SZA 'Shirt' | Teen Ink

SZA 'Shirt'

January 23, 2023
By Anonymous

I like SZA because her music makes me feel calm in the head. The beat of the song, the lyrics, her voice, and the whole general vibe speak to me. Her music has an almost immediate relaxing effect and brings me to a place in my head that I can only imagine. In that deeply chill place I can invision an island where the sun has just set, or is in the process of setting, during the purple hour. Her voice brings to mind several of these islands all surrounded by deep, turquoise blue water with the waves gently rolling onto the sand. 


In the song Shirt, SZA has me feeling the emotions of a breakup. Though I have not been through a breakup myself, SZA’s lyrics are very telling. ‘Shirt’ opens with a description of a romantic infatuation so great that she's anxious all the time. The first chorus and pre-chorus she lets us know that she's lost sight of her life in favor of this dream person so much so that she feels desperate trying to maintain an image of perfection for the love interest. Her voice and tone take on a sense of urgency here. On my dream island at this point I am laying on my back in the grass looking up at the purple sky. 


In the second portion of the song she sings about her confusion and anxiety that what she is feeling is not supposed to hurt so badly. Her voice gets lower and deeper as she wishes this person would just give as much as she’s giving to the relationship. 


The song ends with SZA realizing they made her feel too crazy and that she has to go. On my island I can feel the sand under my feet as I make my way towards the water. The song lyrics finish and the music winds down slowly. 


The author's comments:

I’m a 15 year old High School freshman, and I particularly love soulful music. Most recently I’ve been listening to SZA and wanted to share my feelings on SZA’s song Shirt.


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