"Girl, So Confusing" is a song by English singer Charli XCX from her sixth studio album Brat (2024). It was released on 7 June 2024 as part of the album through Atlantic Records. The song was written by Charli XCX and its sole producer A. G. Cook, and it deals with Charli XCX's strained relationship with another female musician.
| "Girl, So Confusing" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Charli XCX | |
| from the album Brat | |
| Released | 7 June 2024 |
| Length | 2:54 |
| Label | Atlantic |
| Songwriter(s) | |
| Producer(s) | A. G. Cook |
| "The Girl, So Confusing Version with Lorde" | |
|---|---|
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| Promotional single by Charli XCX and Lorde | |
| Released | 21 June 2024 |
| Length | 3:26 |
| Label | Atlantic |
| Songwriter(s) | |
| Producer(s) | A. G. Cook |
Upon its release, fans and critics speculated about the subject of the song, with many believing it to be about New Zealand singer Lorde. A remix featuring Lorde was later released on 21 June 2024.
Background
editCharli XCX first teased the track in a February 2024 interview with The Face. Shaad D'Souza then wrote that the track was "sure to send Deuxmoi and Discord servers into overdrive" as it "finds Charli singing about the fraught relationship she has with an unnamed female artist".[1] Upon the release of Brat, Out's Mey Rude reported about fans' speculations that the song may be about Rina Sawayama, Marina Diamandis or Lorde. Sawayama and Charli XCX's relationship was reported to be damaged due to the fact that Sawayama has feuded with Matty Healy of the 1975, whom Sawayama has accused of racism and owning her masters; Charli XCX is engaged to the 1975's drummer George Daniel. The "girl" in the track's title was thought to possibly be a reference to Sawayama's second studio album Hold the Girl (2022).[2]
In a 2014 interview, Charli XCX got mistaken for Lorde when the interviewer asked her about the inspiration for "her" hit song "Royals" (2013). Charli XCX did not correct the interviewer but rather played along and answered the question, kick-starting a decade-long meme comparing the two singers. In a May 2024 interview with Rolling Stone UK, Charli XCX revealed she had initially been envious of Lorde and her commercial success with "Royals": "You piece all this stuff together in your brain, like: 'She was into my music. She had big hair; I had big hair. She wore black lipstick; I once wore black lipstick.' You create these parallels and think, 'Well, that could have been me.'" However, the envy didn't last long and the two singers would eventually end up on good terms: "But it couldn't have [been me] because we're completely different people. I wasn't making music that sounded anything like 'Royals'. I think you just read what you want into it because you're feeling insecure about your own work."[3]
Upon the release of Brat, Lorde extensively praised the album on her Instagram story, revealing it was the "only album [she's] ever presaved".[4] On 11 June, Lorde attended Charli XCX's show at the Brooklyn Paramount Theater.[5]
Release
editCharli XCX announced the remix of the track with Lorde on 20 June, and it was released the following day.[5]
After the remix dropped, Charli XCX posted a screenshot of Lorde's text message in which she sent Charli the entirety of her verse, to which Charli replied "Fucking hell".[5]
Composition
editCharli XCX explained the track's ethos on Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang's Las Culturistas podcast: "I think we live in the world of pop music right now where women are like, 'I support other women! I love women! I'm a feminist,' and that's great. Love that… I don't think you become a bad feminist if you maybe don't see eye to eye with every single woman. That's not the nature of human beings. There's a competitiveness between us. There's envy. There's camaraderie. There's all of these different dynamics."[4]
The lyrics of "Girl, So Confusing", according to Pitchfork, are "Charli's attempt to bridge the gap between someone and untangle just a few of the many feelings she had about them", citing the lyrics "Sometimes I think you might hate me / Sometimes I think I might hate you."[6] The lyrics also include "People say we're alike / They say we've got the same hair" and "You're all about writing poems / But I'm about throwing parties / Think you should come to my party / And put your hands up", which, according to Vulture's Jason P. Frank and Alejandra Gularte, are references to Lorde's tracks "Writer in the Dark" (2017) and "Team" (2013), as well as the aforementioned interviewing incident.
Lorde's verse on the remix features "shockingly honest [lyrics] about how her confident posturing conceals deep-seated insecurities."[5] Her grasp of the metre of the verse and the cadence of her delivery were compared to those of Nicki Minaj's on "Come on a Cone" (2012) by Pitchfork.[6]
Critical reception
editVulture's Jason P. Frank and Alejandra Gularte wrote that Lorde's verse "fits directly into the world of Brat" due to its honesty, adding that "it sheds a whole new light on the Solar Power era."[5]
Charts
edit| Chart (2024) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[7] | 50 |
| Australia Dance (ARIA)[8] | 3 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[9] | 26 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[10] | 28 |
| US Hot Dance/Electronic Songs (Billboard)[11] | 24 |
| Chart (2024) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[12] | 24 |
References
edit- ^ D'Souza, Shaad (19 February 2024). "Charli XCX knows you're obsessed with her". The Face. Archived from the original on 9 June 2024. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
- ^ Rude, Mey (7 June 2024). "Fans think Charli XCX's song 'Girl, so confusing' is about one of these 3 fellow pop stars". Out. Archived from the original on 12 June 2024. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
- ^ Ewens, Hannah. "Charli XCX: The Anatomy Of A (3-D) Female Pop Star". Rolling Stone UK. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
- ^ a b Garcia, Thania (6 June 2024). "Lorde Praises Charli XCX's 'Brat' Album Amid Speculation That 'Girl, So Confusing' Is About Her: 'There Is No One Like This B—-'". Variety. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Frank, Jason P.; Gularte, Alejandra (21 June 2024). "Which Pop Girl Is 'Girl, So Confusing' About?". Vulture. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
- ^ a b Larson, Jeremy D. (21 June 2024). "Charli XCX / Lorde: "The girl, so confusing version with lorde" Track Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
- ^ "ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. 1 July 2024. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
- ^ "ARIA Top 20 Dance Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. 1 July 2024. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
- ^ "Official Irish Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 June 2024.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
- ^ "Charli XCX Chart History (Hot Dance/Electronic Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
- ^ "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 1 July 2024. Retrieved 28 June 2024.