It’s been a long time coming, but the music video for “party 4 u” by Charli xcx is finally here. On May 15, the artist dropped the visually stunning video after the song’s resurgence on TikTok five years after its release. And not only does it feature some gorgeous visuals, but the meaning is super deep, too.
Charli took to Instagram to share a sweet message about the video, writing, “We turned this video round in 4 days just 4 u <3 i love this song and i can’t believe this is happening so many years later. thank you <3." The video was directed by Mitch Ryan, who recently directed the music video for Addison Rae’s “Headphones On.” (He’s collecting Gen Z pop idols like infinity stones, I guess.)
Now, the meaning of the “party 4 u” lyrics have been debated on TikTok for quite some time. But, on April 22, Charli xcx herself took to TikTok to explain what the song, particularly the outro, means to her: “This is actually the moment you realize that that one person isn’t ever coming to your party so you stand in the middle of the room, tears briefly fill your eyes but then you wipe them away, pretend you’re ok and proceed to get unbelievably fckd up and then spend the next week feeling completely ashamed of yourself xx.” And the music video truly encapsulates this feeling, TBH.
The video starts with Charli seemingly waking up after a party. Her house is decorated, her makeup is on, and she’s in a mini dress that I need to buy immediately. However, after looking around at the party setup, Charli grabs her bag and leaves the house barefoot.
After walking down the street for a bit, Charli empties her bag and smokes a cigarette before stripping down to her underwear and storming toward a massive billboard of her face (which was posted on her Instagram back in March). As the song builds to the now-viral outro, she destroys the billboard and lights it on fire as we hear the roar of a crowd. Woah.
The video can be seen as a metaphor for trying to please someone so much that it literally destroys you, but I have a belief that it goes a little deeper than that. To me, I see this video as a message from Charli to her fans: While it looks like she’s partying and having the time of her life, it’s really just a manifestation of something darker going on underneath the surface. The cheering of the crowd after Charli destroys a massive billboard of her face could signify her frustration with audiences always wanting a reinvention of some sort, as fans are constantly asking what’s next for the Brat icon.
Or, it could just be a cool music video. Either way, I’m gonna stream it again. And again.