Lover, Leaver

"Lover, Leaver" is a song by American rock band Greta Van Fleet. It was released as the third single from their debut studio album, Anthem of the Peaceful Army. It peaked at number three on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart in June 2019.[3] Two versions of the song were released: the full six-minute version called "Lover, Leaver (Taker, Believer)", and a shorter edit as a single called "Lover, Leaver".

"Lover, Leaver"
Single by Greta Van Fleet
from the album Anthem of the Peaceful Army
Released	May 9, 2019
Recorded	2018
Genre	Hard rock[1] blues rock[2]
Length	3:35 (single version) 6:01 (album version)
Label	Republic
Songwriter(s)	Joshua Michael Kiszka Jacob Thomas Kiszka Samuel Francis Kiszka Daniel Robert Wagner
Producer(s)	Marlon Young Al Sutton Herschel Boone
Greta Van Fleet singles chronology
"You're the One" (2018) "Lover, Leaver" (2019) "My Way, Soon" (2020)

Background

The song had been performed in a live setting throughout 2018.[4] The song's studio version was first released on September 24, 2018, almost a month ahead of its respective album, Anthem of the Peaceful Army, as a promotional song.[5] It was the third promotional song to be released from the album, after single "When the Curtain Falls" and track "Watching Over".[6]

The song was co-written by all four members of the band,[7] and recorded in 2018 in Blackbird Studios in Nashville and Rustbelt Studios in Royal Oak, Michigan.[8] Two incarnations of the song exist; "Lover, Leaver" a three-minute version of the song later released as the band's third single from the album, and "Lover, Leaver (Taker, Believer)", a six-minute version of the song, with an extended psychedelic jamming/improvisational outro.[1] Both versions are available on the digital version of the album, while the physical album release only contains the extended version as track number five.[9]

Themes and composition

Journalists described the song's genre as hard rock, with having classic rock influences.[1][2] Musically, it was described as having "crunch guitars" and "psychedelic melodies".[5] Josh Kiszka's vocals were described as "emotive crooning" with moments of "skyscraping falsetto".[4][1] Lyrically, the song covers topics commonly covered in classic rock – love of a woman, and dealings with the devil.[2]

Reception

Loudwire ranked the song as the ninth best hard rock song of 2018.[1] The website also noted that live performances had generally received a positive response from crowds as well.[10]

Personnel

Band

• Joshua Kiszka – vocals
• Jacob Kiszka – guitar
• Samuel Kiszka – bass guitar
• Daniel Wagner – drums

Charts

Chart (2018)	Peak position
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[11]	32
US Rock Airplay (Billboard)[12]	19

References

1. Staff, Loudwire. "The 40 Best Hard Rock Songs of 2018". Loudwire.
2. Reed, Ryan (September 24, 2018). "Greta Van Fleet Sing About Love and Satan on New Song 'Lover, Leaver'".
3. "Greta Van Fleet Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
4. "Greta Van Fleet Unveils New Song "Lover, Leaver"". www.radio.com. September 24, 2018.
5. "Greta Van Fleet release new song, "Lover, Leaver (Taker, Believer)": Stream". September 24, 2018.
6. Rock, Scott Munro2018-09-24T09:08:58Z Classic. "Listen to Greta Van Fleet's groove-filled new single Lover, Leaver (Taker, Believer)". Classic Rock Magazine.
7. Blabbermouth (September 21, 2018). "Listen To New GRETA VAN FLEET Song 'Lover, Leaver'". BLABBERMOUTH.NET.
8. Bienstock, Richard. "Greta Van Fleet Premiere New Song, "Lover, Leaver"". GuitarPlayer.com.
9. News, Richard Bienstock 2018-09-24T13:34:09Z. "Greta Van Fleet Share New Song, "Lover, Leaver"". guitarworld.
10. Childers, Chad. "Greta Van Fleet Unveil 'Lover, Leaver' from Upcoming Album". Loudwire.
11. "Greta Van Fleet Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
12. "Greta Van Fleet Chart History (Rock Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved September 16, 2019.