New Jersey native Lauren Frawley knew she wanted to be a singer from the time she was a kindergartner. In 2015, she drew the attention of labels, management, and millions of listeners when her uploaded cover of Alessia Cara's "Here" went viral. She was 14 at the time. Subsequent covers included songs made famous by the likes of Adele and Demi Lovato. As a high school student, she dedicated time away from school to practicing piano, learning to play guitar, and working on writing songs.
After finishing high school and signing with Island Records, Frawley issued her debut single, "Hard Boy," in mid-2019. She followed it later in the year with tracks including the Beck-referencing "Losers," "Easy," and a label-issued cover of the Cranberries' "Zombie." More singles followed in 2020 and 2021, including "Knocking on My Heart," "Austin's Song," and "No One Can Fix Me," the latter of which became her biggest hit to date. During this time, Frawley was racking up co-writing credits (Hunter Hayes, Dixie D’Amelio, Tate McRae, and Icona Pop) and working with John Legend. She kicked off 2022 with the punchy "Kiss and Tell" and the wistful "If I Don't Laugh, I'll Cry."
Hard Boy
Frawley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wake up like, woop, not a good choice
I should′ve taken my mom's advice
(One second, my mom′s texting me)
One girlfriend left you with a heart sore
Look at you, suddenly you're so hardcore
Oh, does that make you feel big inside?
But there's nothing inside
Thought I told you
Too cool for love typically ain′t my type
′Cause you think you're such a hard boy, baby
And that′s just the fix I'm into lately
But I know I won′t feel this way come tomorrow
So let's see how hard, how hard you actually are
When I leave
Who hurt you and made you so guarded?
Throwing dishes on the floor of my apartment
Took a pic just to show it off to your friends
How come you′re only calling at five in the morning
Just 'cause you're lonely out in New Orleans
Lucky I picked up, I wasn′t busy
One day I will be
Got a heart tattoo on your chest
But there′s nothing inside
Thought I told you
Too cool for love typically ain't my type
′Cause you think you're such a hard boy, baby
And that′s just the fix I'm into lately
But I know I won′t feel this way come tomorrow
So let's see how hard, how hard you actually are
When I leave
'Cause you think you′re such a hard boy, baby
And that′s just the fix I'm into lately
′Cause you think you're such a hard boy, baby
And that′s just the fix I'm into lately
But I know I won′t feel this way come tomorrow
So let's see how hard, how hard you actually are
When I leave
I, I
When I leave
I, I leave
So let's see how hard, how hard you actually are
When I leave
The song "Hard Boy" by Frawley is a critique of the hard and uncaring nature of some men that some women are drawn to. The lyrics explore a girl's attraction to a bad boy, who she knows is not right for her. She admits that she should have listened to her mother's advice on this matter. Despite knowing that she won't want to be with him the following day, she wants to see how tough he really is when she leaves him. The chorus, "Cause you think you're such a hard boy, baby / And that's just the fix I'm into lately / But I know I won't feel this way come tomorrow / So let's see how hard, how hard you actually are / When I leave," is particularly poignant as it encapsulates the mixed emotions of the singer.
Throughout the song, the girl comments on the bad boy's tattoos and uncaring nature, as evidenced by his behavior, such as throwing dishes on the floor just to show off to his friends. In the end, she realizes that the hard exterior of the bad boy is just a defense mechanism to hide his pain, but ultimately she knows that she can't change him. Frawley's lyrics in "Hard Boy" are an insightful exploration of the attraction of some women to toxic masculinity and the issues that arise from such relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
Sometimes I think I want a bad boy
Occasionally I think I desire a guy who is not good for me
Wake up like, woop, not a good choice
I wake up and regret my decision
I should've taken my mom's advice
I should have listened to my mother's suggestions
(One second, my mom's texting me)
My mother is sending me a message
One girlfriend left you with a heart sore
Your ex-girlfriend broke your heart
Look at you, suddenly you're so hardcore
You are trying to be tough and strong now
Oh, does that make you feel big inside?
Is your toughness making you feel better about yourself?
Got a heart tattoo on your chest
You have a tattoo of a heart on your chest
But there's nothing inside
But you don't have any emotions
Thought I told you
I already warned you
Too cool for love typically ain't my type
I am usually not interested in guys who act too cool for love
'Cause you think you're such a hard boy, baby
You believe that you are a tough guy
And that's just the fix I'm into lately
But that's the type of person I am interested in right now
But I know I won't feel this way come tomorrow
However, I am aware that my feelings will change
So let's see how hard, how hard you actually are
Let's see how tough you really are
When I leave
When I walk away
Who hurt you and made you so guarded?
Who caused you pain and made you build walls around yourself?
Throwing dishes on the floor of my apartment
You are throwing dishes on my apartment floor
Took a pic just to show it off to your friends
You take pictures to show off to your friends
How come you're only calling at five in the morning
Why are you calling me only at 5am?
Just 'cause you're lonely out in New Orleans
Just because you are feeling lonely in New Orleans
Lucky I picked up, I wasn't busy
I was lucky to answer your call because I wasn't busy
One day I will be
But I will be busy someday
'Cause you think you're such a hard boy, baby
You believe that you are a tough guy
And that's just the fix I'm into lately
But that's the type of person I am interested in right now
I, I
When I leave
When I walk away
I, I leave
So let's see how hard, how hard you actually are
Let's see how tough you really are
When I leave
When I walk away
Writer(s): Jeremy Dussolliet, Timothy Paul Sommers, Brendan Brown, Lauren Elisabeth Frawley, Lawrence Michael Principato
Contributed by Jason C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
human0
nice. ive never listened to this artist, but i pretty sure she's gonna be a hit
Erin McCormack
New favorite song 😍 this is literally SO catchy and I absolutely love it!!
Jade🪐
THATS WHAT I SAID :O
My old one was my family and my one before that was dance monkey
harshitha
Me toooo!!
Erin McCormack
Fil Lebre I love the original too! I think I might prefer this version though!😂
Fil Lebre
Teenage Dirtbag by Wheatus
Zach Weir
Please make more music. You're so good!
emsessentials
This version is incredible! I've been listening to this song so much lately and it's great to have another rendition to replay!
AlFayazz Vlog
Frawley I believe in you 💕🔥🔥🔥
yyidhraa
This makes me want to cry about my boyfriend that’s cheating on me that doesn’t even exist