Let It Happen
{{Other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2017}}
{{Use Australian English|date=August 2017}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Let It Happen
| cover = Tame Impala - Let It Happen cover art.jpg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Tame Impala
| album = Currents
| released = {{start date|2015|03|10|df=yes}}
| recorded =
| studio = Kevin Parker's home studio (Fremantle, Western Australia)
| genre =
| length =
- {{duration|m=7|s=46}} (album version)
- {{duration|m=4|s=16}} (radio edit)
| label =
| writer = Kevin Parker
| producer = Kevin Parker
| chronology = Tame Impala
| prev_title = Mind Mischief
| prev_year = 2013
| next_title = 'Cause I'm a Man
| next_year = 2015
| misc = {{External music video|{{YouTube|pFptt7Cargc|"Let It Happen"}}}}
}}
"Let It Happen" is a song by Tame Impala, the project of Australian rock artist Kevin Parker. It was released as the lead single from his third studio album under the moniker, Currents (2015), on 10 March 2015. The song explores themes of personal transition and was developed in various locations around the world. The song runs at nearly eight minutes long, and its second half contains a section of the song repeating akin to a scratched Compact Disc, and stripped-down lyrics consisting of gibberish. It also has vocoded-like vocals in the second half, which were actually manipulated with a keyboard sampler. Like with the rest of Currents, Parker was the song's sole writer and producer.
The song received widespread acclaim from music critics, who lauded its production, catchiness and creativity. It peaked at number 29 on the Belgian Flanders singles chart, number 84 on the ARIA Singles Chart and number 152 on the French Singles Chart. In the United States, the song charted at number 28 on Billboard{{'s}} Adult Alternative Songs chart. "Let It Happen" appeared on many critics' year-end lists of the best songs of 2015. A music video for the song was uploaded on 17 August 2015 to the project's Vevo channel on YouTube.
It won Song of the Year at the APRA Music Awards of 2016.
Background
"Let It Happen" is about "finding yourself always in this world of chaos and all this stuff going on around you and always shutting it out because you don't want to be part of it. But at some point, you realize it takes more energy to shut it out than it does to let it happen and be a part of 'it'."{{cite news|url=https://www.nme.com/features/tame-impala-interview-inside-the-mind-of-a-psych-pop-shaman|title=Tame Impala Interview: Inside The Mind Of A Psych-Pop Shaman|date=14 July 2015|author=John Calvert|work=NME|accessdate=13 February 2016}} The theme of Currents is personal transition, and "Let It Happen" was sequenced as the album's opening song to exemplify acceptance.{{cite news|url=http://www.spin.com/featured/tame-impala-currents-new-album-interview/|title=The Moment Has Arrived for Tame Impala|author=Kyle McGovern|date=17 July 2015|work=Spin|accessdate=13 February 2016}}
Parker detailed the song's globetrotting development in an interview with Under the Radar in 2015:
{{cquote|I think most of that song was put together at different times, when I was on tour, actually. I remember it came to me, I think I was walking to my hotel room in Oklahoma. And then the chorus, I was at a festival in Hungary or Turkey. And then the midsection, the jam bit, I was on a train. That's a bit looping and a weird repetitive thing going on, and I had my laptop on a train in France, going to Toulouse. I think with that song, one thing led to another. I was just jamming by myself in the way I do, and I put it on a loop to see what sounds cool. I just see where it takes me.}}
Composition
