An informal announcement of the song was made on February 18th 2022, when the band sent a magazine to a fan and retweeted a tweet she made about the song’s title and release date. However, the official announcement was made via via Instagram post a week later, on February 25th, alongside the official cover art of the song.
5 Seconds of Summer have been teasing the song for a while before its release. The first two snippets were via 5SOS' TikTok, on February 19th and February 20th. A few days later, they started posting the snippets on their Twitter. The first ones, on February 25th, 26th, 27th and 28th, were all instrumental. On March 1st, a day before the song’s release, the band posted the last snippet, that revealed part of the lyrics for “Complete Mess”.
On March 2nd, the single was officially released, followed by its music video the same day.
Complete Mess
5 Seconds of Summer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I've never been a saint, have I?
This evanescence always fleeting like a flame
But I'm never one to change, am I?
Call it a lesson when I feel you slide away
And I'm missing out on half my life
Oh, you make me complete
You make me a complete mess
Oh, you make me complete
You make me complete
You make me a complete mess
Hang on to moments like they'll never drift away
'Cause you'll never get to say goodbye
I ask no questions as your colors take their hold
As my darkness turns to gold inside
I learned my lesson when I felt you slip away
And I'm missing out on half my life
Oh, you make me complete
You make me complete
You make me a complete mess
Oh, you make me complete
You make me complete
You make me a complete mess
(You make me a complete mess)
(You make me a complete mess)
Caught up in Heaven but your Heaven ain't the same
But I've never been a saint, have I?
Oh, you make me complete
You make me complete (you make me complete)
You make me a complete mess
Oh, you make me complete (you make me complete)
You make me complete (make me complete)
You make me a complete mess
In "Complete Mess," 5 Seconds of Summer sings about being lost without someone who makes them whole. Despite being imperfect, the singer describes feeling incomplete without their love interest. The song's opening lines set up the notion of being "caught up in heaven," but the singer realizes that their concept of heaven is different from their partner's. The song suggests that differences can create conflict in a relationship, but ultimately, love can conquer all.
The song has a yearning tone, with the singer using metaphorical language to describe their feelings. For example, they compare their emotions to "evanescence fleeting like a flame" and their partner to colors that take hold. The lyrics also convey the idea that life is fleeting and that every moment with their partner is precious. This idea is reinforced in the chorus, where the singer repeats the phrase "You make me complete" and "You make me a complete mess."
Overall, "Complete Mess" is a melancholy but beautiful song about the complexities of love and relationships. It highlights the flaws that make us human but also celebrates the connections that make life worth living.
Line by Line Meaning
Caught up in Heaven, but your Heaven ain't the same
I'm caught up in a perfect moment with you, but it's not the same perfection for you.
And I've never been a saint, have I?
I'm not perfect, I've made my fair share of mistakes.
This evanescence always fleeting like a flame
This moment is temporary, just like a flame that eventually dies out.
But I'm never one to change, am I?
I tend to stay the same, even when I probably should change.
Call it a lesson when I feel you slide away
Every time you slip away from me, it's a lesson for me to learn from.
And I'm missing out on half my life
Without you, I feel like I'm missing out on half of what truly matters in life.
Oh, you make me complete
You bring out the best in me, and make me feel whole.
Hang on to moments like they'll never drift away
I want to hold onto these perfect moments with you as tightly as I can, like they'll never disappear.
'Cause you'll never get to say goodbye
I don't want to even think about us having to say goodbye to each other.
I ask no questions as your colors take their hold
I don't need to understand everything about you, the way you are just takes hold of me.
As my darkness turns to gold inside
You bring light into my life, and make everything seem brighter.
I learned my lesson when I felt you slip away
Every time you slip away from me is a lesson that I need to keep learning from.
But I'm missing out on half my life
Without you, I feel like half of my life is incomplete.
Oh, you make me complete
You make me feel like I'm finally whole and complete as a person.
Oh, you make me a complete mess
But at the same time, you make me feel like I'm such a mess because I need you so much.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Ashton Irwin, Calum Hood, Luke Hemmings, Michael Clifford
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@maren.concerts
COMPLETE MESS Lyrics
[Verse 1: Luke]
Caught up in Heaven, but your Heaven ain't the same
And I’ve never been a saint, have I?
This evanescence always fleeting like a flame
But I'm never one to change, am I?
[Pre-Chorus: Luke]
Call it a lesson when I feel you slide away
And I'm missin’ out on half my life
[Chorus: All]
Oh, you make me complete
You make me complete
You make me a complete mess
Oh, you make me complete
You make me complete
You make me a complete mess
[Verse 2: Calum & Michael]
Hang on to moments like they'll never drift away
'Cause you'll never get to say goodbye
I ask no questions as your colours take their hold
As my darkness turns to gold inside
[Pre-Chorus: Calum & Michael]
I learned my lesson when I felt you slip away
And I'm missing out on half my life
[Chorus: All]
Oh, you make me complete
You make me complete
You make me a complete mess
Oh, you make me complete
You make me complete
You make me a complete mess
[Bridge: Luke]
(You make me a complete mess)
(You make me a complete mess)
[Breakdown: Michael]
Caught up in Heaven, but your Heaven ain't the same
But I've never been a saint, have I?
[Chorus: All]
Oh, you make me complete
You make me complete (You make me complete)
You make me a complete mess (Oh)
Oh, you make me complete (You make me complete)
You make me complete (You make me complete)
You make me a complete mess
@5SOS
All you need to know is we're still finding sand in our wardrobe.
@diletta__1704
hey
@dumbass3533
NO I HATE THAT
@MichelleRodriguez-tg1eh
Thanks for sharing, was very concerned
@rubiespinosa2507
Loviu
@SofHdz
💖💖💖💖
@aimeedavies9844
This is my very first release thing in this fandom and I'm so excited for the chaos
@hollyjjones
Me too 🥺
@melissa8905
Sameeee 😭✨
@nicoleramirez3901
Me too ahsjsjkd I can't wait