SZA’s “Love Galore”: The Sound, The Lyrics, and That Not-So-Innocent Video

Released on April 27, 2017, SZA’s song Love Galore, featuring Travis Scott, became an R&B staple and earned an RIAA platinum certification.

With its chilled tropical beat, raw lyrics, and an unsettling music video, Love Galore dives deep into the complexities of love, betrayal, and self-reliance.

This track, as well as its powerful visuals, helped SZA stake her claim as a distinct voice in modern R&B, blending intense emotion with poetic ambiguity.

Here’s what makes Love Galore such an unforgettable piece, exploring everything from the song’s lyrics and inspiration to the final shocking scenes in the music video.

“Love Galore” Lyrics: Love, Self-Preservation, and That Bittersweet Feeling

Love Galore is all about the emotional rollercoaster of relationships. SZA dives into the disillusionment that follows betrayal, with lyrics that question and confront the fallout of romantic letdowns.

In lines like, “Why you bother me when you know you don’t want me?” she explores the vulnerability and frustration of being with someone who only gives half of themselves.

SZA calls the song “a relaxed, tropical bop,” but the lyrics reveal more—a story of a woman who’s “done with these niggas” and no longer interested in compromising her self-worth.

She even summarised the song herself as “about being played out by a dude who thought he was cuter than you,” acknowledging the painful but empowering journey of moving past someone who doesn’t value you.

In a playful twist, she explains that “LOVE” in the title stands for “love, olive, vitamins, and egg,” while “GALORE” represents “gratitude, atom, lemon, octopus, rollie, and energy,” capturing the chaotic layers of what love can feel like.

The Sound: Tropical Beats and a Hint of “Kokomo”

The track’s soundscape, crafted by producers Carter Lang and ThankGod4Cody, is equally captivating.

SZA described her inspiration as “tropical” and reminiscent of Kokomo by The Beach Boys, which adds a nostalgic yet bittersweet undertone.

The soft beat feels like drifting, the type of rhythm that’s both calming and slightly unnerving.

It’s escapist yet emotionally charged, giving Love Galore its unique vibe.

The tropical sound, combined with SZA’s smooth, captivating voice, creates a song that’s hard to shake and easy to get lost in.

Travis Scott’s Verse: Ambiguity Meets Mystery

Travis Scott’s verse on Love Galore serves as a perfect contrast to SZA’s raw vulnerability.

His part doesn’t provide any answers—if anything, it adds to the song’s ambiguity.

He brings a nonchalance that feels almost haunting, making it clear that he’s not as invested in the relationship.

SZA has expressed her admiration for Travis’s unique style, saying he “merges that super fine line between melody and syncopation,” making him a fitting addition to this track.

Their collaboration is more than just a verse; it’s an emotional tug-of-war that leaves listeners questioning who’s in control and who’s left wanting.

The dual perspectives give the song a layered quality, highlighting the emotional tug-of-war that characterises complicated relationships.

The Music Video: Butterflies, Bondage, and a Bloody Twist

Directed by Nabil, the Love Galore music video takes the song’s story into darker territory.

It opens with butterflies flitting around SZA and Scott as they lie in a plush bed, a scene that seems dreamy at first.

Butterflies often symbolise transformation, and in this context, they foreshadow the shift from affection to something far darker.

As the video progresses, SZA’s control over the situation becomes apparent, especially when she ties Scott to the bed and exits the room.

The climax comes when a mysterious woman with a cane enters, marking the transition from romance to horror.

Blood splatters against the window, leaving viewers with a chilling sense of SZA’s ultimate power over her past lover.

The final scene, where Scott’s fate is sealed, mirrors the song’s themes of reclaiming control and moving beyond someone who’s let you down.

The butterflies serve as a fitting visual metaphor for SZA’s resilience and transformation.

Why “Love Galore” Continues to Captivate

With its platinum certification, tropical beats, and visually intense music video, Love Galore stands out as one of SZA’s most enduring songs.

