Selena Gomez just dropped her four-year anticipated album, ‘Rare’, on January 10th. The album showcases a far more mature Gomez unleashing her emotions on her journey so far. As each song holds meaning to her, there are some great quotes in each song that stick out. Inside each song are some weird, great, thought-provoking, quotes that anyone can appreciate.
- “Burning Toast On The Toaster” – ‘Rare’
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Now, this quote makes me laugh. Not sure if its lazy writing or it holds a specific metaphorical meaning, but it sticks out like a sore thumb in the whole song. As the song revolves around Gomez who claims to be rare or special, I don’t understand how burnt toast is rare. In fact, it’s a common act that happens when putting toast in a toaster. Overall, this line could’ve been edited or removed altogether, but it holds some sort of significance to the singer; one that is really bold and slightly humorous, yet is oddly great for that exact reason.
- “Happiness, ain’t something you sit back and you wait for” – ‘Dance Again’
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Remember everyone, only you can make yourself happy. This line makes it adamant that happiness is only controlled by you and your actions. No-one can wait for everything to work out without putting in the effort to make your life incredible. As stated previously, you have to make the effort to achieve happiness.
- “What a thing to human, made her more of a woman” – ‘Look At Her Now’
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Genuinely, everyone should get this as a tattoo. This quote speaks the world as saying mistakes make us human, but overall it makes us more powerful in the long run. Humanity is always portrayed in a cruel, darkness, but this makes it sound like an overbearing obstacle that is worthy of overcoming. This creates such an atmosphere for the album to express any mistakes made from her past, overall shape her into a strong person that Gomez is today.
- “Rose-colored glasses all distorted” – ‘Lose You To Love’
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This was a hard decision to only choose one meaningful lyrics as this entire song has several sad, deep messages within each word, however, specifically this metaphorical line paints a clear picture. Initially, many overlook this descriptive metaphor, but within the monologue Gomez talks about ignoring the signs of a honestly bad relationship. Yet, rose-colored glasses imply that she was looking through the lens of a romantic viewpoint that later got ‘distorted’. Let’s break it down; Rose-colored immediately indicates a romantic, subtle light pink. As glasses are often one uses to see clearly, Gomez initiates with this metaphor that her romantic, loving viewpoint of her significant other slowly started to change over time. Now, this is all just a theory, but the metaphor sticks out in the entire paragraph that indicates it has a powerful meaning behind it.
- “I’m breaking hearts like a heart attack” – ‘Ring’
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Gomez is back and she’s trying to show all the men out there she is not one to mess around. As anyone can assume, breaking hearts like a heart attack paints a clear picture of the amount and the intensity of anyone’s heart she chooses to break, this also almost seems poetic. Even though Gomez may have suffered a very public and publicized heart break in her career, she wants to make it known she is capable of breaking hearts too.
- “If I hand you my emotion, would you even want to take it?” – ‘Vulnerable’
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This song paints a clear depiction of opening yourself to someone else. The harsh reality is that many of our insecurities of ourselves is exposed in our relationship to our significant other. However, the question that wanders in Gomez’s mind is if the significant other she is referring to would even want her emotions, insecurities, and furthermore baggage. Remember, in any relationship both parties must accept one another and their past in order for the relationship to succeed.
- “We used to be close, but people can go from people you know to people you don’t” – ‘People You Know’
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I never cared for direct quotes that correlate with the title, but this song speaks volumes to the relationships one can have with others. In fact, it’s honestly upsetting dawning on the past and reliving all the past friendships and significant others who are never apart of your life anymore. Majority of these breakups from friends, family, or even colleagues could be for the best, yet it still can hurt realizing you will never have the same memories with certain individuals. Furthermore, this quote is powerful in understanding the weight and gravity within each relationship that can easily be gone before you know it.
- “In the dark I’m letting go so anonymously” – ‘Let Me Get Me
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Having a public image is rough. Any celebrity has rough days and probably wants to post angry replies to the constant hate they receive, but their loyal fans probably would revolt over the shaming of the haters. Instead celebrities have to hold in their frustrations, but no-one lasts long without expressing their thoughts, opinions, and irritation to their friends or family. This line could suggest Gomez may have ways of counteracting and letting go the persona she appears in the public eye. Either way, this line reflects the ability how anyone can relieve their stress or become open in various ways whether it be under a hidden spot in the public or in private.
- “Said you feel lost, well so do I.” – ‘Crowded Room’
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It’s important to recognize whether you are a twenty-year old college student or celebrity, sometimes you’ll find yourself double guessing all your decisions. I think in a way, maybe Gomez is expressing how she feels lost in the world as she may not know who she is entirely. Anyone can feel misunderstood or out-of-place especially in the primary time of adulthood of attempting to understand your hormones. Meanwhile, life can flash right before your eyes and before you know it, you’ll be thirty and still re-thinking major decisions in your life. The point is to recognize that even though Selena Gomez is a well-known star, even public figures can feel lost on where to go next.
- “Words were like licorice to the taste” – ‘Kinda Crazy’
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To me, licorice tastes almost bitter or tasteless. I know, I’m kinda crazy, as licorice is nothing but pure sugar – thus one of the sweetest candies anyone could eat. However, in this lyrical line, Gomez expresses how one particular individual is as ‘sweet as hard candy’, yet the song takes a twist as this individual quickly shows their true colors. As the song title can infer the sudden change of direction in this discovery, this line in particular shows almost an oxymoron. While others may describe licorice initially as sweet, others are quick to say bitter. This metaphor can imply the act of a clear persona versus the switch to the crazy, oddity of any individual.
- “You might not be the one, but you look like fun” – ‘Fun’
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Honestly, there’s no better way to express this song or quote other than literally using the title of the song. This quote seems ‘fun’ and I think it explains a good part of being with someone. Most of the time, outsiders always question someone’s relationship and usually say “what’s the point of dating someone if you aren’t going to marry them”? In a way, I feel this quote exemplifies the want just to be in a relationship for the rush of adrenaline with meeting someone new. This could be an accurate description explaining the purpose of the song to explain how maybe someone can recognize their partner not being their soulmate, but simply they add enjoyment to your life.
- “All the possibilities I’ve got from head to toe, yeah they’d, yeah they’d, yeah they’d start to show.” – ‘Cut You Off’
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It’s truly incredible to see Gomez recognize that people can hold her back from opportunities; many people do not recognize when their significant others are holding them back. Everyone always waits for opportunities to come, but to be perfectly honest opportunities are all around us everyday. Without someone holding us back from them, we can really begin new possibilities. Sometimes relationships can hold anyone down, but the question barring is, “is it worth it?”
- “Holding hands with the darkness and knowing my heart is allowed” – ‘A Sweeter Place’
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The previous lyrics talk about Gomez’s time outside of the spotlight and experiencing life around her. As she talks about her freedoms, this line can suggest she is allowed to be with whom she chooses. Also, this line mostly justifies her decisions, whether they be good or bad, but just knowing she has a choice to make mistakes makes her feel more human. This is an unique line as she could be hinting that anyone can go down a path and follow them wholeheartedly, even if it is filled with darkness. In a way, this line indulges in the idea of making mistakes as a human, yet allowing anyone to choose their own destinies.
Selena gomez has gone through many obstacles in her personal life, career, and medically. This album comes from her heart as she acknowledges all the issues within her life and shows she’s grown from her choices. While each line has many underlining messages that may only be personal to Gomez, anyone can admire the several lines of poetry in each lyric. Furthermore, listen to the album multiple times as you may find more and more lyrics that speak to you.