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renee rapp
renee rapp
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Culture

The Meaning Behind Reneé Rapp’s “Messy” Is So Relatable, TBH

Attention all young ex-wives, Snow Angel Deluxe has finally arrived! The complete album from Renee Rapp is pop perfection, top to bottom. Not only did the deluxe album have three brand new songs, “Messy,” “I Do,” and “Swim,” but also a “Tummy Hurts” remix with the one and only grammy nominated Coco Jones. Relatable, vulnerable, and sassy, Snow Angel is Rapp’s best work to date.

Lyrically, the new songs are smart with analogies of love and mentions of iconic romances like Romeo and Juliet. Alexander 23 continued his genius production, with the tracks sounding bigger and better, just adding to the magic of the project. 

Rapp took to Instagram to share her excitement about the release. “Messy is me as f*ck,” the singer said, and honestly, same. The track is the first new song of the deluxe album and encapsulates what it feels like to be a 20-something-year-old girl trying to find love. It’s for the people who love “needy” by Ariana Grande and “mirrorball” by Taylor Swift. Here’s a full lyric breakdown of Rapp’s hit song “Messy” from Snow Angel Deluxe.

“Messy” Lyric Breakdown:

In the first verse, Rapp explains how she made someone believe she was the carefree “cool girl” straight out of the Gone Girl monologue. She became the ideal woman, singing, “You don’t notice one red flag, ’cause on the surface I’m too perfect.”

She gets real in the pre-chorus, with, in my opinion, some of the best lyrics of the song. Talking of making fake scenarios and unrequited love, the lyrics “that leads to crying in the grocery store, man, I miss my bathroom floor, no dirty looks from the moms in aisle four” are too relatable.

It wouldn’t be a Rapp song without a catchy chorus. “I know you just met me, and right now, you got nothing against me, but I know how to make myself crazy. Loving me gets messy,” Rapp sings. Despite this romance being new, the singer already has self-doubt. She then sings, “Half of all my exes regret me, but none of them will ever forget me.” Her past relationships have been chaotic, but her exes won’t forget, and neither will we because we got these amazing songs from them. 

Rapp is at the top of her game. She’s made the most of her Jordan year and put out two outstanding projects, and she’ll be starring in the Mean Girls movie musical coming out at the beginning of 2024. I’ve been a fan of Rapp since she was in the Broadway show, so I’m so excited to continue to see her grow and shine. Loving her may get messy, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

EnJanae Taylor is a Her Campus national writer. She writes for the Style section, covering beauty, fashion, and decor. She graduated from LSU, earning bachelor’s degrees in fashion merchandising and journalism. She was also the entertainment editor and later the managing editor of LSU’s award-winning newspaper, The Reveille. EnJanae’ is currently a contributing writer for Southern Living. She’s previously written for The Everygirl, College Fashionista, and Basic Magazine. EnJanae’ loves everything fashion and pop culture related. Her favorite activities are going to the movies, shopping, and seeing her favorite artists in concert. She also runs a food account with her best friend and loves eating a good meal.