The True Meaning Behind 'Smokin Out The Window' By Silk Sonic (Bruno Mars & Anderson. Paak)
As the smooth-sounding and super-charismatic R&B power duo Silk Sonic, Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak may have released their debut collaborative album, "An Evening with Silk Sonic" — which features songs like the boldly self-assured "Fly Like Me" and the deceptively peppy-posing "Put On A Smile" — on November 12. However, it turns out the two have known each other for years. As a matter of fact, Mars opened up about one of their songs from the collection, "Smokin Out the Window," which has been around for a lot longer than you might have expected.
"'Smokin Out the Window' was an idea we started four or five years ago on tour," Mars explained while writing about the album for Apple Music. He went on to add that although "[i]t didn't sound nothing like how it does now," it was way back then that they "just had the idea." On top of that, as he told Rolling Stone, "That was the first thing we ever wrote together."
But what exactly does it mean? Well, it turns out that the act of "smoking out the window" happens to refer to that seemingly straightforward (if not exactly healthy) action, yet, at the same time, hints at something very specific and not terribly great at all.
Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak's pricey actions aren't paying off
"Must've spent thirty-five, forty-five thousand up in Tiffany's (Oh no) / Got her bada** kids runnin' 'round my whole crib / Like it's Chuck E. Cheese," Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak now-famously open on "Smokin Out the Window," via Genius. Although it sounds like whoever they're with is enjoying the perks of their lifestyle, the pricey situation apparently goes way beyond that.
Just take a listen to the pre-chorus, which is when the duo adds, "This b***h got me payin' her rent, payin' for trips / Diamonds on her neck, diamonds on her wrists." Beyond that, even though the stars are supposedly putting up the money for everything, it's not paying off for them in return. That's why they admit, "And here I am all alone (All alone) / I'm so cold, I'm so cold..." As if that wasn't bad enough, back in the first verse, they note, "Put me in a jam with her ex-man in the UFC..." Yikes!
Bootsy Collins — who lent his signature sass to the album on songs like "After Last Night" — fully breaks down what's happening, saying, "Wait a minute, this love started out so tender, so sweet / But now she got me smokin' out the window." And that's not a good thing because there's so much more to the term "smoking out the window" than just taking a break with a cigarette.
Silk Sonic cope with a bad habit
Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak have a tendency to joke around in their own unique way. When that results in cheeky quips, they call it "jibb talk," according to Rolling Stone. Mars explained, "We're not gonna pretend we're something we're not, and we come from a background of talking sh**." When that, er, "sh**" talk prompts a particular idea or vibe, it can turn into a song.
That's exactly what happened with "Smokin Out the Window," which became something they would often say to each other. To decipher the term for you, it actually refers to someone who's under so much stress, that they head to a window in order to smoke a cigarette instead of dealing directly with whatever less-than-awesome thing is going on in their lives. In the case of the song, that's a relationship that isn't going great and is, unfortunately, costing them quite a bit both financially and emotionally.
That's why, in the chorus, per Genius, they tell listeners that they're "Smokin' out the window ... / Singin', 'How could she do this to me?'" That's because, "Oh, I thought that girl belonged to only me ... / But I was wrong / 'Cause she belong / To everybody, everybody, ooh." Obviously, we can't condone smoking, but that does sound rough. Maybe a soothing bubble bath would be a better option?