Conan Gray Kicks Off Sad Girl Summer With "Yours"
Photo: Brian Ziff
"I’m somebody you call when you’re alone, I’m somebody you use, but never own, I’m somebody you touch, but never hold, And you’re somebody I’ll never really know."
My fellow sad girls, Conan Gray's latest single, "Yours" is about to be our summer anthem. Tears are not guaranteed, but resurfaced memories of the one who got away are. Tissues are not required, but they are most certainly recommended. Your heartstrings will be pulled and your post-break up notes app entries will be validated, but that doesn't mean that any of your healing will be undone. If there is one thing healing isn't, it's linear.
Especially with recent upbeat releases like "Telepath," a nod to 80s-synth-pop, and the angsty pop-rock inspired "Jigsaw," Gray has been showing us the versatility within his songwriting and production. In "Yours," Conan returns back to his roots, sitting down at the piano, taking a big breath, and singing completely and entirely from the heart. Equally simple as it is effective, "Yours" is proof that there is a strange kind of beauty that comes with pain.
"Yours" speaks to the experience of being used by someone who you thought was your forever. In the span of three-and-a-half minutes, Gray charts out the initial, stinging pain of realizing not only is that person no longer yours… but you were never actually theirs. In the beginning of the track, he isn't willing to accept what has happened, singing, "The only thing that’s harder than sleepin’ alone is sleepin’ with your ghost," and "I want morе, but I’m not yours, and I can’t change your mind, but you’re still mine."
As the song continues, Gray comes to understand that, perhaps, it's not his loss after all. The music slowly crescendos as we hear melancholically beautiful strings and subdued drums, and then it all fades away, as if it never happened at all. The subtle buildup, and sudden disappearance of the supporting instrumentals reflect Gray's thought loops throughout the song's narrative.
"Yours" is set to be the sixth track on Gray's forthcoming sophomore album Superache, set to release June 24. Despite their opposing sounds, "Yours" is reminiscent of "Jigsaw" - specifically with the lyric "All the things that I've done for you not to notice" (calling back to the line "All the things I did to make you happy, still you don't even fucking love me"). It seems like an unrequited love story is unraveling with each release, where one person is giving their all to someone who fails to recognize and appreciate it. I am curious to see how the storytelling unfolds on "Superache," but until then, I will be mentally pregaming the project by listening to "Yours" and re-reading old texts with my ex-person-who-ended-up-not-being-my-person.
Watch the "Yours" video below:
