Before you read this article, please go watch the music videos for “This Song,” “Vodka Cranberry,” and “Caramel” (in that order). There’s a compilation of this “Wishbone Trilogy” posted on Conan Gray’s YouTube channel. They’re listed in a different order below, but it’s important to watch them in release order to get the full story/experience.
Please remember that these are just my opinions, and it’s perfectly okay if you disagree. I’ve been wanting to talk about this album since it came out, so here we go. Please enjoy.
12. Romeo
Listen: I know people love this song, but it’s just not for me. On my first listen, I really did not like it, but it has grown on me, and I’ll admit that it’s pretty catchy. Still, I take issue with it being a pretty basic Romeo and Juliet song. I think such a great songwriter as Gray could have expanded on the metaphor more and put his own personal spin on it. Although I’m not the biggest fan of this song, I appreciate Gray crafting a cross-album narrative by referencing “Alley Rose” from Found Heaven (which is also my favorite Conan Gray song) with the lyric, “Guess I was just your experiment.” Overall, this song feels more like a first draft. I think with more refinement, it could have been a more put-together banger.
This is kind of random, but this track sounds a little bit like an Olivia Rodrigo song (no shade to my girl), which is interesting since Dan Nigro (Olivia’s and Conan’s producer) didn’t produce it.
11. Class Clown
This one also isn’t my favorite, but it’s definitely not bad either. I think that the repetitiveness is intentional, but I personally think that it makes the song feel a bit stale. I can see myself one day waking up and being obsessed with this song because of the very relatable theme of self-doubt. I like that the melody feels sort of jester-ish, if that makes sense. It’s like even now, as he’s pouring his heart out, he’s still protecting himself by joking around.
10. My world
I love a bisexual/queer anthem, and he ties the songs together by referencing “Romeo.” Gray continues the cross-album narrative by referencing “Alley Rose” again in the lyric, “Telling me we’re just a summer fling.” I don’t have much to say about this one besides that the chorus would have flowed better if it were “I-I like” instead of “I might like,” which feels wordy. Also, I love the bridge — clock him, Conan. Overall, it’s just a fun, vibey song.
9. Sunset Tower
This one’s a cool song that’s easy to listen to, but it’s not very memorable. I always forget how it goes. But every time I re-listen to it to remind myself, I’m surprised how much I love it. It’s very groovy, and reminds me of another song… maybe “Garden Life” by Luke Hemmings, but I’m not sure. The verses are very good and portray the story clearly; I just think the chorus is kind of boring and drags the rest of the song down.
8. connell
I really like that this song is very simple, so that you can focus on the brutally painful lyrics. Here are some of my favorite examples:
“You remind me of how little I deserve.” OK, Conan, just tear my heart out, it’s fine.
“You remind me of my father, slurring words…” He needs to stop bringing up his dad, or I’m gonna cry. But also love how he provides small mentions of his ex’s alcoholism throughout the album, so it really feels like the whole project is about one relationship/story.
“You remind me of how good it feels to hurt” is how I feel whenever I listen to Conan’s music.
The way he sings in the verses is almost conversational, which makes the song feel almost like a voice message he’s leaving for “Connell.” The outro is also so good. I’m obsessed with how spacey and floaty it feels and how it slowly gets darker, like a dream becoming a nightmare.
7. Care
The sound of this song just scratches an itch in my brain. The lyric, “Though I won’t miss being your lover, I’m still losing a friend,” is such a bar. This is a very fitting final track be he’s ending the story of the album by realizing that he doesn’t miss the relationship but the person he was in it with. By acknowledging this, he’s permitting himself to officially end the relationship in his own mind while accepting that it’s okay to still care about his ex.
6. Actor
This song had to grow on me, but I love it now. The chorus is so emo. Tell me you can’t imagine My Chemical Romance singing “the church bells won’t stop ringing for an undead wedding day.” The lyrics in this one hit hard. Conan’s ex saying he “barely even f-ing knows him” when asked about him is crushing, and so Ben-Hope-from-Heartstopper-coded. The line, “You’re saving your face but you take it out on your nose,” is such a creative dig and play on words. His ex is putting up a front that he’s straight to protect his reputation and getting cosmetic surgery to cope with the self-hatred of his queerness. I also love the drums throughout this song. They add to the emo feel but also make the song feel so grand and full and theatrical, which fits the whole “Actor” theme.
