Best songs from the 2020s. Lyrics, meanings and interpretations from the hottest young musicians, and up-and-coming artists. These bands haven’t stood the test of time…yet. But we’d bet that they will.
I just watched as the door closed for good ‘Cause I couldn’t keep it open
“I Can’t Keep it Open” is a beautiful ballad by Freya Ridings that appears in the Netflix show Archane (Season 2, episode1). Few soundtracks are able to transcend a show in the way this song can. You sit up, rewind, and ask yourself “what did I just hear”?!
The song expresses feelings of loss, sadness and regret in such simple and powerful terms. There are several highlights in “I Can’t Keep it Open”. The melody is amazing, delicate and haunting. Ridings’ piano arrangement is sparse but is perfect for the piece. The narrator’s unfiltered raw emotion comes across in this stripped-down arrangement that simply has a piano accompanied by her voice.
And Ridings sings the song beautifully. This is the most outstanding aspect of the song. Her voice—and the haunting delivery– transcends the show. How many songs have you heard that truly elevate a scene? When it happens, it is something special. Like a fusion of the senses. Whether you are a fan of Archane or not, “I Can’t Keep it Open” is a fantastic song–it might be the best in Ridings considerable catalogue.
I Can’t Keep it Open Lyrics
There is an ocean so dark down below the waves
Where you watch while these dreams gently float away
And there is a silence so soft it’s only memory
Like the way your voice always sounds when you sing to m
But I can’t hear it now
Just tell me how to keep breathing
While pretending I’m not drowning
I don’t know if I could
I watched a door close for good
‘Cause I couldn’t keep it open
I just watched as the door closed for good
‘Cause I couldn’t keep it open
Just tell me how to keep breathing
Whilе pretending I’m not drowning
I don’t know if I could
I watched a door closе for good
‘Cause I couldn’t keep it open
Why you always doing that? Breaking up with me then making up just to make me mad…
Lana Del Ray’s ‘Watercolor Eyes’ is an outstanding song about young love which was featured in the fantastic show Euphoria, staring Zendaya. Euphoria’s music director has good taste as there are at least two songs on our top500 all-time songs that are featured on the show: Lorde’s Liability and Randy Newman’s “Same Girl”.
Watercolor Eyes explores a lot of the themes that you would normally find in songs about young love. The song will leave you feeling either nostalgic or seen—depending on where you are in your life. Both powerful emotions, which is why it resonates so strongly.
Zendaya on Euphoria
The narrator’s descriptions are very sensual, as if she lacks the vocabulary to describe her complicated feelings in words, so she compares them to things she has experienced using simile and metaphor to get her thoughts out. Her love is sweet—like candy and beaches. But it is a young love that won’t last forever; at times the love stings like lemon and she feels the sandy remains of the beach rather than the sweet memories of the sunsets.
All of this leaves her with “watercolor eyes” which is a great description of a woman whose makeup has been ruined with tears. All the careful work that went into looking great is ruined when her tears blend the colors. But not all is lost, just as watercolor tends to be less permanent medium, we imagine that the narrator and her lover will probably reconcile just as quickly as things turned sour. Young love tends to be more volatile.
Lana Del Ray
The sound of the song can best be described as dreamy and deliberate. Del Ray’s voice is purposely not quite so crisp which creates that unique vocal sound. (There is also an echoing effect on the vocal). Also, the music signature flows pretty freely, and chords reverberate into each other lazily rather than distinctly changing. It effectively creates the perfect mood for a show featuring teenage love and drug use.
Watercolor Eyes Lyrics
Why you always doing that?
Breaking up with me then making up
Just to make me mad.
I think that you taste like rock candy
Sweet like beaches, leave me all sandy
Why do you leave me with watercolor eyes?
Young love don’t always last forever
Wild horses can’t keep us together
So what if you taste just like heaven
That don’t make it right
Hot summer and cold watermelon
Your love stings like blood and a lemon
Why do you leave me with watercolor eyes?
Watercolor eyes, watercolor eyes, watercolor eyes
That don’t make it right.
Why you always doing that?
Playing guitar while I’m sleeping
Acting like a brat.
