The world saw an entirely new side of Tyler, the Creator when he dropped his 2017 fourth studio album, Flower Boy. Before the album’s release, the rapper had devoted most of his raps to boasting about his radical collective Odd Future and baiting his critics with violent, misogynistic, and homophobic lyrics. With Flower Boy, however, Tyler was ready to let all that anger roll off of him and talk about something else entirely: love.
Spanning 14 tracks, Flower Boy skillfully explores themes of missed connection and unrequited romance, and masterfully captures the sounds of youthful passivity. That combination is arguably at its best on “See You Again,” the fourth single and most enduring track off the album.
Produced by Tyler himself, “See You Again” originated with its wistful, orchestral instrumentals—a beat initially intended for Zayn Malik. After Malik “flaked” on two studio sessions, though, Tyler kept the demo for himself, and later recruited alt-R&B star Kali Uchis to lend her buttery vocals to the chorus.
Lyrically, “See You Again” finds Tyler, the Creator longing for a lover, exemplifying a running theme throughout the album. Some have speculated that this lover is likely a man. On the Flower Boy interlude “Sometimes…,” we hear a male voice ask host Shane Powers to play “the one about me” on Golf Radio. “See You Again” is the song that follows. Though Tyler has never explicitly labeled himself bisexual or gay, the rapper later leaves other hints on the record about his romantic preferences. For instance, on the ninth cut off Flower Boy, “I Ain’t Got Time!,” he raps, “Next line will have ‘em like, ‘Whoa’ / I’ve been kissing white boys since 2004.”
No matter the gender of Tyler’s “See You Again” subject, one thing is clear: Tyler is longing for someone who probably doesn’t exist. On the first verse, the object of his desires seems to only reveal themselves when he’s dreaming.
You live in my dream state
Any time I count sheep
That’s the only time we make up, make up
You exist behind my eyelids, my eyelids
Now, I don’t wanna wake up
On the pre-chorus, Tyler elucidates just how unattainable his dream lover is. Despite existing in his own mind, Tyler is still unsure his crush shares the same feelings.
20/20, 20/20 vision
Cupid hit me, cupid hit me with precision, eye
Wonder if you look both ways when you cross my mind
On the chorus, Kali Uchis likens Tyler’s lonely waking life to war. Tyler even confirmed the analogy in an interview with comedian Jerrod Carmichael. “Going to war, that’s just—I’m gon' wake up… and go to the real world,” he explained.
Can I get a kiss?
And can you make it last forever?
I said, I’m ’bout to go to war (Uh-huh)
And I don’t know if I’ma see you again
Tyler won’t give up on finding his soulmate on the second verse—even if they haven’t actualized yet. He’d sacrifice all the bread in his bakery—aka his money and success—to find them.
It’s them rose-tinted cheeks, yeah, it’s them dirt-colored eyes
Sugar-honey iced tea, bumblebee on the scene
Yeah, I’d give up my bakery to have a piece of your pie
“See You Again” never charted on the Billboard Hot 100, but it did score Tyler radio play for the first time in his career. The song also arrived alongside a Wolf Haley-directed music video, which helped introduce a new vintage, Wes Anderson-esque visual style from the rapper, who had already solidified himself a fashion connoisseur with his self-designed merch and Golf Wang clothing company.
In the five years since it dropped, “See You Again” has continued to find new legions of fans too, racking up over 500 million Spotify streams and even returning to the platform’s Top 50 – USA chart in April of this year. Tyler has carried the track’s visual stylings and meditative sound into later releases as well, further perfecting both with his 2019 follow-up Igor, which earned him a Grammy award for Best Rap Album.
Looking back, Tyler’s transformation from hot-headed teen to acclaimed, mature artist probably seems like an unexpected evolution to his critics, but not to Tyler—he predicted where he’d end up from the start. “I FAVORITED THIS 9 YEARS AGO JUST FOR THE MOMENT TO TELL YOU I GOT ONE,” Tyler wrote in response to a 2011 tweet from a troll claiming he’d never win a Grammy. “YES IM PETTY AS FUCK, GOOD DAY MARK.”
Read all the lyrics to “See You Again” on Genius and pick up your Flower Boy vinyl on Amazon now.