"Let It Happen" is a psychedelic pop,{{cite magazine|url=https://renownedforsound.com/single-review-tame-impala-let-it-happen/ | title=Single Review: Tame Impala – 'Let It Happen'|magazine=Renowned for Sound|first=Earp|last=Joseph|date=|accessdate= 8 August 2023}} disco,{{cite magazine| url=https://www.nme.com/reviews/tame-impala/16151| title=Tame Impala - 'Currents'|magazine=NME|first=Alex|last=Denney|date= 1 July 2015|accessdate= 12 March 2016}}{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/readers-poll-the-10-best-songs-of-2015-20151216/tame-impala-let-it-happen-20151216| title=Readers' Poll: The 10 Best Songs of 2015|magazine=Rolling Stone|first=Brittany|last=Spanos |date=16 December 2015 | accessdate=12 March 2016}} synth-pop{{cite web | url=http://newnoisemagazine.com/top-10-electronic-albums-of-2015/# | title=Top 10 Electronic Albums of 2015 | publisher=New Noise Magazine | date=29 December 2015 | accessdate=12 March 2016 | author=Senior, Nicolas}} and psychedelic rock song. At one point, the song begins to skip, reminiscent of a skipping compact disc. Producer Kevin Parker included this as an extension of his fascination with glitches in playback.{{cite news|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2015/07/tame-impala-swimming-with-the-currents.html|author=Pat Healy|title=Tame Impala: Swimming With the Currents|date=14 July 2015|work=Paste|accessdate=13 February 2016}} Nearing the song's conclusion, Parker begins singing wordless melodies through a keyboard sampler. He intended to write lyrics for the section, which he dubbed the "speaking in tongues version", but found that it lacked the "groove" of its original incarnation. In keeping with the song's title and subject matter, he left the gibberish in the final track.{{cite news|title=Tame Impala: The Ocean Inside|author=Matt Fink|date=April 2015|issue=53|pages=103–105|work=Under the Radar (Digital Edition)|url=http://undertheradarmag.com/news/tame_impalas_kevin_parker_discusses_let_it_happen_in_cover_story_outtake|accessdate=15 August 2017}}
Release and remixes
"Let It Happen" premiered on 10 March 2015 as a free digital download from the band's website. Tame Impala first shared the track on their Facebook page, writing, "NEW SONG. Track 1."{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/audio/2015/mar/11/tame-impala-psychedelia|title= Tame Impala: listen to their new track Let It Happen|work=The Guardian|date=10 March 2015|accessdate=2 March 2016}} It was the first song released from Currents, and was intended to kick off a promotional cycle concluding with the release of the album and the band's Coachella appearance in May, but the record was subsequently delayed until July.{{cite news|url=https://www.stereogum.com/1812044/yes-im-changing-the-bold-metamorphosis-of-tame-impalas-currents/franchises/cover-story/|title=Yes I'm Changing: The Bold Metamorphosis Of Tame Impala's Currents|author= Chris DeVille|date=1 July 2015|publisher=Stereogum|accessdate=13 February 2016}}
A remix of the song by electronic rock group Soulwax premiered on Zane Lowe's Beats 1 show on 8 September 2015.{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/61112-soulwax-remix-tame-impalas-let-it-happen/|title=Soulwax Remix Tame Impala's "Let It Happen"|work=Pitchfork|publisher=Condé Nast|first=Zoe|last=Camp|date=8 September 2015|accessdate=2 March 2016}} The song was also covered by Australian metalcore band Northlane, on the deluxe version of their album Node.
Music video
The official music video for the song, lasting four minutes and seventeen seconds, was uploaded on 17 August 2015 to the group's Vevo channel on YouTube.{{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFptt7Cargc | title=Tame Impala - Let It Happen | publisher=YouTube | date=17 August 2015 | accessdate=19 August 2015}} Stereogum summed up the video, stating that the video's protagonist (Michael Instone) "blurs the line between nervous breakdown, medical crisis, and hallucination, most memorably when he finds himself strapped to an airplane seat falling through the sky." It was directed by David Wilson.{{cite web | url=https://www.stereogum.com/1824439/tame-impala-let-it-happen-video/video/ | title=Tame Impala - "Let It Happen" Video | publisher=Stereogum | date=17 August 2015 | accessdate=19 August 2015 | author=DeVille, Chris}} The music video was shot in Kyiv, Ukraine (Boryspil International Airport and Hilton Kyiv).{{cite web | url=http://www.buro247.ua/culture/music/tame-impala-let-it-happen.html | title=Tame Impala shot music video in Kyiv | date=18 August 2015}}
