After a quite long hiatus, Alessia Cara is back with a brand new single, “Growing Pains” which sets the tune to her entire sophomore album. Her new album project is titled ‘The Pains of Growing,’ which would ideally reflect the personal experiences Cara went through while growing up.
“Growing Pains” was teased from June 1st and was released on June 15th and the music video was released on June 23rd. Cara explained how this song came to be with Genius:
“Because the first project that I put out was in 2015, I didn’t really have a lot of time between then and now to write anything, or to even think about what I wanted to write. So I think I had all these emotions sort of piled up, and I didn’t know how to deal with them. So one day, it just came out on tour. It was the second half of my second tour, and I just went into the back room of my tour bus and I just felt like I needed to write something. I had this itch where I just needed to get something out. I was feeling horrible that day. So lonely, so weird. Being 21 years old, as a woman, that already is a lot of stuff happening, but to add on to that, I was thrown into this new circumstance that I wasn’t familiar with and it’s very unusual and very scary to jump into something you’re not familiar with.” – Genius.com
The 21-year-old Canadian singer and songwriter drew inspiration from her life for this new track.
“Growing Pains” is the first single released off of her upcoming album which expected to be released in September this year.
Watch “Growing Pains” Music Video
Download “Growing Pains” Single on iTunes and Amazon
The music video for “Growing Pains” takes conceptualization to a whole new level. Alessia is seen wearing something similar to an oversized medical robe and being pushed around from one robot to another. We have good reason to believe that these robots represent humans who are almost mechanical in this century.
The video starts off with Alessia Cara making through a tube made out of cloth. At first, it looks like a massive balloon, but we could equate this to giving birth. After this scene, we see her getting spoon fed everything she should know from the education system. This process looks like a freaky brainwashing scenario in the video, which, if you think about it, is the reality of our education system.
Lyrics Review and Song Meaning of “Growing Pains”
Intro
“Growing Pains” start with some of the harshest words a young-adult could hear. We hear a male voice and a female voice, resembling parents, saying that you are on your own now. We would be happy at first but would come to realize the harsh reality of these words later on in our lives.
Verse 1
These lyrics sting anyone in their youths grinding the grind called life. There are so many uncertainties and variables that each and every one of us has to deal on a daily basis. Some of these may break us or make us, but we have to face them nonetheless.
You will be caught up in so many things that you will forget to enjoy the present. Even when you are at your home, it will feel as if you are not.
People do tell us that ‘it is not that bad,’ so we listen to them, try to calm ourselves down. But the harsh realities of adult life keep sticking from every side.
Pre-chorus
Despite all these pricks and thorns, Alessia Cara tries to keep her head held high in “Growing Pains.”
She believes things can take a turn for the better. She holds on tight to the happy moments of her life and these shine as beacons when things are getting dark.
However, Alessia says she cannot fully turn off the growing pains of her life. She worries about everything and this keeps her awake at night.
Verse 2
‘Content incomprehension’ is a creative way of saying ‘blissful ignorance.’ Sometimes, we cannot fix the entire world. In those moments we should have some sort of clarity for ourselves through this ‘blissful ignorance.’ Cara doubts if she even wants to be ‘grown up]’ with such a mess of a situation.
Bridge
Now she is trying to see if she has all the answers and is unable to employ them to save herself.
She reflects back on her childhood, where she enjoyed the innocent little tricks she played on her brother, listened to the morning or late night radio, or even laying on the bed all day with the excuse of ‘monsters under the bed.’ These monsters have now turned into colleagues and friends.
A band-aid is an easy fix for a wound. And Alessia says there are no band-aid fixes for the pains she endures through adulting!
Alessia Cara shows her songwriting skills in “Growing Pains” along with her creative talents for music and video composition. Her new album would shape into a deeply rooted personal confession if the first single is of an indication of what is to come.
We are in love with this new song by Alessia Cara. We would love to know what you think about this song and the video. Leave a comment below and share this article with your friends as well.
Full Lyrics to “Growing Pains” by Alessia Cara