Radio Silence

"**Radio Silence**" is a song by American singer-songwriter Zella Day. It was released as the 4th single from Sunday In Heaven on June 24, 2022.

## Background

The song is produced by Alex Casnoff and written in collaboration by Kerr and Casnoff. The song was recorded in September 2021 in Los Angeles at Adam Gunther's home studio. The artwork is painted on linen by Kristen Giorgi.

Released almost 1 year after the previous single for Sunday In Heaven, "Golden", "Radio Silence" was a departure from the artwork (shot by Elizaveta Porodina) and sound of the previous album singles. The single was confirmed to be on the album on August 26, 2022 when the tracklist was revealed.

In two consecutive Instagram posts on June 24 and 27, 2022, Zella Day provided background on the song. Kerr writes,

> I wrote “Radio Silence” with my dear friend @alexcasnoff in September of last year. The song is a story amongst so many other stories that are carrying a different weight today. I had life-threatening complications with a pregnancy three years ago, and I can’t even imagine what it would have been like had I not been given the freedom to make my own choices for myself and my body at that time. It’s as if the world has turned its back on us at our most vulnerable, when we are faced with a decision that will change our lives forever. We will not sit down and go Radio Silent, the stories need to be heard and shared, the fight must continue.
> Artwork by one of my favorite artists @kristengiorgi.studio who masterfully crafted Radio Silence into a painting. *- @zelladay, June 24, 2022*
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> Alex and I planned a writing session last year after running into each other on set of a music video. Little did I know our future writing date would be closely following a heartbreak, a time when I was only leaving the house for an occasional ice cream cookie sandwich. I had written half of a verse during one of my strong moments but didn’t know where to take the story, I was so deep in the middle of my experience I didn’t have my traditionally acute sense of direction nor the common sense that I was going to make it out of this one alive. I was shifting in my seat pounding soda water so I could put something else in my mouth besides my sob story of rejection, we hung out cracked some jokes and I played him the idea. The idea became a conversation and before I knew it we were walking around the room with guitars humming into space. He asked all the right questions. The truth was hard to admit. Alex and I have been talking since the song came out about how powerful story telling is, how brave it is to tell secrets and the profound impact they can have. There was a lot of work put into getting this song out as soon as possible, we both felt its urgency and incredible will to live. Recorded in Los Angeles at @\_adamgunther\_'s home studio with additional friends of the family @darrenpweiss @miyafolick and Patrick Kelly. Radio Silence took all of our attention. It deserved it. Inspired by the cranberries and all of that seething 90’s angst, it felt so good to scream these lyrics into a microphone. Thank you for listening, we wanted you to have it all. *- @zelladay, June 27, 2022*
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The single was released on June 24, 2022, the day the U.S. Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade and overturned the constitutional right to an abortion.

## Lyrics

[Verse 1]

Born in the valley, '85

You took me to the guest house

Where your friends would all skip class and get high

You're rollin' up the windows

Now you're pourin' me wine in your jacuzzi

You want your sex more like the movies

So I buy the book on Kama Sutra to get you screamin' "Hallelujah"

[Pre-Chorus]

Hold my body, can you feel it?

I've been tryna keep a secret

Down, I'm tryna shake the spirit out

[Chorus]

Radio, radio, radio, radio

In silence

Radio, radio, radio, radio

In silence

[Verse 2]

You sent me a picture of your doorstep

Of your key and where to find it

Back of your closet, in your best pants

Thе cash inside your wallet

You have anxiеty over pregnancy

So you bought this fuckin' pill for me

Now it's Friday night and you're out

My head's inside the toilet

I love how you told me to calm down

And I'm screamin' "Hallelujah"

[Pre-Chorus]

Hold my body, can you feel it?

I've been tryna keep a secret

Down, I'm tryna shake the spirit out

[Chorus]

Radio, radio, radio, radio

In silence

Radio, radio, radio, radio

In silence

[Bridge]

How could this happen to me?

I happen to be holdin' on

How could this happen to me?

I happen to be strong

But I couldn't see it was happenin' to me all along

[Pre-Chorus]

Hold my body, can you feel it?

I've been tryna keep a secret

Down, I'm tryna shake the spirit out

[Chorus]

Radio, radio, radio, radio

In silence

Radio, radio, radio, radio

Radio, radio, radio, radio

Radio

In silence

In silence

In the silence

## Videos

### Music Video

The official music video for "Radio Silence" was released July 20, 2022 and directed by Alex Casnoff. The music video features Zella Day and Kellan Rhode as “the bunny”.

> It was on a Monday that we decided we were going to shoot a music video that coming Friday, before I left for Texas. We ended up shooting until 4 am, I was on a plane two hours later with beach sand in my shoes, leftover from the Santa Monica Pier. There was a frantic energy in the air that night as we moved through the city with our shot list. We found some of our best scenes in an In-N-Out bathroom and while running down side streets in Simi Valley. I’ll be keeping the Bunny head as a memento from our i-phone thriller. We really want the viewer to feel the frantic energy that we felt creating this psychological chase through Los Angeles. *- Zella Day, in the caption of the official music video*
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### Official Visualizer

The official visualizer was released alongside the single on June 24, 2022. Animation by John Howe.

### Acoustic Video

Zella Day uploaded a live acoustic version of the song to her YouTube channel on July 6, 2022.