Carly Rae Jepsen is embracing fantasy, indulgence and the simple pleasure of slowing down with “Versailles,” the focus single from her newly released double album Day and Night. The dreamy track draws inspiration from the world of Marie Antoinette and reflects Jepsen’s thoughts about pleasure, luxury and taking time away from her famously busy lifestyle.
“Versailles” opens with imagery inspired by the excesses associated with Marie Antoinette, as Jepsen sings about staying out all night, losing oneself and running through a garden simply to feel alive. The song’s romantic and slightly decadent atmosphere was partly inspired by Sofia Coppola’s 2006 film Marie Antoinette, which presents a stylized and colorful interpretation of the French queen’s life.
For Jepsen, the song became an opportunity to explore an idea she had been thinking about at the time: pleasure for its own sake. The singer says she approaches songwriting in different ways depending on the song. Sometimes she begins with a hook, while other songs emerge from a concept, an experience or something she is trying to process emotionally.
“Versailles” came together during a writing trip in Sweden. Jepsen had been staying at Stockholm’s Grand Hôtel and had been watching Coppola’s Marie Antoinette. While acknowledging that the real history surrounding Marie Antoinette was considerably darker, Jepsen found herself drawn to the film’s fantasy-like depiction of luxury and escapism.
The following day, while walking to her writing session, Jepsen continued thinking about the film and the idea of indulgence. The timing also had a personal connection. She was preparing to take a month-and-a-half-long vacation with her husband, producer Cole M.G.N., after being encouraged by her cousin to step away from work.
For Jepsen, who describes herself as a true workaholic, taking such an extended break felt almost unnatural. Versailles was also among the destinations she and her husband planned to visit, giving the location an even stronger connection to the song.
“Coming from a true workaholic, it just seemed so indulgent. It seemed crazy to me,” Jepsen explains.
That feeling ultimately became the central concept behind “Versailles.” At the writing session, she wanted to explore the idea of allowing oneself to experience pleasure without necessarily needing a practical reason for it. Versailles became a metaphor for extreme indulgence — something that can appear excessive or even unappealing from the outside, while still provoking curiosity about what it would feel like to experience such luxury for just one day.
Jepsen says she was particularly excited by the idea of having uninterrupted time with her husband. The song therefore captures more than an extravagant fantasy; it also reflects a period when she was learning to appreciate rest, leisure and shared experiences outside of her career.
The singer created “Versailles” with Elias Kapari, Noonie Bao and Markus Krunegard. Although the collaborators had not worked extensively together before, Jepsen remembers the session fondly and describes the experience as a particularly enjoyable one.
The song also received an unexpected early vote of confidence. The night after recording “Versailles,” Jepsen and her collaborators shared a taxi to Bao’s mother’s house for pizza. They played the newly created song for the driver, who immediately told them that he believed it was a hit.
Jepsen remembers the moment with particular affection, especially hearing the driver singing along as the song reached its chorus. For her, the spontaneous reaction became part of the song’s history and one of the most joyful memories associated with it.
“Versailles” now serves as a key introduction to Day and Night, Jepsen’s ambitious new double album, which was released on Sept. 18. The project contains 24 tracks divided into two distinct halves, with Day leaning into dreamy, sun-soaked pop while Night explores a more electronic and electro-pop sound.
The album also represents a significant period in Jepsen’s personal life. Much of the material was created as she was falling in love with her husband, while the project later took on another dimension when she was pregnant with their first child during the mixing process.
That personal timeline gives Day and Night the feeling of a musical time capsule, capturing different stages of Jepsen’s life and emotions. The contrast between the album’s two halves also allows her to explore different moods, from bright and romantic moments to more nocturnal and electronic territory.
Jepsen has even noticed a recurring theme throughout the album: numerous songs contain references to sleeping all day. Rather than viewing the repeated idea as strange, she sees something deeply romantic in it.
For an artist whose career has often been associated with energetic pop and an instinct for infectious hooks, “Versailles” offers another side of Jepsen’s songwriting. Its fantasy of luxury ultimately becomes a reflection on something much simpler giving yourself permission to stop working, enjoy time with someone you love and experience life without feeling the need to be productive.
With “Versailles” at the center of Day and Night, Jepsen turns an extravagant historical setting into a personal metaphor for freedom, romance and the pleasure of taking a break.
