Gracie Abram’s new album, Good Riddance, released in February 2023, reflects on the multifacetedness of emotions at the end of complex relationships. Her classic and established whisper-like voice paired with the production’s delicate and melancholic tone offers an emotional transparency that allows listeners to find solace in her sharing and maybe relate to some aspects of it as well. Relationships can be a tumultuous time; even when there may be nothing notably bad on the exterior front, we may harbor certain feelings that stem from our insecurities. The more complex the relationship is, the more complex the breakup will be. Breakups can be messy; they can hurt and can make it feel as though the world is ending, or they can elicit a bittersweet reflection on the past. Abram’s album encapsulates it all.
As a girl who feels as if she’s experienced it all already, here is what song on Good Riddance you should listen to based on your experiences and your feelings in relationships:
Best
We’ve all done things we regret in past relationships. If this is the case, then “Best” might speak to you. In this song, Abrams details how she thinks she has treated her partner unfairly. There is a different kind of heartache that comes with a breakup when you know you’ve caused the other person just as much pain. She sings, “Promise I don’t forget all of my fault in this” — regret can be a haunting feeling.
I know it won’t work
If you’ve ever gotten back with an ex, or wanted to, then this is the song for you. “I know it won’t work” perfectly captures the despair we feel once we know we can no longer be with the person we want to be with, yet we still hold out hope. When she says, “Cause part of me wants you back but / I know it won’t work like that…” it represents how we sometimes wish things could be different — in love with the person, but not with the situation.
Full machine
“Full machine” captures what it feels like to be in a codependent relationship—being so in love with a person that you would go wherever they go and feel empty without them. She explicitly states in this song, “I’m codependent,” but lines such as “I’m better when you’re next to me,” and “But if you asked me to run away / I’d go easily,” portray the addicted and attached feelings of codependent relationships. She also says, “You’re a full machine / But won’t you answer tonight / And say somethin’ nice to me?” The feeling of being addicted to someone comes when there are extreme highs and lows in the relationship; the low moments are glossed over in your mind because you want to keep receiving the “highs” of being with this person, to the point where their mood becomes your mood.
Where do we go now?
The repetitive question of “Where do we go now?” echoed throughout the song is indicative of the confusing feelings one may have when a relationship has reached its conclusion — a sense of not knowing where to go without the reassuring guidance of another. She sings, “‘Cause now I’m half of myself here without you / You’re the best in my life and I lost you,” voicing the feelings of a perplexing haze that comes in times of loss, clouded with grief.
I should hate you
If you feel as though you’re always the one getting hurt in relationships, I would recommend “I should hate you.” This song shows what it feels like to be heartbroken by someone you loved because it felt as if you loved them too much, and they didn’t love you enough. Abrams shares that “I was the one who would stay up and call you / And I’d drive to your house for the shit that you went through / Then I wasted my breath when I tried to console you…” It’s about giving your all to someone who doesn’t reciprocate, knowing that you deserve better but still continuing to put up with it anyways.
Will you cry?
“Will you cry?” represents all feelings of doubt and anxiety that one may harbor in a relationship. She explains the doubt she has and the damage that is done when you feel as though the other person doesn’t care as much when she asks, “Would it not kill to say goodbye?” and “ Will you cry if I let go?” She gives life to the little voices of fear and apprehension that live in our heads, making us doubt the genuineness of our connections.
Amelie
I don’t believe “Amelie” is specifically about a romantic relationship, but in some contexts it can be applied to any past relationship with a loved one. The soft acoustic guitar elicits an aching feeling through this bittersweet reflection on a past someone whose effects are still felt to this day. It speaks to the small, significant impacts that one unknowing person can have on the rest of our lives.
Difficult
The “overthinker” stereotype is voiced to life in Abram’s song, “Difficult.” She refers to her tendency to overthink as her “terrible condition” and explains how overthinking is tortuous to the individual when she says, “Oh, I know / Spiralin’ is miserable / I should probably go back home / Why does that feel difficult?” There are times where all we want is to forgo the usual habits of our minds, being aware of the effects that overthinking can have on us and our actions. As a chronic overthinker, “Difficult” is a song that makes me feel seen and understood.
This is what the drugs are for
“This is what the drugs are for” is a song for those who have a hard time moving on and accepting the terms that come with a breakup. She sings, “I’ve gotten used to sleepin’ here without you / Though I’ve tried, I can’t pretend / That I don’t sit around and think about you.” There are times when we try to pretend that we are over someone emotionally, even though they still constantly inhabit parts of our minds. It’s a song about wishing you could forget, but still remembering the impression that somebody left on you.
Fault line
The feeling of being addicted to a toxic person is perfectly captured in her song, “Fault Line.” It’s all about being obsessed with someone who can “crack” at any moment and confusing feelings of love and affection with an emotional attachment to someone who just showed up at the right time. She sings, “…if I met you today / I would run to the arms of another / I know you’re a fault line, but I’ll break too.” It hints at moments of inconsistency and instability in relationships that don’t have a strong foundation.
The blue
Being so in love with someone may sometimes leave us susceptible to naivety. “The blue” relates to the moment when we realize that we would truly do anything when in love. She asks, “I’ve never felt this close to someone / What if you’re my weakness?” She’s recognizing how feelings of love and vulnerability can be associated with a *troublesome,* unhesitant tendency to give your all to someone.
Right now
“Right now” doesn’t specifically detail feelings involved with romantic relationships, yet as the concluding song of an album that explores multiple feelings that come at the end of relationships, it may signify a sense of moving on and figuring out who you are apart from another person. In this song, she writes about how the present moment is inherently affected by haunting memories of the past and how these memories only serve as “reminders.”
As Abrams has explored throughout her album, romantic relationships can be a messy ordeal consisting of conflicting feelings and confusing sentiments. However, you can also apply many parts of these songs to normal, everyday experiences with people, especially if you’re constantly feeling and thinking as much as I do. Whether or not you have these relationship experiences, I would still recommend listening to the full album.