Under the Rex Orange County moniker, O'Connor has released one mixtape, bcos u will never b free, and three studio albums: Apricot Princess, Pony, and Who Cares?. Both Pony and Who Cares? made the top 5 in the UK and US, and the latter topped the UK Albums Chart. O'Connor also released a live album, entitled Live at Radio City Music Hall, in 2020.
Alexander James O'Connor was born on 4 May 1998, to Nina and Phil O'Connor, a professional sports photographer. He grew up in the village of Grayshott, Hampshire near Haslemere. O'Connor's interest in music began at a young age. At age 5, O'Connor joined the choir at the school where his mother worked. He became a drummer and later taught himself piano. The name Rex Orange County is based on a teacher-given nickname, "The OC", after his surname O'Connor.
At age 16, O'Connor began playing the guitar and started to produce his own music using Apple's Logic software. At this age, he also began attending the BRIT School where he studied drumming and was one of four percussionists in his year; the relative rareness of his primary instrument provided him with wide exposure to various projects of others in his school which he credits with exposing him to new music.
On 4 September 2015, O'Connor self-released his debut album bcos u will never b free on SoundCloud and Bandcamp. Upon listening to the album, fellow English musician and producer Two Inch Punch got in touch with him, providing him with a management team. The two have continued to collaborate throughout O'Connor's career in the form of the tracks "UNO", "Best Friend", and "Untitled". The album also caught the attention of American rapper Tyler, the Creator, who sent him an email describing his enjoyment of the project. This led to him flying O'Connor out the following year to Los Angeles to collaborate on his album Flower Boy, with him co-writing and contributing vocals to the songs "Boredom" and "Foreword". On 17 November 2016, O'Connor released the single "UNO", a song Clash magazine described by writing, "The buoyant keyboard riff underpins a hypnotic half-spoken vocal, one that veers from topic to topic in a hazy burst of creative mania." On 25 January 2017, he released the single “Best Friend” (premiering on Apple Music's Beats 1 station), followed later in the year by the release of his second album Apricot Princess. His work was compared by Aimee Cliff of The Fader in 2017 to "other artsy, post-genre teen artists, such as Kevin Abstract or Steve Lacy".
O'Connor's first release following the success of Apricot Princess and Flower Boy was on 11 October 2017 with the single "Loving Is Easy", created in collaboration with the Dutch artist Benny Sings. On 16 April 2018, he performed the song in his television debut on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. On 31 May 2018, he released a cover of "You've Got a Friend in Me" in collaboration with Randy Newman, the creator of the song. He was also featured in Spotify's Rise Program.
On 9 October 2018, O'Connor was scheduled to appear on the French television program Quotidien, but refused to perform because it featured a sketch by comedian Alison Wheeler parodying the Ku Klux Klan, which he called "tasteless".
On 14 February 2019, O'Connor released the single "New House". Later that year on 12 September, he released "10/10"; the lead single from his third album Pony. Released on 25 October 2019, Pony was his first major-label album released through RCA Records.
On 30 September 2020, O'Connor released an EP with recordings from his performance at Radio City Music Hall in New York City during his Pony tour titled Live at Radio City Music Hall alongside a documentary released on YouTube. This documentary showed the events leading up to this performance as well as the early conclusion of the Pony tour due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In October 2020, O'Connor confirmed that he was in the process of recording a fourth studio album titled Who Cares? In January 2021, he liked a Tweet seemingly confirming that it would be released at some point later that year. However, this did not materialize. On 13 January 2022, he began officially teasing the album, sending out postcards containing a phone number that when called, a snippet of the song would play. The album was released on 11 March 2022, and was his first to top the UK Albums Chart, entering ahead of Impera by Ghost.
Growing up, O'Connor listened to Queen, ABBA, Stevie Wonder, and American alternative artists like Weezer and Green Day. He cites these artists and others as core inspirations for his own music.
