The duo achieved breakthrough success with their fourth album, Blurryface (2015), which produced the successful singles "Stressed Out" and "Ride" and became the first album on which every track received at least a gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America. The release of the single "Heathens" also made the group the first alternative artist in history to have two concurrent top five singles in the Billboard Hot 100 and the third rock act in history to have two singles simultaneously chart in the top five of the Billboard Hot 100, joining the Beatles and Elvis Presley.
The duo have released six studio albums in total, with the latest being Scaled and Icy, released on May 21, 2021. They are due to release their seventh studio album, Clancy, on May 17, 2024. They have also garnered ten No. 1 songs on the Alternative Songs chart, making them the artist with the fourth-most number-one songs on the chart, just below Linkin Park.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twenty_One_Pilots
Studio albums
Twenty One Pilots (2009)
Regional at Best (2011)
Vessel (2013)
Blurryface (2015)
Trench (2018)
Scaled and Icy (2021)
Clancy (2024) (Upcoming)
Stressed Out
Twenty One Pilots Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I wish I had a better voice that sang some better words
I wish I found some chords in an order that is new
I wish I didn't have to rhyme every time I sang
I was told when I get older all my fears would shrink
But now I'm insecure and I care what people think
My name's Blurryface and I care what you think
My name's Blurryface and I care what you think
Wish we could turn back time, to the good old days
When our mama sang us to sleep but now we're stressed out
(Oh) wish we could turn back time (oh), to the good old days (oh)
When our mama sang us to sleep but now we're stressed out
We're stressed out
Sometimes a certain smell will take me back to when I was young
How come I'm never able to identify where it's coming from?
I'd make a candle out of it if I ever found it
Try to sell it, never sell out of it, I'd probably only sell one
It'd be to my brother, 'cause we have the same nose
Same clothes, homegrown, a stone's throw from a creek we used to roam
But it would remind us of when nothing really mattered
Out of student loans and tree-house homes we all would take the latter
My name's Blurryface and I care what you think
My name's Blurryface and I care what you think
Wish we could turn back time, to the good old days
When our mama sang us to sleep but now we're stressed out
(Oh) wish we could turn back time (oh), to the good old days (oh)
When our mama sang us to sleep but now we're stressed out
We used to play pretend, give each other different names
We would build a rocket ship and then we'd fly it far away
Used to dream of outer space but now they're laughing at our face
Saying, "Wake up, you need to make money," yeah
We used to play pretend, give each other different names
We would build a rocket ship and then we'd fly it far away
Used to dream of outer space but now they're laughing at our face
Saying, "Wake up, you need to make money," yeah
Wish we could turn back time, to the good old days
When our mama sang us to sleep but now we're stressed out
(Oh) wish we could turn back time (oh), to the good old days (oh)
When our mama sang us to sleep but now we're stressed out
Used to play pretend, used to play pretend, money
We used to play pretend, wake up, you need the money
Used to play pretend, used to play pretend, money
We used to play pretend, wake up, you need the money
Used to play pretend, give each other different names
We would build a rocket ship and then we'd fly it far away
Used to dream of outer space but now they're laughing at our face
Saying, "Wake up, you need to make money," yeah
The song "Stressed Out" by Twenty One Pilots is a commentary on the struggles of growing up and losing the carefree mindset of childhood. The lyrics express a desire to go back to a simpler time when the worries of the world were minor and the comfort of home and family was enough. The lines “Sometimes a certain smell will take me back to when I was young, How come I'm never able to identify where it's coming from?” indicate the longing to reconnect with memories of childhood that seem just out of reach. The chorus, “Wish we could turn back time, to the good old days, When our mama sang us to sleep but now we're stressed out” reinforces the desire to escape the pressures and expectations of adult life.
The song also addresses the insecurities and anxieties that come with growing up. The lines “But now I'm insecure and I care what people think, My name's Blurryface and I care what you think” express the frustration with the constant need for validation as an adult in society. The persona of “Blurryface” represents this self-doubt and the pressure to conform to societal norms. This theme of insecurity is revisited in later lyrics, particularly the lines “Saying, 'Wake up, you need to make money'” which demonstrate the pressure to succeed and fit into a system that values material success above all else.
Line by Line Meaning
I wish I found some better sounds no one's ever heard
I wish I could create unique music that no one has ever heard before
I wish I had a better voice that sang some better words
I wish I had better vocal abilities to sing more profound lyrics
I wish I found some chords in an order that is new
I wish I could invent new chord progressions
I wish I didn't have to rhyme every time I sang
I wish I had the freedom to write lyrics without having to force them to rhyme
I was told when I get older all my fears would shrink
I used to believe that as I grew up, my fears would disappear
But now I'm insecure and I care what people think
But now I feel uncertain and worry about others' opinions
My name's Blurryface and I care what you think
Blurryface personifies the fear of judgment and concern over others' opinions
Wish we could turn back time, to the good old days
I wish we could go back to when things were simpler (nostalgia)
When our mama sang us to sleep but now we're stressed out
When we were young, our mother's lullabies comforted us, but now life's pressures cause us stress
(Oh) wish we could turn back time (oh), to the good old days (oh)
The chorus repeats the desire to return to a simpler time
Sometimes a certain smell will take me back to when I was young
Sometimes sensory stimuli brings back nostalgic memories
How come I'm never able to identify where it's coming from?
I cannot identify the source of the sensory stimuli that triggers my memories
I'd make a candle out of it if I ever found it
If I could identify the source of the smell, I'd create a candle to preserve that memory
Try to sell it, never sell out of it, I'd probably only sell one
I doubt that anyone else would want the candle except for my brother and me
But it would remind us of when nothing really mattered
The candle would bring back memories of a simpler time when nothing seemed to be as important as it is now
Out of student loans and tree-house homes we all would take the latter
We preferred living in a simple tree-house over taking out student loans to afford a big house
We used to play pretend, give each other different names
We used to have imagination and pretend to be different people
We would build a rocket ship and then we'd fly it far away
We would dream of exploring new horizons and leaving our worries behind
Used to dream of outer space but now they're laughing at our face
We used to dream of big things, but now society scoffs at our aspirations
Saying, "Wake up, you need to make money," yeah
Others say that we need to prioritize financial success over our dreams
Used to play pretend, wake up, you need the money
Our youthful dreams are dismissed, and we're told to focus on making money
We used to play pretend, give each other different names
We used to be creative, but now we're pressured to conform to societal norms
Now they're laughing at our face, saying, "Wake up, you need to make money," yeah
Society ridicules us for having big dreams and reminds us to prioritize financial success
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Tyler Joseph
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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for me, this sounds like sh.
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