"I wanted to write a theme song for a TV show. Like if my life, my teenage years, was like a TV show, then what would be the soundtrack, the opening credits? It really reminded me of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and that kind of fast BPM you’d get in the ’80s. I think it’s at 130 or 140 BPM. I was really wild when I was a teenager, and that sense of adventure comes from a production like that. There’s a bit in the song where my mum’s telling me off, but that’s actually my voice. I realized that if I pitched my voice down, I sound exactly like my mum."
"This song is about my wild teenage years, the time of my life that I had the most fun and also found my love of music as a form of escape. My mum and I had the WORST relationship and evading her felt like a computer game."
– Rina Sawayama, Avex
"In my early teens, I was so fucking hormonal. My parents were recently separated, so I had a lot of anger. The song “Paradisin’” is based on a true story—I would go out, and my mum would hack into my MSN and talk to my friends and be like, “Where the fuck is Rina?” One time I lied to her and said I was going to a sleepover but I was actually going to an after-party with this band I was a groupie of. I think I was 15. My mum somehow found out which hotel the band was staying in, called the hotel, and demanded to speak to the manager of the band. Then the manager had to call the band and be like, “What the fuck are you doing? That girl is 15, I’m on the phone with her mum right now.” They shoved me into a taxi, and my mum did not speak to me for a week. She always threatened to send me to boarding school, but we could never afford it."
– Rina Sawayama, Pitchfork
Paradisin'
Rina Sawayama Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Went against everything you said
Summer of drinking in Trafalgar Square
Yeah, yeah
Then you threaten to send me to
Boarding school for the seventh time
I know we can't afford that
So I'm fine
Though I'm stuck in the middle of it all
Isn't life so, life so beautiful?
Paradisin'
Living my best life, drivin'
Drivin' you crazy
Paradisin'
Living my best life thrivin'
You say I'm misbehaving
But I'm just a kid, so save it
Let me have an unforgettable time of my life
First kiss in 2003
Making out, feeling carefree
But then his phone rings and
Your number's on the screen
"Oh fuck"
Hacked my MSN messenger
Blackmailed my best friend
Telling her, "Rina-"
Mom, I'm fine
Yeah, I bet you think I'm terrible
But you don't know nothing, not at all
Paradisin'
Living my best life drivin'
Drivin' you crazy
Paradisin'
Living my best life thrivin'
You say I'm misbehaving
But I'm just a kid, so save it
Let me have an unforgettable time of my life
Paradisin'
Living my best life drivin'
Drivin' you crazy
Paradisin'
Living my best life thrivin'
You say I'm misbehaving
But I'm just a kid, so save it
Let me have an unforgettable time of my life
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
In "Paradisin'" by Rina Sawayama, the singer reflects on their rebellious behavior as a teenager while at the same time defending their choices to their parents. The song is an angsty anthem to teenage rebellion, and the singer tries to justify their behavior to their parents who want them to lead a more disciplined life. The lyrics talk about how the singer has gone against everything their parents have told them to do, and how they have spent a summer drinking in Trafalgar Square, among other things. The singer's parents threaten to send them to boarding school for the seventh time, but the singer knows that they can't afford that. The singer then reflects on how, despite being stuck in the middle of everything, life is still beautiful.
In the second verse, the singer reminisces about their first kiss in 2003 and feeling carefree. However, their parents continue to harass them even then, through their phone calls and MSN messenger hacking. The singer tries to defend themselves and their actions by suggesting that their parents don't know what they're talking about and that they're just being overprotective.
Overall, "Paradisin'" is an anthem to teenage rebellion that invokes feelings of nostalgia, freedom, and defiance. The singer is simultaneously defensive and proud of their choices, and the song reflects the complexity of adolescent rebellion and how it is often misunderstood by adults.
Line by Line Meaning
I went and messed up again
I made a mistake once more
Went against everything you said
I disobeyed your advice
Summer of drinking in Trafalgar Square
I spent the summer drinking in Trafalgar Square
Then you threaten to send me to
You threatened to send me
Boarding school for the seventh time
To boarding school, for the seventh time
I know we can't afford that
I understand that it's unaffordable
So I'm fine
But I'm okay
Though I'm stuck in the middle of it all
Despite being caught in the middle of everything
Isn't life so, life so beautiful?
Isn't life wonderful?
Paradisin'
In paradise
Living my best life, drivin'
Living my best life, driving
Drivin' you crazy
Driving you crazy
Living my best life thrivin'
Thriving, living my best life
You say I'm misbehaving
You say I'm behaving badly
But I'm just a kid, so save it
But I'm just a child, so save it
Let me have an unforgettable time of my life
Let me have an unforgettable experience
First kiss in 2003
First kiss, in the year 2003
Making out, feeling carefree
Making out, without a care in the world
But then his phone rings and
But then his phone rings
Your number's on the screen
And your number appears on the screen
"Oh fuck"
Oh no
Hacked my MSN messenger
Hacked into my MSN messenger
Blackmailed my best friend
Blackmailed my best friend
Telling her, "Rina-"
Saying to her, "Rina-"
Mom, I'm fine
Mom, I'm okay
Yeah, I bet you think I'm terrible
You probably think I'm awful
But you don't know nothing, not at all
But you don't know anything, not even a little bit
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
La la la la la la la la
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Richard Cooper, Clarence Clarity, Jonny Lattimer, Rina Sawayama
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind