I am sure by now we have all heard Tate McRae’s new album, So Close To What. The album is absolutely iconic, but I often find myself unable to leave my Think Later era. In particular, there is this one song that I can never seem to get out of my head because it hits too close to home for me: “Calgary.”
Before you continue reading, I want you to listen to the song and see what resonates with you.
So, what did you think? Was it heart-wrenching, moving, sad, sentimental? Or did you have no idea what the song meant? If that’s the case, then I encourage you to continue reading!
For some background, Tate McRae is a Canadian singer, dancer, and pop star who released her second album, Think Later, on December 8th, 2023, and gained 688.2 million streams within just a few weeks.
“Calgary” is the ninth track on Think Later. In an interview with Apple Music and Genius, McRae explained that “Calgary” is about her hometown, Calgary, Alberta. McRae shares, “I can have so much growth and go through so many things in my life, and I can get back home and feel exactly how I felt in grade 10. It talks about my brother, it talks about my family, it talks about my friends from middle school, and I’ve never talked about a concept like this before because these feelings were suppressed” (McRae, 2023).
The moment when “Calgary” hit differently for me was during my first winter break of my freshman year in college. There I was, in my hometown of Bridgewater, New Jersey, feeling the exact same way Tate did when she wrote this song. In college, I was an 18-year-old independent woman who had survived first semester, but back at home, I felt like my younger self had returned: the annoying sister, the impatient daughter, and the teenager who always found comfort in her home. It was crazy to realize how much I had truly changed, but also how little I had changed at all. It’s fascinating how, in college, you can feel like a completely new person, yet when you return home, everything from your past can fall right back into place.
McRae’s lyrics, “And I’ll do it again, I’m a creature of habit, the moment’s gone but I’m still trying to catch it, everyone left and I never got past it, never got past it,” resonated with me the most. The first part of the lyrics hit home — when I returned to Bridgewater, I fell back into the same routines I had when I was younger: waking up at noon, driving to the mall with my sister and staying there for hours, delaying cleaning my room, and making the same mistakes over again. The second half of the lyrics made me reflect on my college life. It didn’t hit me until I was back home that after August 23rd, I hadn’t seen my family again until November 25th. When I first went to college, I thought homesickness would only last for a couple of weeks, but in reality, it never fully disappears. McRae’s lyrics about never getting past it describe how, even after your family leaves you in any situation, mine being in college, it’s still hard to accept, and they always remain in the back of your mind.
People can relate these lyrics to situations beyond college. For example, moving away from home to pursue your dreams, going on a work trip, or even taking a vacation.
I really admire how McRae was able to share her vulnerability with everyone through this song and connect with her fans on a deeper level. Her album dropped in December 2023, and I’m sure many college students returning home for the first time over winter break found themselves experiencing the same emotions Tate sings about. The song truly brings people together and highlights how music has the power to create a shared sense of community.
It’s one thing to listen to a song, but to truly feel a connection to its lyrics is something extraordinary.
If you are a fan of this song, then I encourage you to listen to some of my other favorite vulnerable Tate songs like:
| Bad relationships | Learning lessons | Lie in bed and just listen |
| “feel like sh**” | “chaotic” | “slower” |
| “you broke me first” | “hate myself” | “boy x” |
| “messier” | “calgary” | “that way” |
| “stay done” | “nostalgia” | “i still say goodnight” |
| “go away” | “grave” | “darkest hour” |
| “siren sounds (bonus)” | “plastic palm trees” | “want that too” |
These songs convey the same feeling of vulnerability yet in different scenarios.
Wondering which song to listen to first? Here’s an idea: close your eyes and see which song your finger lands on. But wait, what if I make your life just a teensy bit easier? I created a Spotify playlist with all these songs so all you need to do is click ‘shuffle play’ and let the music find you!
Have fun listening!
Now, I want you to listen to “Calgary” once more and see what it evokes in you. For me, the moment at 1:40 has this hypnotic quality — it’s as if the song sweeps me into a trance, where everything else fades away.