Cloud Aura

## Music video

"**Cloud Aura**" is a song by English singer-songwriter Charli XCX featuring Brooke Candy, from the former's debut studio album *True Romance*. It serves as the eighth track from the album.

## Background

The single was first self-released by Charli on October 31st, 2012, on the platform Soundcloud. It served as a lead single and the first track from her second mixtape *Super Ultra*, which went out on November of that year along with a music video for the song.

In the music video premiere on Dazed, Charli talked about the decision to put Brooke Candy on the track: "It's a really special track for me because I guess it's my first proper collaboration. I asked Brooke to get on the track 'cause I could hear her voice on it sounding awesome. And she slayed it."

## Theme

On the song, Charli sings about this lover who became cold and distant, so now she wants revenge for the way he hurt her for treating her like that. On Brooke Candy's verse, we also discover that her lover was actually cheating on her with one of her friends, which makes her even more eager to hurt him back.

## Critical Reception

The track was met with mixed reviews from critics, with most of them calling the song "weird". Pitchfork didn't really liked the single, calling it the "lowest point of the mixtape", mostly blaming Candy's rapping for it. The Edge gave it a 7/10 review saying it "is hugely progressive from her previous EPs and mixtapes; electronically experimental [...] XCX sounds effortlessly cool, and her dulcet tones are perfectly suited to the jumpy mish-mash of synths and backing vocals that accompany her."

## Music Video

The music video for the song came out on November 28th, 2012, and was directed by Ryan Andrews and premiered on the music and enterteinement website Dazed. It features a sort of security camera view of the pair of Charli and Brooke Candy on the streets, all while interspersed with a variety of gifs from different movies and TV shows, including *The Terminator, Carrie,* and *Pokémon*.

In the premiere for the music video, Charli comented about the idea for it: "I made the video with Brooke and Ryan Andrews. I wanted to make the video super fantastical and emotional, so I used clips from my favourite films like Carrie and TV shows like The Hills(!). It's a mix of all my favourite things. It's the internet meets LA, meets London. All the places my mind lives in and all the place I want to be."

## Cross-references

* "Set fire to your pick-up / And drive it super sonic / Crash and burn it with my sister" - Charli mentions doing something similar on the hook of her hit single "I Love It" where she sings "I crash my car into the bridge / I don't care"

## Lyrics

Baby, what hurts the most

Is when you become so cold

You're starting to hurt my heart

You left me here in the dark

Now I got to make a change

I don't want to see your face

I'm starting to hurt your heart

Hope you fall apart

Uh, uh, Brooke Candy

We were on some Bonnie and Clyde shit

Kept the blunts rolled, always let you take the first hit

When the feds caught us, I said I would take the rap

'Cause I knew it ain't easy livin' life in the trap

I was the Queen B and you were like my Jay Z

Only one who held me down when I was fuckin' crazy

Ivana and Trump, shit, we coulda ran the world

You were my Chris Brown, I was your only girl

Let you put your feet up while I was cookin' you breakfast

Thought I found my ride or die, but now I just regret shit

Log into your email 'cause I knew that shit was wrong

Pullin' up a private photo of a bitch showin' her thong

Then I look a lil' closer, it's my home girl Lisa

Time to terminate shit, hasta la vista

Married to the mob, so I put a hit on it

Handed you my heart, then you took a shit on it

That's fucked up

Baby, what hurts the most

Is when you become so cold

You're starting to hurt my heart

You left me here in the dark

Now I got to make a change

I don't want to see your face

I'm starting to hurt your heart

Hope you fall apart

Now I'ma fuck your shit up

Set fire to your pick-up

And drive it super sonic

Crash and burn it with my sister

No, I don't need a mister

Cancel the babysitter

I'm never going down that road

It's easy to resist ya

You broke my heart

And I'm never gon' forget this

You broke my heart

And now I'm comin' back to get ya, don't you know?

Baby, what hurts the most

Is when you become so cold

You're starting to hurt my heart

You left me here in the dark

Now I got to make a change

I don't want to see your face

I'm starting to hurt your heart

Hope you fall apart

Baby, what hurts the most

Is when you become so cold

You're starting to hurt my heart

You left me here in the dark

Now I got to make a change

I don't want to see your face

I'm starting to hurt your heart

Hope you fall apart

## References

<references>

1. ↑ https://consequenceofsound.net/2012/10/new-music-charli-xcx-feat-brooke-candy-cloud-aura/
2. ↑ https://www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/15161/1/charli-xcx-ft-brooke-candy-video
3. ↑ https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/17457-super-ultra/
4. ↑ https://www.theedgesusu.co.uk/records/singles/2012/11/28/charli-xcx-feat-brooke-candy-cloud-aura/