Critical reception
Upon its release, the song received critical acclaim. Pitchfork reviewer Ian Cohen awarded it the site's "Best New Track" designation, writing that the song "seems to be editing itself in real time with all manner of filters, manipulated vocals, swirling ambience, and a startling midsection where he mashes down the looper button and holds it. He's an expert at conveying the unexpected joy of beginner's luck behind the boards."{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/17369-tame-impala-let-it-happen/|title=Tame Impala: "Let It Happen"|work=Pitchfork|publisher=Condé Nast|first=Ian|last=Cohen|date=11 March 2015|accessdate=2 March 2016}} Michelle Geslani of Consequence of Sound similarly praised the song's second section, commenting, "The song's second half proves especially inspiring, as it features a full-on wicked, synth-y jam session and magical vocoder harmonies."{{cite web|url=http://consequenceofsound.net/2015/03/tame-impala-premieres-epic-new-single-let-it-happen-listen/|title=Tame Impala premieres epic new single "Let It Happen" — listen|work=Consequence of Sound|first=Michelle|last=Geslani|date=10 March 2015|accessdate=2 March 2016}}
=Accolades=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|+Let It Happen on year-end lists ! Critic/Publication ! List ! Rank ! {{Abbr|Ref.|Reference}} |
| scope="row"| NPR
| Favorite Songs of 2015 | {{N/a|No ranking given}} | {{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/2015/12/15/459719483/the-complete-list-npr-musics-favorite-songs-of-2015/ |title=The Complete List: NPR Music's Favorite Songs of 2015 |work=NPR |date=15 December 2015 |access-date=26 March 2021 |author=Wilson, Mac |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201129173956/https://www.npr.org/2015/12/15/459719483/the-complete-list-npr-musics-favorite-songs-of-2015/ |archive-date=29 November 2020 |url-status=live}} |
|---|
| APRA Music Awards of 2016
|Song of the Year |1 |
"Let It Happen" appeared on many critics' year-end lists of the best songs of 2015. Consequence of Sound ranked the song second-best of the year,{{cite web|url=http://consequenceofsound.net/2015/11/top-50-songs-of-2015/6/|title=Top 50 Songs of 2015|work=Consequence of Sound|first=Philip|last=Cosores|date=30 November 2015|accessdate=4 December 2015}} calling it a "grand statement", "meticulously arranged", and "one of the boldest album openers of the year".{{cite web|url=http://consequenceofsound.net/2015/12/top-50-albums-of-2015/6/|title=Top 50 Albums of 2015|work=Consequence of Sound|first=Karen|last=Gwee|date=2 December 2015|accessdate=2 December 2015}} The publication also said, "It's the best song [Parker's] ever written from the best album he's ever made." Pitchfork placed the song fifth on its year-end list, calling it a "highly intimate, interior experience" that "isn't so much psych rock as psyche rock—the sort of insta-jam that feels like it's being broadcast to you via telepathy rather than a stadium PA."{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/9765-the-100-best-tracks-of-2015/10/|title=The 100 Best Tracks of 2015|work=Pitchfork Media|publisher=Condé Nast|first=Stuart|last=Berman|date=14 December 2015|accessdate=14 December 2015|archive-date=29 February 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160229175759/http://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/9765-the-100-best-tracks-of-2015/10/|url-status=dead}}