The song’s lyrics—honest, vulnerable, and full of self-assurance—hit a chord for anyone who’s experienced a less-than-ideal relationship.

Travis Scott’s verse and the haunting visuals add layers to the narrative, emphasising that love is messy, unpredictable, and rarely neat.

In Love Galore, SZA takes listeners on a journey that’s both intimate and unapologetically real.

It’s a song that leaves enough room for listeners to see their own experiences while offering a powerful reminder that sometimes, the best way forward is to take back your power—even if it means making a scene along the way.

SZA Love Galore Lyrics

Part I

Intro: Travis Scott
I need, I need
I need, I need
I need, I need
I need, I need
I need, I need

Chorus: SZA
Love, love, love, love
Long as we got
Love, love, love, oh
Long as we got

Verse 1: SZA & Travis Scott
Done with these niggas, I don’t love these niggas
I dust off these niggas, do it for fun
Don’t take it personal
Personally, I’m surprised you called me after the things I said
Skrrt-skrrt on niggas (Yeah), skrrt up on niggas (True)
Skrrt down, you actin’ like me (Yeah)
Actin’ like we wasn’t more than a summer fling
I said farewell, you took it well (True)
Promise I won’t cry over spilled milk (Ooh, no, I won’t)
Give me a paper towel, gimme another Valium
Give me another hour or two, hour with you
Why you bother me when you know you don’t want me? (Yeah)
Why you bother me when you know you got a woman? (Yeah)
Why you hit me when you know you know better? (True)
Know you know better (True)
Know your crew better than you do
Call me, lookin’ for ya (Yeah), I be lookin’ for ya (Yeah)
Got me lookin’ forward to weekends
With you, baby, with you, baby
With you, baby (True), with you
We do whatever we want, go wherever we want
Love however we want, it don’t matter (True)
You do whatever I want, get whatever I want
Get whatever I need, it’s about

Chorus: SZA
Love, love, love, love
Long as we got
Love, love, love, oh
Long as we got

Verse 2: SZA & Travis Scott
Should have never gave you my number, I did it with you
Should have never let you hit it, I split it with you
I regret it, you gots a fetish
You gots a problem, now it’s a problem, oh, no
Skrrt-skrrt on bitches (Yeah)
I don’t know these bitches (Yeah)
Dig dirt on bitches, do it for fun
Don’t take it personal, baby
Love on my ladies, l-love to my ladies, uh (True)
Dated a few (Straight up)

Verse 3: Travis Scott & SZA
Why you bother me? Why you bother me? Why you bother me? (Why you bother me? Yeah)
Last time I checked, you were the one that left (The one)
Me in a wreck (Yeah), me in a mess (Yeah, yeah)
You all I rep (Yeah), like my side I rep (Yeah)
Yeah, that’s that Mo City, that side that you can’t come ’round at night, yeah (It’s lit)
You like to get me high, you don’t want no one beside ya
You like when I make fire, you say, “La Flame, keep makin’ fire” (Ooh)
Let me cum inside ya, let me plant that seed inside ya (Ooh)
Ass and titties, titties, only thing that stuck with, with me (With me)
Only thing that was real, only thing I could feel, you feel me? (Yeah, feel me?)
So why you bother me, why you bother me? (With you, baby, with you, baby)
Tryna catch a P.O.V., yeah (With you)

Chorus: SZA
Love, love, love, love
Long as we got
Love, love, love, oh
Long as we got

Part II

Verse 4: SZA
(Love)
I came to your city, lookin’ for lovin’ and licky
‘Cause you promised to put it down
All up in your city, lookin’ for you, uh
Searchin’ for you, like, love
Only thing keepin’ me from droppin’ you right now
Right now (Love)
Only thing keepin’ me by your side
Only thing keepin’ me by your side now

Outro: Norma Rowe
But see, Solána, if you don’t say somethin’, speak up for yourself
They think you stupid, you know what I’m sayin’?