Heather and Ciara met at BIMM Institute and formed the band Creek in 2013 with guitarist Ben Bateman and bassist Ryan Marsden. Their song “Lust” gained local popularity and received radio airplay, leading to a number of local gigs. In 2014, band changed its name to Pale Waves and Hugo and Charlie joined soon after, in 2015. Heather has said that the band name comes from the title of a painting owned by her grandmother.
They were signed to record label Dirty Hit in 2016 and their first two singles, 2017's "There's a Honey" and "Television Romance", were produced by Matthew Healy of labelmates The 1975. Their first EP, All the Things I Never Said, was released in February 2018. In September 2018, they released their debut album My Mind Makes Noises.
Early in 2019, the band shared plans to release an EP that year, but decided later to focus on their second album. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020—as well as the decision to approach the new album with a different stylistic direction inspired by the music of the 1990s and 2000s—delayed the production and release of new music until late 2020.
The band’s second album, Who Am I?, was released on February 12, 2021, preceded by the single "Change”, which was released on November 10, 2020. It debuted at #3 on the UK Albums Chart.
Unwanted, Pale Waves' third album, was released on August 12, 2022. The album represents yet another stylistic leap for the band, this time adding pop punk influences to their evolving sound.
Act My Age
Pale Waves Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Everything that I know
Hitting me hard, caught me off guard
Where did all the time go?
Days are getting colder
When I think of getting older
I go back to when I had no doubts
Took a good look in the mirror
Better get my shit together now
Wish that I could slow this down
I gotta face it now
Wish you were still around
So tell me when did it start falling apart?
Everything that I know
Hitting me hard, caught me off guard
Where did all the time go?
I can feel those easy days slip away as
Memories fade, nothing's the same
Guess I better act my age
Filled with innocence
But lately nothing's making sense
I try to get it right but don't know how
Took it all for granted
Guess I didn't understand it
They say that youth is wasted on the young
So tell me when did it start falling apart?
Everything that I know
Hitting me hard, caught me off guard
Where did all the time go?
I can feel those easy days slip away as
Memories fade, nothing's the same
Guess I better act my age
I miss the days when we were younger
'Cause now I feel like I'm going under
Somehow time slipped through our fingers
Yeah, I miss the days, miss the days
When we were younger
(Yeah, I miss the days, miss the day)
So tell me when did it start falling apart?
Everything that I know
Hitting me hard, caught me off guard
Where did all the time go?
I can feel those easy days slip away as
Memories fade, nothing's the same
Guess I better act my age
"Pale Waves" Act My Age is a song that dwells on the introspection of the artist, wherein they lament about how quickly time passes by. The first stanza talks about a time when everything was perfect, but now everything seems to be falling apart. The time has flown by, and the artist is caught unawares by the sudden realization that they are getting older. The days are getting colder, and the thought of getting older is daunting. The artist now looks back at a time when they had no doubts, and they thought the good times would last forever. However, now they are introspective and believe it's time to get their life together.
The second stanza talks about how the artist is struggling to make sense of things that used to be easy to understand. As they grow older, they realize that they took everything for granted and didn't understand its worth. The artist misses being young, and being carefree.
In the chorus, the artist is questioning when everything started falling apart. They are hit hard by the realization that they're getting older and signifying the ever-passing time, they say everything that they know is slipping away. The memories of the easy days are fading, and nothing seems to be the same anymore. The chorus ends with the artist reconciling that they better start acting their age.
Overall, "Act My Age" is an introspective song that delves into the artist's thoughts about growing older, time passing by, and the need to act their age. The recurrent theme of time slipping away resonates with listeners, reminding them that life is short, and time, once gone, is a commodity that can never be reclaimed.
Line by Line Meaning
So tell me when did it start falling apart?
The singer questions when things started to go wrong
Everything that I know
The singer is feeling lost about what they know
Hitting me hard, caught me off guard
The situation is impacting the singer unexpectedly and strongly
Where did all the time go?