Spin ranked the song seventh on the magazine's list of the year's best songs, calling it "the Discovery of psych-rock, eight minutes of steady vamping that coalesce into an ideal synthesis of Tame Impala's gentle, kaleidoscopic powers and big-tent EDM's ability to physically command."{{cite web|url=http://www.spin.com/2015/11/the-101-best-songs-of-2015/5/|title=The 101 Best Songs of 2015|work=Spin|publisher=SpinMedia|first=Jia|last=Tolentino|author-link=Jia Tolentino|date=30 November 2015|accessdate=3 December 2015}} The Fader ranked the song seventh-best, calling it "a jittery, stretched-out, immaculately produced sound bath that washes over the listener, beckoning them to submerge in the madness of feeling feels".{{cite web|url=http://www.thefader.com/2015/12/08/best-songs-of-2015-list|title=The 107 Best Songs of 2015|work=The Fader|first=Deidre|last=Dyer|date=8 December 2015|accessdate=9 December 2015}} Time ranked it seventh-best as well, describing it as "mov[ing] through all the states of matter: lava-lamp keyboards give way to gaseous soundscapes, robot voices depose into fuzzy guitar riffs, and stuttering sound effects briefly make you think your speakers are having a meltdown."{{cite magazine|url=http://time.com/4132832/top-10-best-songs-2/|title=Top 10 Best Songs|magazine=Time|publisher=Time Inc.|first=Nolan|last=Feeney|date=1 December 2015|accessdate=9 December 2015|archive-date=14 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160114124818/http://time.com/4132832/top-10-best-songs-2/|url-status=dead}}
Paste placed it ninth on their year-end song rankings, calling it the album's "thesis statement" and saying, "The song's multiple movements swell and bloom into the cosmic psych-rock that Tame Impala so cleverly wielded on Innerspeaker and Lonerism, but there's a new dimension added this time around".{{cite web|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2015/12/the-50-best-songs-of-2015.html?p=3|title=The 50 Best Songs of 2015|work=Paste|publisher=Wolfgang's Vault|first=Michael|last=Danaher|date=2 December 2015|accessdate=9 December 2015}} Popmatters ranked it eleventh-best of the year, calling it "both the album's overture and its thematic peak" while praising it for "hit[ting] a pinnacle for a contemporary indie pop more indebted to classic disco records than Pavement or the Pixies".{{cite web|url=https://www.popmatters.com/feature/the-90-best-songs-of-2015/P7/|title=The 90 Best Songs of 2015|work=Popmatters|first=Colin|last=Fitzgerald|date=4 December 2015|accessdate=14 December 2015}} Rolling Stone ranked "Let It Happen" at number 17 on its year-end list of the 50 best songs of 2015.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/50-best-songs-of-2015-20151203/titus-andronicus-dimed-out-20151203|title=Tame Impala, 'Let It Happen' – 50 Best Songs of 2015|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=3 December 2015|accessdate=3 December 2015}} The Village Voice named "Let It Happen" the 14th-best single released in 2015 on their annual year-end critics' poll, Pazz & Jop.{{cite web|url=http://furia.com/pjs/table_song_2015_total.html|title=Pazz & Jop Statistics|publisher=The Village Voice|accessdate=10 March 2017}} Noisey named the song the 25th-best of the year, calling it "a near eight-minute tortured wail—as defiant as it is fearful" and "a remarkable, hallucinatory exercise as comfortable in a sprawling cosmic DJ set as it is a dorm room bong sesh."{{cite web|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/50-best-songs-of-2015/|title=The 50 Best Songs of 2015|work=Noisey|publisher=|first=Angus|last=Harrison|date=December 2015 |access-date=4 December 2015}}
At the 2015 ARIA Music Awards, "Let It Happen" was nominated for Best Pop Release.{{cite web|url=http://www.news.com.au/national/queensland/aria-awards-2015-queensland-artists-take-out-song-of-year-and-best-pop-release/news-story/57dbfefc411ac251c1e14c6503d8ed3b|title=Aria Awards 2015: Queensland artists take out Song of Year and Best Pop Release|work=News.com.au|publisher=News Corp Australia|date=26 November 2015|accessdate=26 November 2015}} Along with "The Less I Know the Better", the song was one of two from Tame Impala's Currents to reach the top five in the Triple J Hottest 100, 2015, coming in at #5.
