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Messy (Lola Young song)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Messy"
Single by Lola Young
from the album This Wasn't Meant for You Anyway
Released30 May 2024 (2024-05-30)
Genre
Length4:44
LabelIsland
Songwriter(s)
  • Lola Young
  • Conor Dickinson
Producer(s)
  • Solomonophonic
  • Manuka
  • Monsune
  • Carter Lang
Lola Young singles chronology
"Fuck"
(2024)
"Messy"
(2024)
"Flicker of Light"
(2024)
Music video
"Messy" on YouTube

"Messy" is a song by English singer Lola Young, released on 30 May 2024 as the sixth single from her second studio album This Wasn't Meant for You Anyway (2024). It went viral on the video sharing app TikTok and became her first charting song, peaking at number three on the UK Singles Chart.

Background

[edit]

Lola Young stated in an interview with Metal Magazine:

"Messy" is an ADHD anthem, it really showcases everything I felt during my last relationship, but also it is deeper than that, as it talks about how I feel about myself in general — being too messy one day and too clean another, struggling to find that balance in myself.[1]

In an interview with Atwood Magazine, Lola Young said that "Messy" had her favorite lyrics in This Wasn't Meant for You Anyway and she considered them some of her best. She also described, "It's raw, honest, and encapsulates a lot of the themes of the album. It's about embracing imperfections and finding strength in who I am, scatty or not lol."[2]

Composition

[edit]

"Messy" is a soul-pop song.[3] It finds Lola Young in an increasingly angry vocal tone, as she directs sharp criticism toward a lover for certain expectations imposed on her.[4]

Critical reception

[edit]

Brian Denney of Atwood Magazine wrote, "'Messy' is a beautiful display of Young's gritty vocals and world-class lyrical storytelling. As a listener, it plays out as if you are watching the singer leave an angry voicemail to her lover, simply fed up with the irrationality of trying to please a partner who will never be satisfied."[4]

Promotion

[edit]

On 28 November 2024 social media personalities Jake Shane and Sofia Richie posted a clip on TikTok of them dancing to the song, with moves including finger guns and a "half-shimmy". It led to the song gaining significant popularity, achieving 3.9 million official on-demand streams in the United States,[3] and being used in over 250,000 videos on TikTok, including one by Kylie Jenner of her lip syncing to the song.[5]

Charts

[edit]
Chart performance for "Messy"
Chart (2024–2025) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[6] 3
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[7] 8
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[8] 32
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[9] 45
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[10] 22
Czech Republic (Singles Digitál Top 100)[11] 85
Denmark (Tracklisten)[12] 19
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[13] 46
France (SNEP)[14] 37
Germany (GfK)[15] 7
Global 200 (Billboard)[16] 8
Greece International (IFPI)[17] 14
Ireland (IRMA)[18] 2
Italy (FIMI)[19] 56
Latvia (LaIPA)[20] 9
Lithuania (AGATA)[21] 8
Lithuania Airplay (TopHit)[22] 57
Luxembourg (Billboard)[23] 15
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[24] 12
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[25] 6
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[26] 5
Norway (VG-lista)[27] 6
Poland (Polish Streaming Top 100)[28] 51
Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100)[29] 67
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[30] 8
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[31] 13
UK Singles (OCC)[32] 3
US Billboard Hot 100[33] 25
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[34] 4

Certifications

[edit]
Certifications for "Messy"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[35] Silver 200,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Miller, Eythana. "Lola Young - A Londoner and Her Lyrics". Metal Magazine. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  2. ^ Mosk, Mitch (24 October 2024). ""Finding my voice has been a journey of resilience": Lola Young Is Raw, Honest, Unapologetic, & Messy – and We Wouldn't Have Her Any Other Way". Atwood Magazine. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  3. ^ a b Denis, Kyle; Lipshutz, Jason; Unterberger, Andrew (18 December 2024). "Lola Young Scores the Year's Last (?) Big Viral Hit". Billboard. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  4. ^ a b Denney, Brian (21 June 2024). "Today's Song: Lola Young's Fresh New Single "Messy" Isn't for You. Perhaps That's What Makes It So Irresistible". Atwood Magazine. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  5. ^ Phillip, Riann (13 December 2024). ""It's A Big 'Messy' Moment, Innit?": Lola Young Spills On Her Viral Gen-Z Anthem, Staying Grounded & That Sofia Richie Grainge Dance". Vogue. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  6. ^ "ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. 13 January 2025. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
  7. ^ "Lola Young – Messy" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  8. ^ "Lola Young – Messy" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  9. ^ "Lola Young – Messy" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 5 January 2025.
  10. ^ "Billboard Canadian Hot 100: Week of January 11, 2025". Billboard. Retrieved 7 January 2025.
  11. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 1. týden 2025 in the date selector. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
  12. ^ "Track Top-40 Uge 53, 2024". Hitlisten. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  13. ^ "Lola Young: Messy" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved 11 January 2025.
  14. ^ "Top Singles (Week 1, 2025)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
  15. ^ "Lola Young – Messy" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
  16. ^ "Billboard Global 200: Week of January 11, 2025". Billboard. Retrieved 7 January 2025.
  17. ^ "Official IFPI Charts − Digital Singles Chart (International) − Εβδομάδα: 01/2025" (in Greek). IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on 8 January 2025. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  18. ^ "Official Irish Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 3 January 2025.
  19. ^ "Top Singoli – Classifica settimanale WK 2" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 11 January 2025.
  20. ^ "Straumēšanas Top 2024 – 1. nedēļa" [Streaming TOP 2024 – Week 1] (in Latvian). LaIPA. 6 January 2025. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
  21. ^ "2025 2-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. 10 January 2025. Retrieved 11 January 2025.
  22. ^ "Top Radio Hits Lithuania Weekly Chart: Dec 26, 2024". TopHit. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
  23. ^ "Luxembourg Songs: Week of January 11, 2025". Billboard. Retrieved 7 January 2025.
  24. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 2, 2025" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 11 January 2025.
  25. ^ "Lola Young – Messy" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 11 January 2025.
  26. ^ "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 10 January 2025. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
  27. ^ "Singel 2025 uke 01". VG-lista. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
  28. ^ "OLiS – oficjalna lista sprzedaży – single w streamie" (Select week 27.12.2024–02.01.2025.) (in Polish). OLiS. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
  29. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 1. týden 2025 in the date selector. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
  30. ^ "Veckolista Singlar, vecka 2, 2025". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 11 January 2025.
  31. ^ "Lola Young – Messy". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 5 January 2025.
  32. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 3 January 2025.
  33. ^ "Billboard Hot 100: Week of January 11, 2025". Billboard. Retrieved 7 January 2025.
  34. ^ "Hot Rock & Alternative Songs: Week of January 11, 2025". Billboard. Retrieved 7 January 2025.
  35. ^ "British single certifications – Lola Young – Messy". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 5 January 2025.