{{Infobox song | name = Solitude Is Bliss | cover = Tame Impala Solitude Is Bliss single art.jpg | alt = | type = single | artist = Tame Impala | album = Innerspeaker | released = 1 April 2010 | recorded = June–August 2009 | studio = Wave House, Injidup, Western Australia | genre = {{hlist|Psychedelic rock|funk rock}} | length = 3:55 | label = Modular | writer = Kevin Parker | producer = Kevin Parker | prev_title = Sundown Syndrome | prev_year = 2009 | next_title = Lucidity | next_year = 2010 }}
"'''Solitude Is Bliss'''" is a song by Tame Impala, released as a single in April 2010. It was recorded during the sessions for the ''Innerspeaker'' album in 2009, and released as the first single from that album. The single features artwork from Australian artist Leif Podhajsky, who also created the artwork for ''Innerspeaker'' and the follow-up ''Lonerism''.<ref name="Leif Podhajsky">{{cite web|title=Leif Podhajsky|url=http://leifpodhajsky.com/|publisher=Leif Podhajsky|accessdate=18 July 2012}}</ref> "Solitude Is Bliss" came in at number 33 in the Triple J Hottest 100 in 2010.<ref name="Hottest 100 2010">{{cite web|title=Hottest 100 2010|date=25 January 2011 |url=http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/hottest100/10/countdown/cd_list.htm|publisher=Triple J|accessdate=20 July 2012}}</ref>
==Composition== "Solitude Is Bliss" was written by Kevin Parker in the key of F major in a {{music|time|4|4}} time signature.<ref name="Tame Impala - Solitude Is Bliss tab">{{cite web|title=Tame Impala – Solitude Is Bliss tab|url=http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/t/tame_impala/solitude_is_bliss_ver2_tab.htm|publisher=Ultimate Guitar|accessdate=18 July 2012}}</ref> It is based around the barre chords of D major, C major, Fadd11 and Gadd11.<ref name="Tame Impala - Solitude Is Bliss tab" />
The song starts off with heavily phased strumming of the above-mentioned chords on an electric guitar. A drum fill comes crashing in to provide the rhythmic accompaniment along with the bass guitar. This gives way to the verses, which feature funky, heavily rhythmic picking of the root notes of D, E, G and A. The pre-chorus features the sustained chords of A major and B flat major, with Parker's vocals jumping between the two stereo channels, due to the wide automatic double tracking.<ref name="Solitude Is Bliss - Live at Camp Nowhere">{{cite web|title=Solitude Is Bliss – Live at Camp Nowhere|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vb7PLolg-RA|publisher=YouTube|accessdate=18 July 2012}}</ref>
The chorus then comes in featuring soaring vocals from Parker that have been heavily delayed and reverbed, featuring the same D major, C major, Fadd11, Gadd11 chord progression as the intro.<ref name="Solitude Is Bliss - Live at Camp Nowhere" />
The verse, pre-chorus, chorus format returns again, as well as the rhythmic root note picking, before giving way to a key change to E-flat major, with the chord progression C major, B-flat major, A-flat major. Over the top of this progression, a phased guitar solo plays in the E-flat major scale.<ref name="Tame Impala - Solitude Is Bliss tab" />
After the solo, the bridge features a F major, B flat major, A flat major chord progression, with Parker's vocals over the top.<ref name="Solitude Is Bliss - Live at Camp Nowhere" />
Another key change occurs, to E major, and the intro, chorus chord progression and strumming pattern is then transposed to the E major key, turning into a D flat major, B major, Eadd11 progression.<ref name="Tame Impala - Solitude Is Bliss tab" />
The chorus comes back in, and the key changes back to F major, featuring the chorus repeated until the end of the song.<ref name="Solitude Is Bliss - Live at Camp Nowhere" />
==Release== On 1 April 2010, "Solitude Is Bliss" was released as the first single from Tame Impala's 2010 debut album ''Innerspeaker''. Parker explained the decision to release it as the lead single: "It was the most uplifting pop song. It’s the most sassy, confident sounding song. I like to think of it as coked up Tame Impala. It’s quite overconfident. You know, most of my lyrics aren’t as confident as that song. It’s almost arrogant I guess, but it is intended to be extremely confident because it’s about being alone and how confident you are when you’re alone."