Oblivion

Oblivion
Album Artwork
General Information
Title	Oblivion
Recorded	2011
Released	21 Feb 2012
Album	Visions
Type	Promotional single
Length	4:12
Key + BPM	D Major • 156
Format	CD • Vinyl • Digital Download • Streaming
Credits
Artist	Grimes
Writer(s)	Grimes
Producer(s)	Grimes
Label	Arbutus Records • 4AD
Visions Tracklist
Genesis
Oblivion
Eight

Oblivion is a promotional single by Grimes, appearing on her third studio album, Visions. It is the third track on the album.

Background

Meaning

In an interview Grimes stated:

❝ The song is about being violently assaulted and it made me crazy for a few years. I got really paranoid walking around at night and started feeling really unsafe. The song is more about empowering myself physically amongst a masculine power, and the hate of feeling powerless, making light of masculine physical power, making it jovial and non-threatening. I took a typically violent cultural situation and made it pop and happy. ❞

In a retrospective track-by-track commentary, Grimes said about the song:

❝ It's crazy this song ended up meaning so much to so many people. This was another one I thought was a throw-away --- It was about trying to convince myself to be less paranoid and traumatized after a few really fucked up things happened to me. But I also feel like my soul has this weird eternal naivete where, even after being legit assaulted to the point where I could have died. I just like... I dunno... retain this weird optimism and trust in ppl. Honestly, its gonna get me killed one day. ❞

In an interview with SPIN, she revealed that the song is about:

❝ going into this masculine world that is associated with sexual assault, but presented as something really welcoming and nice. The song's sort of about being — I was assaulted and I had a really hard time engaging in any types of relationship with men, because I was just so terrified of men for a while. ❞

Video

Video	Credits
	Title	Oblivion
	Premiere	02 Mar 2012
	Length	4:12
	Location	Olympic Stadium & McGill University's Molson Stadium, Montréal, Canada.
	Director	Grimes, Emily Kai Bock

Additional Credits

• DOP: Evan Profofsky
• BTS: Neal Rockwell

Behind the Scenes

Grimes with a member of Motorcross audience.

Claire, Evan and Emily

Cameras about to roll on Oblivion video shoot.

Grimes discusses actions with Oblivion director Emily Kai Bock and DOP Evan Prosofsky

Emily Kai Bock and Evan Prosofsky discuss what to do next on set for Oblivion video shoot with Grimes.

ATV race during Oblivion shoot.

Background

Grimes said this about the music video:

❝ Art gives me an outlet where I can be aggressive in a world where I usually can't be, and part of it was asserting this abstract female power in these male-dominated arenas — the video is somewhat about objectifying men. Not in a disrespectful way, though. ❞

She gave details about the video in an interview with Music Feeds:

❝ The film was very expensive, so we had to use everything we shot. We didn’t have any permits, so it has a very documentary feel. That’s why people are walking in front of the camera at times ❞

Lyrics

I never walk about, after dark
It's my point of view
'Cause someone could break your neck
Coming up behind you, always coming and you'd never have a clue

I never look behind, all the time
I will wait forever, always looking straight
Thinking, counting, all the hours you wait

See you on a dark night
See you on a dark night
See you on a dark night
See you on a dark night

And no, I’m not a jerk
I would ask if you could help me out
It's hard to understand
'Cause when you're running by yourself
It's hard to find someone to hold your hand

And now it's good to be tough on me
But I will wait forever
I need someone else to look into my eyes and tell me
Girl you know you gotta watch your health

To look into my eyes and tell me
La la la la la
To look into my eyes and tell me
La la la la la
La la la la la
La la la la la

Trivia

• This song is one of Grimes' most successful releases so far and ranked at number 38 on Australian alternative music station Triple J's Hottest 100 2012 Countdown. It was named the best song of 2012 on Pitchfork, which in 2014 also named it the best song of the decade as of August 2014. It placed at number 229 on NME magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
• The song got released exclusively on music blog Gorilla vs. Bear on October 17, 2011 before being officially released as part of Visions on February 21, 2012.
• An unreleased dance remix of the song by Grimes exists and was played at the III points music festival in Miami on October 21, 2023.