Indie-pop hero Conan Gray returns today with “Memories,” the fifth single from his forthcoming sophomore album, Superache. Speaking with Rolling Stone earlier this month, Gray said the LP’s title refers to “something that hurts you so much, it lingers with you for years after,” and that would seemingly apply to this latest tune.
Gray wrote “Memories” with producer Dan Nigro, who’s perhaps best known for his work with Olivia Rodrigo. The lyrics are sung from the POV of someone who’s finally getting over a breakup and doing everything they can to avoid backsliding. As the song opens, Gray’s character is enjoying some hard-won happiness.
It’s been a couple months
That’s just about enough time
For me to stop cryin’ when I look at all the pictures
Now I kinda smile, I haven’t felt that in a while
But then one rainy day, Gray’s ex shows up unannounced. Against his better judgment, Gray opens the door.
You just wanna talk and
I can’t turn away a wet dog
Gray outlines the main idea of the song in the pre-chorus, as drums come in behind the piano and bass of the verse, and the whole track picks up urgency.
But please don’t ruin this for me
Please don’t make it harder than it already is
I’m trying to get over this
In the chorus, Gray plays with the notion of keeping someone in his memories. It’s usually a sweet sentiment, but that’s not quite what he’s going for.
I wish that you would stay in my memories
But you showed up today, just to ruin things
I wanna put you in the past ’cause I’m traumatized
“I wanted to flip it over and be like, ‘I actually wish that you would stay in my memory. Like, stop showing up in real life. I don’t want any new memories. I’m trying to get over you,’” Gray told People.
In the second verse, Gray—an avowed Taylor Swift fan—tells his ex that they are never, ever, ever getting back together.
I promise that the ending always stays the same
So there’s no good reason in make believin’ that we could ever exist again
In the bridge, Gray begins to falter. He lets his ex collect their books and coat—plus the cologne that’s stunk up the whole house and made the breakup that much harder.
’Cause it’s still on my clothes, everything that I own
And it makes me feel like dying
I was barely just surviving
While Superache promises to be a very personal album, Gray partially wrote “Memories” about a friend who was contemplating texting her ex. “I was like, ‘Well, you broke up with him, so maybe you shouldn’t text him,” Gray told People. “‘Maybe you should actually just leave him alone and let him rest and let him get over you.’ It just had me thinking about all the times that people texted me that I wished they wouldn’t have.”
Gray is slated to debut “Memories” tomorrow at Coachella. “It’s going to be very, very exciting to be able to sing that song and see how people feel,” he said. “Hopefully, I don’t pass out from the heat.”
You can check out all the lyrics to “Memories” on Genius now.