The artist is feeling the passage of time strongly
Days are getting colder
The artist is feeling the changing of seasons
When I think of getting older
The singer is starting to think about aging
I go back to when I had no doubts
The singer remembers a time when they had more confidence
Thought these times would last forever
The artist is realizing that things have changed and won't be the same
Took a good look in the mirror
The artist is reflecting on themselves and their situation
Better get my shit together now
The artist is realizing that they need to take action to improve their situation
Wish that I could slow this down
The singer wishes time would slow down
I gotta face it now
The artist realizes they need to deal with the situation at hand
Wish you were still around
The singer misses someone who is no longer around
I can feel those easy days slip away as
The singer is losing the sense of ease they once had
Memories fade, nothing's the same
The past is becoming less clear and the present is different
Guess I better act my age
The artist decides they need to take responsibility and act maturely
Filled with innocence
The artist was once innocent and naive
But lately nothing's making sense
The singer is struggling to understand their situation
I try to get it right but don't know how
The singer is attempting to improve their situation but doesn't know how to do it
Took it all for granted
The artist realizes they didn't appreciate what they had when they had it
Guess I didn't understand it
The artist realizes they didn't fully comprehend their situation
They say that youth is wasted on the young
Others believe that young people don't appreciate their youth
I miss the days when we were younger
The singer misses a time when things were simpler
'Cause now I feel like I'm going under
The artist feels overwhelmed and sucked under by their current situation
Somehow time slipped through our fingers
The singer wishes they had more time and that it hadn't passed by so quickly
Yeah, I miss the days, miss the days
The singer really misses the past
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Heather Baron-Gracie, Samuel De Jong
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
비정한세상
[Intro]So tell me when did it start falling apart?
Everything that I know
Hitting me hard, caught me off guard
Where did all the time go?
[Verse 1]Days are getting colder
When I think of getting older
I go back to when I had no doubts
Thought those times would last forever
Took a good look in the mirror
Better get my shit together now
[Pre-Chorus]Wish that I could slow this down
I gotta face it now
Wish you were still around
[Chorus]So tell me when did it start falling apart?
Everything that I know
Hitting me hard, caught me off guard
Where did all the time go?
I can feel those easy days slip away as
Mеmories fade, nothing's the samе
Guess I'd better act my age
[Verse 2]Filled with innocence
But lately nothing's making sense
I try to get it right but don't know how
Took it all for granted
Guess I didn't understand it
They say that youth is wasted on the young
[Bridge]I miss the days when we were younger
'Cause now I feel like I'm going under
Somehow time slipped through our fingers
Yeah, I miss the days, miss the days
When we were younger
(Yeah, I miss the days, miss the days)
Thomas Chapais-Roy
I hope this one becomes a fan favourite. The whole album is 10/10 but this one has a little something 🖤
Valkyrie
This band is so special to me given we’re a relatively small fan base and get to experience this amazing music before major stardom
Leonardo Lodagin
This one speaks to me on a deeper level.
I started listening to you guys in 2020 like a bit of a guilty pleasure and now you are my all time favourite band.
Ellie.
Genuinely cant pick a favourite off the album, every song is a banger!
비정한세상
[Intro]So tell me when did it start falling apart?
Everything that I know
Hitting me hard, caught me off guard
Where did all the time go?
[Verse 1]Days are getting colder
When I think of getting older
I go back to when I had no doubts
Thought those times would last forever
Took a good look in the mirror
Better get my shit together now
[Pre-Chorus]Wish that I could slow this down
I gotta face it now
Wish you were still around
[Chorus]So tell me when did it start falling apart?
Everything that I know
Hitting me hard, caught me off guard
Where did all the time go?
I can feel those easy days slip away as
Mеmories fade, nothing's the samе
Guess I'd better act my age
[Verse 2]Filled with innocence
But lately nothing's making sense
I try to get it right but don't know how
Took it all for granted
Guess I didn't understand it
They say that youth is wasted on the young
[Bridge]I miss the days when we were younger
'Cause now I feel like I'm going under
Somehow time slipped through our fingers
Yeah, I miss the days, miss the days
When we were younger
(Yeah, I miss the days, miss the days)
Autumn Zuber
My fav song off of the album! ❤️ Heather’s voice is amazing!!
titanfabulousunicyclerollernaja
Make an MV of this, I am wholeheartedly sure it will get so famous
ztb21R
great album 💛
Gabriel Ferreira
This one has MAJOR star-quality guys 🔥🌟🌟
Lily
Absolute best song in the album