Track by Track- Glorious
These song breakdowns and analyses are likely going to be distinctly “Cassie” in tone, regardless of song character because Yummy and Isabela aren’t super into explaining away the art. They’d rather you just feel your way through the music and come to your own conclusions. But Cassie recognizes that people may be curious about the background and has a tendency to constantly want to clarify and add layers so just bear that in mind while reading.
I’ll be posting a Glorious behind the scenes video soon where I talk more about what inspired Glorious but I wrote Glorious after a frustrating experience with a boy. I’m just very frustrated with hook-up culture and the way guys, in general, treat girls my age. (I’m hoping it’s just a function my age anyway and it goes away but we’ll see...) I feel like the sexual liberation that women have been fighting for has been co-opted by the patriarchy and converted into something that feels not at all designed with women in mind. I read “Mating in Captivity” by Esther Perel during quarantine and she comments on American hook up culture and ideas about sexuality by saying,
“Let us not be fooled into thinking that this saturation reflects enlighted sexual attitudes… the central idea that sex is dirty remains unchallenged…A society that sees sex as soiled does not make sex go away. Instead, this kind of anxious atmosphere breeds guilt and shame in its more extreme version… Sex is divorced from emotional and social continuity. what is missing is a sexuality that is integrated… I’m not talking only about deep love; I’m also talking about basic care and appreciation for another person.”
I immediately recognized what she was saying because I have felt very little basic care and appreciation in the current hookup culture and a lot of the music I found myself consuming felt very divorced from emotion. When I wrote “Glorious” I was pissed. I’m past needing basic care and appreciation, now I need worship. I just felt like “I’m a fucking goddess, you are lucky to be one of the few who get to see me naked, I’m spending my time on you, and you have the AUDACITY to treat me like I’m nothing. These boys got me so fucked up it’s unbelievable. Get down on your knees and pray.” That’s how I felt and when I asked myself who was this voice demanding such worship it was clear that it was Isabela, my inner goddess.
But the song is about more than just me being angry and demanding worship, I really wanted to orient the song around the idea that sex could be glorious, even if socially we don’t not often see it that way. Though we’ve wrapped sex in a lot of stigma and politics and drama, it’s really a very ancient and beautiful thing that we do. I wanted the song to have such romantic and beautiful imagery. I wanted it to feel holy and touch the soul in a specific way. I just fundamentally believe that love and the act of making love is an incredibly powerful thing in the universe. That we should allow to be as magnificent and wonderful as it’s supposed to be and do it with the people who are a match for us. So “Glorious” is my affirmation that I only want to have sex with people who make me feel glorious.
Lyrics
Worship me, baby
Whisper in my ear:
That there are none before me
Reference to the first commandment and how it sounds similar to what people demand when they’re in love.
Make your reverence clear
Make my body your temple
I wanted to reference my body as a holy place. There’s the common phrase “your body is a temple” which has been used to shame people sexually and encourage you not to let anything in that may “soil” your body. I don’t really believe that but I did want position my body as a place, a temple for the person who adores me to come into and celebrate me. I also sang it so that it could sound like “make my body your tempo” as well so it’s up to your interpretation.
Come to sing my praise
A goddess requires praise if Isabela is my inner goddess then she requires adoration, also double entendre
Sing of my beauty
Bask in the power of my gaze
Never has there been another as perfect as me
Take this opportunity
To witness in my divinity
Sing sweetly I’m glorious
I want your love to be endless, your gratitude boundless
Want you enraptured, passion in your every kiss
I need your love to be infinite
Glorious
Raise me in exaltation
And I’ll show you grace
Sit in my shadow with delight
My fruit is sweet to taste
Song of Solomon 2:3, this whole stanza lyrically is one of my favorites on the mixtape
Lick me like I’m ambrosia
Ambrosia is the food of the gods in Greek mythology
Drink me in like wine
It sounds pretty but also I was thinking about the blood of Christ
Are you faint with love
Song of Solomon 2:5
See I can be divine
Never has there been another as perfect as me
Take this opportunity
To witness in my divinity
Sing sweetly I’m glorious
I want your love to endless, your gratitude boundless
Want you enraptured, passion in your every kiss
I want your love to be infinite
Glorious
Confess baby
Let me redeem you
All glory to me to me to me (x2)
Sing sweetly I’m glorious
I want your love to endless, your gratitude boundless
Oh
Praise me, praise me
I need your worship
Tell me I’m perfect
Tell me I’m everything, everything
Tell me I’m glorious
Tell me I’m glorious
This last line sort of emphasizes the “words of affirmation” piece which I think are pretty standard demands of a goddess, but I think this also song implicitly emphasizes the importance of “physical touch” and “quality time” and these three are my top love languages. So Isabela is really just expressing how we want to be loved in the song.