I think that you’re sweet like rock candy
Warm like beaches that leave me sandy
Why do you leave me with watercolor eyes?
Young love don’t always last forever
Wild horses can’t keep us together
So what if you taste just like heaven
That don’t make it right
Hot summer and cold watermelon
Your love stings like blood and a lemon
Why do you leave me with watercolor eyes?
Watercolor eyes, watercolor eyes, watercolor eyes
That don’t make it right
Watercolor eyes, watercolor eyes, watercolor eyes
That don’t make it right.
Why you always doing that?
Breaking up with me then making up just to make me mad
Oh oh, hey hey, why?
That don’t make it right.
I still see your face in the white cars, front yards/ Can’t drive past the places we used to go to
Olivia Rodrigo’s “Driver’s License” hits on a lot of teenage tropes yet manages to deliver a genuine performance and a memorable song. She talks about several teenage rites of passage, but this song is primarily about getting over your first love. This is an early pick for a “greatest song of all time”–the boldest on this list. Will it stand the test of time? We’ll see.
The bridge contains a lot of the depth: she visits the places where she and her ex used to go together, and the memories haunt the space. She thinks she sees and hears him when he’s clearly not there; she’s still in love.
great album cover
Notice that the song contains nothing negative or derogatory about her ex—even though he broke her heart. (Perhaps that is a different stage of grief that we’ll get to hear about in a different song).
There are a couple notable things about this song-that make it different than others on this list. For one, it is the first song she released and wrote (I believe). She doesn’t even have an album yet. And she was so young when she wrote it. For a similar story of artists having early success check out Kate Bush’s Wuthering Heights, Simon and Garfunkel’s Sound of Silence and anything by Ritchie Valens.
olivia rodrigo
While the universal theme of teenage angst goes far, the song is memorable because of the beautiful melody and Rodrigo’s passionate delivery. Our ability to believe the words and emotions that an artist expresses is one of the most important aspects of making a great song.
I am bullish on Rodrigo; I look forward to hearing her future work. I think she has the potential to grow into her voice and that will go a long way. I also see her moving away from playing the piano live. She’s an adequate piano player but has great stage performance. Stevie Nicks writes on the piano but doesn’t play live. I think that’s the way to go.
Driver’s License Lyrics
I got my driver’s license last week,
Just like we always talked about.
‘Cause you were so excited for me,
To finally drive up to your house.
But today I drove through the suburbs,
Crying ’cause you weren’t around.
And you’re probably with that blonde girl,
Who always made me doubt.
She’s so much older than me,
She’s everything I’m insecure about.
Yeah, today I drove through the suburbs,
‘Cause how could I ever love someone else?
And I know we weren’t perfect but I’ve never felt this way for no one.
And I just can’t imagine how you could be so okay now that I’m gone.
Guess you didn’t mean what you wrote in that song about me.
‘Cause you said forever, now I drive alone past your street.
And all my friends are tired
Of hearing how much I miss you, but
I kinda feel sorry for them,
‘Cause they’ll never know you the way that I do. yeah
Today I drove through the suburbs,
And pictured I was driving home to you.
And I know we weren’t perfect,
But I’ve never felt this way for no one. oh
And I just can’t imagine how you could be so okay, now that I’m gone.
I guess you didn’t mean what you wrote in that song about me.
‘Cause you said forever, now I drive alone past your street.
Red lights, stop signs,
I still see your face in the white cars, front yards,
Can’t drive past the places we used to go to.
‘Cause I still fuckin’ love you, babe (ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh).
Sidewalks we crossed,
I still hear your voice in the traffic, we’re laughing
Over all the noise.
God, I’m so blue, know we’re through,
But I still fuckin’ love you, babe (ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh).
I know we weren’t perfect but I’ve never felt this way for no one.
And I just can’t imagine how you could be so okay, now that I’m gone.
‘Cause you didn’t mean what you wrote in that song about me.
‘Cause you said forever, now I drive alone past your street.
Yeah, you said forever, now I drive alone past your street.
Songwriters: Daniel Nigro / Olivia Rodrigo
The best pop, folk, punk & rock songs. Song Meanings, Lyrics, & Rankings.
