Golden Hour (song)

This article is about the 2022 single by Jvke. For other songs by this name, see Golden Hour § Songs.

"Golden Hour" is a song by American singer-songwriter Jvke. Released as a single on July 15, 2022, it went viral on TikTok later in the year and became an international hit.

"Golden Hour"
Single by Jvke
from the album This Is What ____ Feels Like (Vol. 1–4)
Released	July 15, 2022 (2022-07-15)
Genre	Pop
Length	3:29
Label	AWAL
Songwriter(s)	Jacob Lawson Zac Lawson
Producer(s)	Jvke Zvc
Jvke singles chronology
"this is what falling in love feels like" (2022) "Golden Hour" (2022) "Hero" (2022)
Music video
"Golden Hour" on YouTube

Content

The song, three minutes and twenty-nine seconds long, is in the key of E major, changing at the end to D major, with a tempo of 94 beats per minute. It uses many orchestral musical styles and instruments, primarily piano and strings.

A love song, it makes lyrical references to Donald Glover, and Frank Ocean's 2016 album Blonde.

Critical reception

Jason Lipshutz of Billboard wrote, "'Golden Hour' has a winning formula: semi-rapped verses full of romantic observations and modern music references, boiling into an enormous, crooned-from-the-gut chorus. Jvke, to his credit, nails the push-pull at the heart of the song—nimble enough to sound nonchalant during the lead-up, then giving his absolute all on the hook — while the racing piano line beneath him is a memorable piece of production that simultaneously doesn't distract from the vocal take." Other Billboard writers called the song an "incredibly well-crafted, fresh-sounding, lush pop ballad by a prodigious singer-songwriter, with a frantic piano hook, soaring vocals, ornate production, majestic presentation and a sense of orchestral drama."^[1]

Erica Campbell of NME called the song a "glittery ballad", and a "slow-burn love song, brimming with keys and strings".^[2]

George Griffiths of the Official Charts Company described the song as a "tender piano ballad with a succinct hip-hop influence, that sees JVKE recount the hopeful blossoming of a relationship."^[3]

Chart performance

The song reached the top 10 in the United States, in addition to charting in Canada, Australia, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Switzerland, and the Global 200.

Remixes

Remixes were also released by Illenium & Nurko, Jungle, Ruel, Anton Powers, Shirley Setia, Henry Lau, A7S, blond, Leon Leiden, Vertile, Fujii Kaze, minLee, R3HAB, Seven Kayne, Xplosn and SB19.

Live performances

Jvke performed the song for MTV on October 7, 2022,^[4] at the iHeartRadio 2022 Jingle Ball on December 9,^[5] as well as on Good Morning America on January 23, 2023.^[6]

Bodie Kuljian, a contestant for season 22 of The Voice, performed the song onstage on November 28, 2022.^[7]

Personnel

• Jake Lawson – vocals, backing vocals, piano
• Zac Lawson – synthesizers, programming, synth bass, percussion, drum programming

Accolades

Awards and nominations for "Golden Hour"

Ceremony	Year	Award	Result	Ref.
MTV Video Music Awards Japan	2023	Best New Artist Video (International)	Won	[8]

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for "Golden Hour" Chart (2022–2024) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[9] 29 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[10] 57 Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[11] 19 Germany (GfK)[12] 66 Global 200 (Billboard)[13] 13 Ireland (IRMA)[14] 25 Japan Digital Singles (Oricon)[15] Fujii Kaze remix 26 Japan Hot Overseas (Billboard Japan)[16] 4 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[17] 62 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[18] 22 Norway (VG-lista)[19] 33 Philippines (Billboard)[20] 25 Portugal (AFP)[21] 32 Singapore (RIAS)[22] 2 Sweden Heatseeker (Sverigetopplistan)[23] 8 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[24] 47 UK Singles (OCC)[25] 19 UK Indie (OCC)[26] 3 US Billboard Hot 100[27] 10 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[28] 18 US Adult Pop Airplay (Billboard)[29] 13 US Pop Airplay (Billboard)[30] 10 Vietnam (Vietnam Hot 100)[31] 7

Year-end charts Year-end chart performance for "Golden Hour" Chart (2023) Position Australia (ARIA)[32] 57 Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[33] 38 Global 200 (Billboard)[34] 21 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[35] 48 UK Singles (OCC)[36] 71 US Billboard Hot 100[37] 41 US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[38] 48 US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[39] 33

Certifications

Certifications for "Golden Hour"

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[40]	2× Platinum	140,000‡
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[41]	Gold	45,000‡
France (SNEP)[42]	Platinum	200,000‡
Italy (FIMI)[43]	Gold	50,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[44]	2× Platinum	60,000‡
Portugal (AFP)[45]	Platinum	10,000‡
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[46]	Platinum	60,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[47]	Platinum	600,000‡
United States (RIAA)[48]	5× Platinum	5,000,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release dates and formats for "Golden Hour"

Region	Date	Format(s)	Version	Label	Ref.
Various	July 15, 2022	Digital download streaming	Original cello slowed sped up	AWAL	[49]
	August 5, 2022		Indian with Shirley Setia Anton Powers remix		[50]
	October 7, 2022		Illenium and Nurko remix		[51]
	October 28, 2022		Jungle remix		[52]
	November 18, 2022		Chinese with Henry Ruel remix Dekko remix		[53]
	November 25, 2022		A7S remix Holiday remix		[54]
	December 30, 2022		Carta remix		[55]
	February 1, 2023		French with Blond		[56]
	March 31, 2023		Leon Leiden		[57]
	April 21, 2023		Fujii Kaze remix		[58]
	July 7, 2023		SB19 remix		[59]