Song Stories: Tame Impala: Let It Happen

By 2015, Kevin Parker had already been cast as the reluctant saviour of modern rock. With 'Lonerism', he had crafted a psychedelic masterpiece, a record that took the trippiest moments of The Beatles’ 'Tomorrow Never Knows' and stretched them into a twelve-song, kaleidoscopic ode to solitary bliss. Critics hailed him as a visionary, a one-man bridge between the 1960s and a new era of introspective rock.

But by the time 'Currents' arrived, Parker had grown weary of the rock messiah mantle. He wasn’t interested in saving rock anymore; he wanted to conquer pop.

When the lead single, 'Let It Happen', first dropped, it startled the purists. Its shimmering, electronic pulse was a departure from the fuzzy guitars of his past, but it immediately captivated a broader audience. Parker was no longer just a psychedelic wunderkind; he was a pop architect.

A World in Motion

The song itself is a meditation on personal transition, the terrifying but necessary act of letting life flow while wrestling with the chaos of change. Its creation was a truly global affair, pieced together in hotel rooms, festival grounds, and on trains across Europe and the United States.

In a 2015 interview with Under the Radar, Parker described its nomadic origins:

"I remember it came to me while walking to my hotel room in Oklahoma. And then the chorus, I was at a festival in Hungary or Turkey. And then the midsection, the jam bit, I was on a train... I had my laptop on a train in France, going to Toulouse. I think with that song, one thing led to another. I was just jamming by myself, and I put it on a loop to see what sounds cool."

The Anatomy of the Glitch

Clocking in at nearly eight minutes, 'Let It Happen' is a masterclass in sonic evolution. The song's most daring moment arrives in the second half, where the audio dissolves into a repeating, looped section reminiscent of a scratched CD or a skipping vinyl record.

This wasn't just a gimmick; it was a psychological representation of the song's theme. Just as the listener begins to panic that the track is broken, the loop holds its ground, eventually blossoming into a lush, orchestral disco climax. This "glitch" is punctuated by stripped-down, almost gibberish lyrics, with vocals manipulated through a keyboard sampler to create a texture that feels both futuristic and organic. It was a bold signal that Parker was playing by a new set of rules blending the technical precision of Daft Punk with the melodic soul of Michael Jackson.

The Turning Point

It is hard to overstate how divisive the reaction was at first. Parker had been the poster child for modern psychedelia, but 'Let It Happen' proved he was never content to dwell in a single motif. He traded the 1960s fuzz for the 1980s synth, yet the track remains unmistakably Tame Impala. It marries dancefloor sensibilities with sun-drenched textures and soaring strings, all filtered through Parker’s signature, high-register vocals.

The song’s impact was so immediate that it even transcended the indie world to catch the attention of the biggest names in the industry. Only a year later, Rihanna would release a near-identical cover of the 'Currents' track 'New Person, Same Old Mistakes' on her album 'Anti'. It was the ultimate validation: Kevin Parker’s "weird" psychedelic pop was now the blueprint for global superstars.

A Lasting Legacy

'Let It Happen' and its parent album, 'Currents', transformed Kevin Parker from a self-proclaimed loner into one of the most influential musicians on the planet. This shift opened the floodgates for a decade of high-profile collaborations. Since then, Parker has lent his "Midas touch" to a staggering list of artists, including Mark Ronson, Lady Gaga, Kanye West, Dua Lipa, The Weeknd, Gorillaz, Travis Scott, and Justice.

I’d argue it is the most important song Parker ever released, and personally, I still think it’s his best. No other artist manages to strike this specific balance between "the club" and "the bedroom." Upon hearing this song for the first time, my entire musical palette was blown wide open. It taught a whole generation of rock fans that pop wasn't a dirty word.

Every generation has those cultural cornerstones that redefine what music can be. For my generation, 'Currents' is that album, and 'Let It Happen' is where the journey begins.

Thank you for reading 

Jack