Boygenius fans, are you still elated that the supergroup won three Grammys this year? At the 66th Annual Grammy Awards on Feb. 4, the indie group won three of the six categories they were nominated for, including Best Alternative Music Album for The Record. The fourth single from the album “Not Strong Enough” won both Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance.
During the ceremony, Boygenius — which consists of Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus — wore a pink carnation and a red pin that held significance to them and spotlighted their advocacy.
Despite the joy of their wins that night, fans were informed ahead of the show that the supergroup would be going on a hiatus. This hiatus isn’t their first as they’ve focused on solo work after releasing their EP in 2018.
Since returning to the group in 2023, Boygenius has experienced success with The Record outside of the Grammys. Their song “Not Strong Enough” was released on Mar. 1, 2023, and gained popularity as a trending sound on TikTok. So what is it about this song that fans can’t get enough of? Here’s the meaning behind “Not Strong Enough.”
What Is “Not Strong Enough” About?
“Not Strong Enough” is a song about identity and mental illness, specifically anxiety. To summarize the song’s meaning, Dacus described it as, “Self hatred and having a god-complex” in a Genius Official Lyrics & Meaning video.
The first verse details a person who knows how to fix the issue they are facing and acknowledges how simple it is but cannot bring themselves to change it. Boygenius sings, “Every clock’s a different time/ It would only take energy to fix it/ I don’t know why I am.” The person is struggling with understanding their choices and identity.
The chorus explores how that person isn’t strong enough (mentally and emotionally) to be there for their partner. The line, “spinning out about things that haven’t happened” demonstrates the person’s anxiety.
The second verse showcases the person’s self-hatred and the notion of withholding feelings. Boygenius sings, “Singing ‘Boys Don’t Cry’.” The “Do you see us getting scraped up off the pavement” line is about intrusive thoughts. In the Genius video, Bridgers explained that while writing the line, she was imagining Baker driving fast and screaming along to the radio and thought of driver educational videos about accidents.
There is a second chorus, in which the lyrics change to reflect the opposite meaning of the first one.“I’m better than you actually. I am more complex and flawed,” Bridgers said in the Genius video.
Baker explained that the person cannot handle the responsibility of being strong enough for their partner despite being capable of the “job.”
“Always an angel, never a God” is on the bridge where the members sing one by one before entering into a three-part harmony. It’s this line that has garnered popularity on TikTok. Here, the band sings about the person receiving praise for what they are doing but are kept from reaching beyond that. The line is meant to be redundant and symbolizes the person is being trapped in a cycle.
The song closes with a third chorus that demonstrates the person’s realization and growth from struggling in the beginning.
Personally, I’ve been singing the bridge for the last few days — it’s an earworm. I look forward to hearing more music from Boygenuis if they ever come out of their hiatus. Clearly, us fans can’t get enough of this band.