eventually find strength through difficult situations. It’s also a clever nod, given that Elton John appears on the “Cold Heart (Remix)” opposite Dua Lipa.
Melodic structure
Lipa utilizes her signature vocal talent and blends in various different timbres throughout the track – from soft falsettos in the verses to powerfully emotive chants during choruses – which creates a mesmerizing atmosphere. The underlying production is equally enthralling, featuring subtle hip-hop influences which add texture to the emotion-driven soundscape overall.
The steadily building instrumental crescendo at the midway point adds another layer of intensity to this ballad with drums slowly intensifying until they reach their peak right before having one last break down. As each element piles onto one another, they all come together seamlessly resulting in one truly captivating composition! It’s the rare pop song that holds up to musical scrutiny but is also incredibly catchy.
Why ‘Cold Heart’ stands out
When you combine the lyrical content with its melodic structure it is easy to see why “Cold Heart” stands out among the other tracks in Dua Lipa’s discography. While other songs may simply have catchy hooks or upbeat tempos that make them momentarily enjoyable—“Cold Heart” remains hard-hitting yet subtle at times, causing each listener to find the meaning for themselves.
It’s also hard to deny the appeal of seeing a pop star like Lipa team up with one of the most beloved and respected musicians of all time. Lipa and Elton John make for a great musical pairing, avoiding the gimmickry that could have easily resulted, and they both scored a massive as a result. Everybody wins!
“Cold Heart” provides listeners with a variety of musical components that create a strong foundation for its emotionally driven narrative making this track unforgettable! Dua Lipa shows no signs of slowing down, and we know she’s going to make dozens of classic songs down the line, but for our money, this is her best work to date.
