You Bewitched Me: An Ode To My Favorite Album

If fairytales had a dedicated album, it would be Bewitched by Laufey. I had been a die-hard fan of Laufey long before this album was released just over three years ago (which feels absolutely insane to say), but its release set my love for this artist’s enchanting voice, beautiful instrumentals, and overall whimsy in stone. It includes both original melodies and a handful of jazz standards, uncommon for an album from an artist so young and for the time it was released. In my opinion, Laufey’s voice is something out of a fairytale itself, doing these standards absolute justice. 

There are a few songs in particular which I’ve played any time I needed to cry, to laugh, or to yearn for a love I never knew how much I wanted. Classically trained in cello and piano, Laufey’s attention to detail and skill bring this album to another level for me, as well as her collaboration with the Philharmonia Orchestra on several songs from this album and the remainder of her discography. Here are five of my favorite songs from this album.

“Haunted”

This song paints a vivid picture of how painful a one-sided connection can be. I especially love the combination of guitar and string arrangements in the backing melody; the music is slow and enticing, almost pulling you into the world Laufey describes. 

“One more kiss, wine stained lips

I don’t want to go to sleep yet

Pale moonlight, misty eyes

I’ll allow myself to have him just tonight”

These lyrics might be my favorite in the entire album. Despite the beauty of this imagery, the longing tone blends emotions that confuse both my heart and head. Laufey keeps her vocals low and strained, almost as if holding back from who she sings about, emphasizing how delicate intimacy can be and how fragile it becomes when someone doesn’t feel the same way.

“California and Me”

Growing up in California might make me biased, but if you’ve listened to this song, can you blame me? Compared to Haunted, its tone is much more urgent, as the narrator discovers a partner leaving for an ex-lover in New York. The instrumentals complement this with their lush and cinematic nature, painting a picture of longing and despair.

“Left me and the ocean for your old flame

Holding back my tears, I couldn’t make you stay

Can’t quit this, so damn wicked to leave

California and me”

The opposite nature of “me and the ocean” and “your old flame” is a key component of what drew me to this song. I love the imagery and the narrator’s bluntness when she realizes how different she and this ex-lover are, despite the partner having relations with them both. Rather than anger, the narrator expresses sadness and even embarrassment about how they loved this person who never truly knew what they wanted.

“Lovesick”

This song stands out from the others as Laufey blends jazz, pop and even rock elements into a ballad about the narrator falling madly in love with someone and literally becoming sick because of it. It begins slow and deliberate, the tempo picking up as the narrator longs to know how to overcome their lovesickness.

“When the gold rays fell on your skin

And my hair got caught in the wind

The choir sang a melancholic hymn

(Ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah)

In the morning, you would be gone

I’d be mourning, tryin’ to hold on to

The memory of your lips”

Laufey’s rich imagery paints a picture of how the narrator fell in love and how one quiet, intimate night ended up playing out. I love her wordplay with “morning” and “mourning,” showing how the feeling of being “lovesick,” otherwise so intensely infatuated with another person that you can’t think straight, can be both positive and negative.

“Letter To My 13 Year Old Self”

The tone of this song differs from the upbeat, love-ridden ones I’ve written about prior; and instead, Laufey gives insight into how she has grown to love her 13-year-old self, assuring her that life is much bigger than she thinks.

“Don’t you worry ’bout your curly hair

Clothes that don’t quite fit you anywhere

Voices echo in the gym

Another girl’s had her first kiss

Please don’t think too much of it, darling”

These lyrics capture my own childhood experience eerily well. Laufey describes the loneliness she feels for having curly hair, looking different from the crowd, and the fact that she hadn’t had her first kiss yet. Despite this, Laufey assures her 13-year-old self that she’ll grow up “so tough” and wishes she could tell her that she’s beautiful. I think this song resonates with me so much because I wish I could do the same and make sure my 13-year-old self knows everything will be okay.

“Bewitched”

It would be a crime not to write about this album’s title track, especially for how beautiful of a song it is. It captures how disorienting new love can be, attributing a classic storybook feeling to it. Immediately, the song sweeps you away with a flute melody floating atop various other string instruments, creating a magical, fairytale-like introduction.

“Wrapped me in your arms

Leaned in and whispered, “Keep me in your heart”

I’m so bewildered

What’s this new desire called?

I didn’t know that much at all

‘Bout love before

But now, I think I’m learning”

I love how this verse references Laufey’s first studio album, Everything I Know About Love, in that the narrator might not know that much about love after all. The emotion of this song feels larger-than-life with the intense instrumentals paired with the soft vocals. I love her witchy references in the song as well, including “You bewitch me,” and “You wrote me a note, cast a spell on my heart.”

Though these songs are my favorite, the entirety of Bewitched is worth a listen. The whirlwind of emotions this album takes me through is wild, intense and bewitching, but it’s worth it every time. Laufey has crafted something truly timeless, a record that honors old-school jazz while capturing the raw, messy reality of modern love.

• Bewitched
• jazz
• laufey
• music
• pop