“Levitating” deserves every bit of its commercial success.
This is one of those rare times when an artist’s biggest hit is also one of their most acclaimed, interesting, and exhilarating tracks.
“Levitating” was not initially appointed as a “Future Nostalgia” primer. But upon the album’s release, it was established as an early favorite among fans and critics; Laura Snapes said the song “blooms like a row of tropical flowers,” NPR’s Ken Tucker praised “the crisp authority that runs beneath the dance-floor theatrics,” and Vulture’s Craig Jenkins hailed Lipa for the “anxiousness and sexual tension in her vocal delivery.”
By the time “Levitating” landed on year-end music rankings, it was being promoted as the album’s fifth single. One year later, it was soaring among the very stars that Lipa sings about, when Billboard crowned “Levitating” as the top-performing hit of 2021.
Song highlight: Upon first listen, I was irked by Lipa’s gleeful, shameless use of the pet name “sugaboo.” Now, it’s my favorite part of the song and continues to tickle me to this day — a testament to Lipa’s knack for crafting pop songs with staying power.
If you like this, listen to: “One Kiss,” “Hallucinate,” “If It Ain’t Me”
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