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"Mirrors" is a song by Natalia Kills, which is featured on her debut album Perfectionist. This is the lead single from the album, and was released onto iTunes on August 10, 2010. A 1:27 length preview was released in July to promote the track, along with the official cover art. The song's lyrics speak of female empowerment through the metaphors of mirrors in a gothic sense. Mirrors has currently charted highest at 434 in the official iTunes singles chart, and has been hailed as 'Just Dance 2010'.
Song meaning[]
Regarding the song's meaning, Kills said:
"Mirrors' is about me. I don't know if that's a very good thing to say because it's such a badass song. Maybe if people take the wrong thing away from it, they'll be like 'oh, she's just this sex-loving, vanity control freak.' But it's not about that. It's about celebrating your own power. It's about enjoying yourself. Not just enjoying what the other person can do for you, but what you can enjoy and take away from the situation."
Reception[]
Critical response[]
After the snippet premiered, the song was heavily praised by fans. PopJustice made it the song of the Day on Monday 26, 2010. MuuMuse said
"With a grinding synthesized beat recalling that of the Eurythmics‘ “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” and a healthy helping of over-driven guitars, “Mirrors” is a delicious, dark moment of sexy electro-pop for the up-and-coming artist. “Turning the lights out, tighten the handcuffs / And the mirrors going to fog tonight,” Kills croons as she sorts through her bag of weapons to determine the best tool for torture![1].
Lyrics[]
Shut up |
Music video[]
Preview[]
When the song was released as a 1:27 preview version, a mini video accompanied the duration of the song. It showed Natalia wearing a black military hat and deep red lipstick, reflected off smashed and cracked glass, before showing her holding up pieces of the glass to her face and covering her left eye. The video ends with the suspected single cover art, along with release information.
Kills holding a skull and singing her lyrics "Sex. Love. Control. Vanity."
Official[]
The video was filmed during August 2010. It premiered on Kills' official YouTube/Vevo account on 29 November 2010. It was directed by Kills and Guillaume Doubet, with whom she created the first installments of Love, Kills xx earlier in 2010. The video opens with Kills applying red lipstick in a car mirror while the instrumental of the song plays in the background, followed by the title card "Mirrors". She then leaves the car and passes by a man, who is afterwards seen standing between two women wearing plastic masks of Kills' face. The music mutes and the sound of footsteps is heard as Kills approaches a mirror that appears to be cracked. After hearing a noise behind her, she looks over her shoulder as her reflection turns to look at her. She is shown to be captured by someone before the title card of the first act, "Vanity", is displayed, where a metal skull (occasionally shown with Beats by Dr. Dre headphones) is shown as she sings and performs in front of the mirror. From this point on, the video is intercut with duplicated images of Kills (at times holding an axe) and scenes of her in a dark room surrounded with broken objects, chains and more. The second act named "Control" then starts as she stands on top of a glass box holding an axe, with a man inside the box filming her as she moves around the box. The video shifts to act three "Sex", showing her performing directly to the skull referencing William Shakespeare's Hamlet imagery. Towards the end of the video, Kills is seen handcuffed and chained while sitting on the floor, as well as seducing a blindfolded man.
Kills playing posing with her axe for the photographer.
Release history[]
| Region | Date | Format |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 10 August 2010 2010[2] | Digital download |
| Germany | 3 September 2010 | |
| United Kingdom | ||
| United States | 2 November 2010 | Digital remix EP |
| Germany | 10 January 2011 | |
| 11 February 2011 | CD single | |
| United States | 1 March 2011 | Digital download – Live at the Cherrytree House |
| United Kingdom | 18 April 2011 | CD single |
| United States | 26 April 2011 | Digital EP – Remixes Chapter 2 |
Charts[]
| Chart (2011) | Peak
position |
|---|---|
| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 75)[8] | 7 |
| Belgium (Ultratip Flanders)[20] | 18 |
| Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[10] | 46 |
| Germany (Media Control AG)[6] | 10 |
| Poland (ZPAV)[7] | 2 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[9] | 52 |
| US Hot Dance Club Songs[11] | 3 |