Suki Waterhouse’s “On This Love” Lyrics, Explained

Suki Waterhouse isn’t afraid to toe the line of taboo. On her new single “On This Love,” a dreamy ode that imagines a forbidden relationship, Waterhouse coos about a seductive mistress who has to impatiently “wait for my turn” to lose herself in the addictive relationship. The music video adds a controversial new layer to the message, as Waterhouse glams up in her best Anna Nicole Smith finery to show her love for a much older man.

The mid-tempo love song opens with Waterhouse confronting her partner about a secret relationship:

I ask you a question, “You still seeing her?” / You pull me so hard, you say it’s over / You rock my body, now I’m seeing stars / I dream and you leave in your getaway car / You won't settle down with a damsel distressed / And I won't keep a man if he loves his mistress.

Rather than perturb her, the wild and dangerous romance draws Waterhouse in, as she compares the questionable relationship to a euphoric high in the chorus: “Just like a drug / I can OD on this love.”

The accompanying video harkens back to the ‘90s, as Waterhouse parties in the mansion of an older lover who showers her with gifts.

Suki’s sister Immy Waterhouse, who directed the video, told Rolling Stone that the visual is meant to “explore the space between perception and power.” “The story centers on a relationship that’s easy to label, but harder to understand,” Immy said. “Yes, there’s age, yes there’s money, but there’s also a charm, joy, and rhythm that defies the expected.”

The standalone single follows a strong of recent non-album songs from Waterhouse, including “Pushing Daisies” and “Dream Woman,” hinting that the musician may be preparing for a follow-up album to last year’s Memoir of a Sparklemuffin.