"Let It Happen" appeared on several critics' end-of-decade lists of the best songs. Pitchfork ranked it the 47th-best song of the 2010s, with contributor Noah Yoo commenting, "with this heavy slab of space disco, Parker decidedly broke free of any preconceived notions about his abilities".{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/the-200-best-songs-of-the-2010s/|title=The 200 Best Songs of the 2010s|publisher=Pitchfork|first=Noah|last=Yoo|date=7 October 2019|accessdate=30 January 2020}} Stereogum{{'}}s Pranav Trewn ranked it 35th best, describing it as Parker's way of "fashioning EDM as high art".{{cite web|url=https://www.stereogum.com/featured/best-songs-of-the-2010s-list/|title=The 200 Best Songs Of The 2010s|website=Stereogum|first=Pranav|last=Trewn|date=5 November 2019|accessdate=30 January 2020}} It was ranked at the same spot on NME{{'}}s similar list.{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/features/nmes-greatest-songs-of-the-decade-the-2010s-2583527|title=The Best Songs Of The Decade: The 2010s|website=NME|date=4 December 2019|accessdate=30 January 2020}} In 2020, it was voted as the best song of the 21st century by the listeners of the Dutch radio station NPO 3FM.{{Cite web|title=3FM Top 1000 van deze eeuw: dit is de hele lijst|url=https://www.npo3fm.nl/nieuws/3fm-nieuws/e9f207a0-12ad-480a-bc07-5fd87e9a7139/3fm-top-1000-van-deze-eeuw-dit-is-de-hele-lijst|access-date=2022-02-13|website=NPO 3FM|language=nl-nl}}
Appearances in media
In September 2018, an edited version of the song appeared in a Ford Motor Company television advertisement for their 2019 car lineup.{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0UgZLlzR14|title = - YouTube|website = YouTube}} The song also appeared in a documentary{{when|date=January 2025}} about England cricketer Ben Stokes called Ben Stokes: Phoenix from the Ashes in a montage about Stokes' success on the cricket field.{{cn|date=January 2025}}
Track listing
{{Track listing
| headline = Download single
| title1 = Let It Happen
| length1 = 7:46
}}
Charts
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
=Weekly charts=
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" |
| Chart (2015–16)
! Peak |
|---|
| scope="row"| Australia (ARIA){{cite web|url=http://www.noise11.com/news/aria-singles-lunchmoney-lewis-has-the-number-1-song-20150321|title=ARIA Singles: Lunchmoney Lewis Has The Number 1 Song|publisher=Noise11|last=Ryan|first=Gavin|date=21 March 2015|accessdate=19 August 2015}}
| 84 |
| {{single chart|Flanders|19|song=Let It Happen|artist=Tame Impala|rowheader=true|accessdate=20 February 2016}} |
| {{single chart|Wallonia Tip|21|song=Let It Happen|artist=Tame Impala|rowheader=true|accessdate=6 February 2016}} |
| {{single chart|France|152|song=Let It Happen|artist=Tame Impala|rowheader=true|accessdate=12 October 2015}} |
| {{single chart|Billboardadultalternativesongs|28|artist=Tame Impala|rowheader=true|accessdate=19 August 2015}} |
| {{single chart|Billboardrocksongs|41|artist=Tame Impala|rowheader=true|accessdate=19 August 2015}} |
{{col-2}}
=Year-end charts=
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" |
| Chart (2016)
! Position |
|---|
| scope="row"| Belgium (Ultratop Flanders){{cite web|url=http://www.ultratop.be/nl/annual.asp?year=2016|title=Jaaroverzichten 2016|publisher=Hung Medien|accessdate=29 December 2016}}
| 78 |
{{col-end}}
Certifications
{{Certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Australia|artist=Tame Impala|title=Let It Happen|award=Platinum|number=4|type=single|relyear=2015|certyear=2024|access-date=11 August 2024}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Brazil|artist=Tame Impala|title=Let It Happen|award=Platinum|type=single|relyear=2015|certyear=2024|access-date=14 July 2024}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Denmark|artist=Tame Impala|title=Let It Happen|award=Gold|type=single|relyear=2015|certyear=2025|id=15064|access-date=20 February 2025}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=New Zealand|artist=Tame Impala|title=Let It Happen|award=Platinum|number=2|type=single|relyear=2015|certyear=2024|source=radioscope|access-date=12 January 2025}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Poland|artist=Tame Impala|title=Let It Happen|award=Gold|type=single|relyear=2015|certyear=2023|access-date=18 October 2023}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|artist=Tame Impala|title=Let It Happen|award=Platinum|type=single|relyear=2015|certyear=2024|id=15863-3868-1|access-date=14 July 2024}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|artist=Tame Impala|title=Let It Happen|award=Platinum|type=single|relyear=2015|certyear=2022|access-date=15 February 2022}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true|streaming=true|noshipments=true}}
Release history
| class=wikitable |
| Region
! Date ! Label ! Format |
|---|
| Worldwide
| 11 March 2015 | Modular |
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
{{Tame Impala}}
{{APRA Award for Song of the Year}}
{{authority control}}
Category:Modular Recordings singles