<ref name="Tame Impala ReviewedMusic interview">{{cite web|title=Tame Impala ReviewedMusic interview|url=http://reviewedmusic.com/2010/interview-kevin-parker-tame-impala/|publisher=ReviewedMusic|accessdate=17 July 2012|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20130201064707/http://reviewedmusic.com/2010/interview-kevin-parker-tame-impala/|archivedate=1 February 2013}}</ref> The meaning of the song is "how awesome it can be to be inside your own head, how peaceful and enlightening it can be; good for the soul."<ref name="Tame Impala Rolling Stone article page 6">{{cite web|title=TTame Impala Rolling Stone article page 6|url=http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/181/19475906.jpg|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130421171818/http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/181/19475906.jpg|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 21, 2013|publisher=Rolling Stone Magazine|accessdate=17 July 2012}}</ref> and "like bathing in the glory of being alone, like, 'How great is this? I'm alone!'"<ref name="Tame Impala Lonerism Pitchfork Feature">{{cite web|title=Tame Impala Lonerism Pitchfork Feature|date=9 July 2012 |url=http://pitchfork.com/features/update/8888-tame-impala/|publisher=Pitchfork|accessdate=30 July 2012}}</ref>
==Music video== thumb|right|Frames from the music video for "Solitude Is Bliss", which represents the themes of the song The music video for "Solitude Is Bliss" was directed by Megaforce in Kyiv, Ukraine.<ref name="Solitude Is Bliss directed by Megaforce">{{cite web|title=Solitude Is Bliss directed by Megaforce|url=http://everythingvisual.net/?p=1333|publisher=everythingvisual|accessdate=18 July 2012}}</ref> It features a man dancing around the carnage in an almost post-apocalyptic world where there are flaming cars and dead bodies in the streets, which is meant to represent the man's mind, post-shock.<ref name="Tame Impala Video Hits interview">{{cite web|title=Tame Impala Video Hits interview|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHK8ZxnhzmE|publisher=YouTube|accessdate=18 July 2012}}</ref> During the choruses, the man is transported back to the "real world" hustle and bustle and finds himself having to push and shove through crowds of people in suits.<ref name="Solitude Is Bliss music video debuts">{{cite web|title=Solitude Is Bliss music video debuts|url=http://www.lifelounge.com.au/music/video/tame-impala-%27solitude-is-bliss%27.aspx|publisher=lifelounge|accessdate=18 July 2012}}</ref>
The video took a bit of criticism for not fitting in with Tame Impala's psychedelic sound. Parker said "We really like how it's the opposite of what you expect... I kind of like to think of it as not the clip to the song, but if that scene was in a movie, then that song would be a really cool song to have over that scene."<ref name="Melbourne Uni interview">{{cite web|title=Melbourne Uni interview|url=http://union.unimelb.edu.au/farrago2010/arts-and-culture/interviewwithtameimpalaskevinparker|publisher=Melbourne Uni|accessdate=14 July 2012}}</ref>
==Track listing== # "Solitude Is Bliss" – 3:55 # "Solitude Is Bliss (Canyons "Dow Jones" Mix)" – 4:22 # "Solitude Is Bliss (Midnight Juggernauts Remix)" – 4:55 # "Solitude Is Bliss (Mickey Moonlight T.A.M. Remix)" – 3:49
==Personnel== *Kevin Parker – all vocals and instrumentation, except for: * Jay Watson – drums
==Certifications== {{certification Table Top}} {{certification Table Entry|type=single|region=Australia|artist=Tame Impala|title=Solitude Is Bliss|award=Gold|relyear=2010|certyear=2020|accessdate=26 April 2021}} {{certification Table Bottom|nosales=yes | noshipments=true | streaming=true}}
==Cover versions== * British band Mark Ronson & The Business Intl. covered this song for Triple Js 'Like a Version' segment<ref name="Mark Ronson & The Business INTL - Solitude is Bliss">{{cite web|title=Mark Ronson & The Business INTL – Solitude is Bliss|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLw7zZDF-DM|publisher=YouTube|accessdate=18 July 2012}}</ref> * Australian indie pop band San Cisco covered this song on their EP ''Golden Revolver''<ref name="San Cisco - Golden Revolver">{{cite web|title=San Cisco – Golden Revolver|date=4 February 2011 |url=https://music.apple.com/au/album/golden-revolver-ep/415442318|publisher=iTunes|access-date=18 July 2012}}</ref> * Owl Eyes covered this song for Triple Js 'Like a Version'
==References== {{Reflist|25em}}
==External links== *{{YouTube|vxvf7gR4-2M|"Solitude Is Bliss" Official music video}}
{{Tame Impala}} {{Authority control}}
Category:2010 songs Category:2010 singles Category:Funk rock songs Category:Tame Impala songs Category:Music videos shot in Ukraine Category:Song recordings produced by Kevin Parker Category:Songs written by Kevin Parker (musician)