Every Way
Rex Orange County Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You know I'm troubled, but I know you can understand
I'm sorry for the strain
No one prepares you for the way in which things change
But you've been amazing, saw me through my darkest stage
And you always forgave me
And now you love me just the same
And I hope you know
That I think about you in every single way
You're more familiar to me, more and more each day
I cry in front of you, and it's very necessary, babe
I will care about you, in every way I can
In the beginning of Rex Orange County's song Every Way, the lyrics reveal that the singer deeply cares about their partner in every possible way. Although he may have some struggles and issues to deal with, he knows that his partner can comprehend and empathize with him. He apologizes for the stress he has caused, but also acknowledges that no one is ever prepared for the way things change, and his partner provided unwavering support throughout his darkest phase. He shows great gratitude to his partner for always being there for him and never giving up on him.
As the chorus of the song proceeds, the singer signals to his partner just how much they mean to him. Every thought he has is consumed by his partner's presence, and this fact is undoubtedly essential. The relationship is growing progressively stronger with each passing day, and the singer no longer hesitates to show his vulnerable side to the one he trusts so much. He concludes the song by reiterating his dedication to his partner and his commitment to loving them in every way possible.
Line by Line Meaning
I care about you, in every way I can
I love you and will do all that I can to express that
You know I'm troubled, but I know you can understand
Despite my flaws, I believe you can empathize with me
I'm sorry for the strain
I apologize for any difficulty our relationship has caused
No one prepares you for the way in which things change
Life can be unpredictable and changes can be challenging
But you've been amazing, saw me through my darkest stage
You have been incredibly supportive and helped me through my toughest times
And you always forgave me
You have shown me mercy and understanding when I've made mistakes
And now you love me just the same
Despite all our struggles, your love for me remains constant
It means the most, I hope you know
Your love and support is invaluable to me
And I hope you know
I want you to understand just how important you are to me
That I think about you in every single way
You are constantly on my mind and hold a special place in my heart
You're more familiar to me, more and more each day
Our connection grows stronger and deeper with time
I cry in front of you, and it's very necessary, babe
I feel comfortable being vulnerable with you and trust you with my emotions
I will care about you, in every way I can
I promise to always care for you to the best of my ability
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Alexander James O'Connor
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@lathifah3519
- l y r i c s -
[Verse]
I care about you, in every way I can
You know I'm troubled, but I know you can understand
I'm sorry for the strain
No one prepares you for the way in which things change
But you've been amazing, saw me through my darkest stage
And you always forgave me
And now you love me just the same
[Chorus]
It means the most, I hope you know
And I hope you know
That I think about you in every single way
[Outro]
You're more familiar to me, more and more each day
I cry in front of you, and it's very necessary, babe
I will care about you, in every way I can
@JP-fq3gk
Every Way"
I care about you in every way I can
You know I'm troubled but I know you can understand
I'm sorry for the strain
No one prepares you the way in which things change
But you've been amazing, saw me through my darkest stage
And you always forgave me and now you love me just the same
It means the most, I hope you know
And I hope you know that I think about you in every single way
You're more familiar to me more and more each day
I cry in-front of you and it's very necessary babe
I care about you in every way I can
@lathifah3519
- l y r i c s -
[Verse]
I care about you, in every way I can
You know I'm troubled, but I know you can understand
I'm sorry for the strain
No one prepares you for the way in which things change
But you've been amazing, saw me through my darkest stage
And you always forgave me
And now you love me just the same
[Chorus]
It means the most, I hope you know
And I hope you know
That I think about you in every single way
[Outro]
You're more familiar to me, more and more each day
I cry in front of you, and it's very necessary, babe
I will care about you, in every way I can
@popee6907
People like you are the reason Im still alive, thank you❤️
@lathifah3519
@Cup-O-Ramen urwell 💫
@flynnflynn414
Someone I hold really close to my heart sent me this song. Thank you for the lyrics.
@youtubedrifter5594
I love you guys
@murielcostela9022
the amount of love i have for his music is insane
@anna-yp9cm
muriel costela Same lol
@usernotfound111
muriel costela SAME AH
@benji4450
I'm right there with you, its inspiring.
@cotufasinsal
muriel costela it’s celestial