One criticism I have is that it would make more sense if the lyric was “You’ll spend your whole life drinking / drinking me away,” which would imply Gray’s ex never forgetting him no matter how hard he tries, instead of “You’ve spent your whole life drinking, drinking me away” which either implies that it is being said years from now which doesn’t really align with the rest of the song.
Unrelated, but I need a Meet Me @ The Altar cover of this song right now.
5. Nauseous
This one’s another song that had to grow on me, but I now love. I think it was because on the first couple of listens, the gang vocals in the chorus threw me off, but I’ve gotten used to them. I still feel like it would be more impactful with just him belting out the chorus or with the gang vocals lowered. This song is just so full of bars, oh my god.
“Behind every kiss is a jaw that can bite” is pure poetry. When I first heard “I know that it’s in me to really love someone/ but that’s not a thing that I learned from my loved ones,” I had to pause the song and sit on my kitchen floor in silence for a good ten minutes to emotionally recover just from this line. The dynamics do a good job of emphasizing the really emotional parts of the song, whether it be swelling up during really intense parts or quieting down when Conan’s quietly confessing something. Just a very painful, relatable song.
4. Vodka Cranberry
I think screaming this chorus at a concert would heal me.
The storytelling is incredible throughout the whole album, but it especially shines in this song. The lyric, “Now I look dumb and you look mean,” is so relatable to anyone who’s been in an unhealthy relationship. And so is the line “Yeah, I noticed that / yeah, I notice everything you do.” It’s so heartbreaking because it shows both Conan’s continued admiration for his partner and that he’s noticed all the slights they’ve directed at him, both explicit and implicit. The imagery of “wailing like an imbecile” is just so palpable, and the fact that he sings it while coming down from the chorus makes it feel like he’s exhausted from all the conflict in the relationship. The song also just sounds amazing. I don’t know what it is about the flow of the verses and pre-chorus, but they just sound so satisfying. The inclusion of an acoustic guitar really adds to the song’s nostalgic vibe. And of course, the high note is beyond impressive, and the fact that he did it live at the VMAs (stunning performance btw) is even more so.
The only criticism I have is that the “say-oh” sounds like he’s saying “yo” which pulls me out of the nostalgia a bit.
3. Caramel
I remember my first impression of this one was “this song is really f-ing good,” which is very rare for me on the first listen. This song is almost perfect, so there’s not much to say, to be honest. The chorus gives Oasis in the best way. I want to scream it at the top of my lungs while driving and playing it at full volume. The “caramel” metaphor is so clever and well-developed, I love it.
2. This song
This song went platinum in my AirPods when it came out. The production and sound are perfect. Thank you Ethan Gruska and Dan Nigro. It’s giving frolicking through a field vibes, and I’m here for it. Like I said before, I’m obsessed with the nostalgic/cinematic vibe of this album, and it’s especially potent in this song with the beautiful violins. The storytelling is also amazing here with the imagery and tying everything together with the mention of “11:11s.” I love how he plants little details like this throughout the album.
I remember when this song came out, fans were saying, “Oh my god, this is gonna be Conan’s happy and in love era,” …joke’s on us, huh?
1. Eleven eleven
This one is just so good. The concept of wishing on every symbol of good luck to get back with someone is very original. I wish we could have seen more of this ingenuity with “Romeo.” The lyrics in this song are so creative, and the production is top-tier; Gold star for Noah Conrad. With the way it sounds, I can physically feel my heartstrings being plucked. The last chorus, feeling fuller and having different lyrics makes me feel like I’m ascending. The imagery is, again, incredible. Specifically, the mention of throwing salt over your shoulder after you spill it makes me feel especially nostalgic because that’s what my mom always made me do growing up (and still does now).
Honestly, this song alone makes the album worth listening to.
FInal Thoughts
Although I may not love every song on this album, I do love the impeccable production, Conan’s talent for storytelling, and how much creativity went into sculpting its aesthetic. I know a lot of people fell off after Conan’s last album, Found Heaven, because it sounded very different from his other music, but I promise that fans of his pre-Found Heaven discography will love Wishbone. So, please, give this album a chance (and also try Found Heaven again because it’s so good once it grows on you).