In April 2013, SZA released her S EP to good critical reviews— in July of that same year, it was announced she was signed to Top Dawg Entertainment and began working on her Z EP, which would eventually become a full-fledged album. Z was released in April 2014.
Her debut album, CTRL was released on June 9, 2017 through Top Dawg Entertainment and RCA Records. The album features guest appearances from Travis Scott, Kendrick Lamar, James Fauntleroy, and Isaiah Rashad. Upon release, CTRL was a massive critical and commercial success, and catapulted SZA into fame. The record debuted at #3 on the Billboard 200. The album then received acclaim from music critics, many praised its cohesiveness and production, as well as SZA's vocal delivery. In 2018, CTRL received 4 Grammy nominations. She was then nominated Best New Artist. The album was ranked at 472 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list, her first to do so.
After a 5 year hiatus from music, SZA released her second studio album, SOS on December 9, 2022 through Top Dawg Entertainment and RCA Records.The album features guest appearances from Don Toliver, Phoebe Bridgers, Travis Scott, and the late Ol' Dirty Bastard. Six singles were released between 2020 and 2023 to promote SOS, five were top-ten hits on the US Billboard Hot 100. The fifth, "Kill Bill", was SZA's first song to hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, SZA's first to do so, and also broke the record for the largest streaming week for an R&B album in the US alone. Several media publications ranked it as one of the best albums of 2022 and 2023. In 2023, it was ranked number 351 in Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, joining her debut album CTRL on the list.
To continue to promote the album, SZA had embarked on a North American, European, and Australian arena tour, the SOS Tour, from February 2023 to April 2024.
At the 66th Annual Grammy Awards, the album and its tracks received a total of nine nominations, including Album of the Year, and won Best Progressive R&B Album. The record was a total commercial success.
“LANA" is the upcoming third studio album/deluxe of SZAs second studio album “SOS" released through Top Dawg Entertainment and RCA Records. “Saturn" was released as the album's lead single on February 22, 2024, and was teased and performed at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards. SZA said herself that this deluxe became a whole other album. The album will be approximately 15 songs, and will include leaked songs from SOS. The deluxe was hinted at on December 10, 2023 through various photos posted on her Instagram captioned “LANA”.
Although there is no release date set, SZA did confirm the record will be released sometime in 2024.
Special
SZA Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She never wore any makeup and she owns couture
I got pimples where my beauty marks should be
I got dry skin on my elbows and knees
I never liked her, wanted to be like her
Hate how you look at her, 'cause you never saw me
Like I was an art piece, like I was an ordinary girl
I gave all my special
Away to a loser
Now I'm just a loser
I used to be special
But you made me hate me
Regret that I changed me
I hate that you made
Just like you
Just like you
I wanted to be thick, now I wanna be thin
Heard Pilates is in, bash your windows out
You gon' hear my mouth, you could kick me out
You say I'm too wild, you gon' hate me now
Boy, you got me fucked up, now I'm gettin' fucked up
Thinkin' 'bout us fuckin', why you'd have to fuck her?
I don't wanna see you, why'd you have to treat me
Like I was an ordinary girl?
I wish I was special
I gave all my special
Away to a loser
Now I'm just a loser
I used to be special
But you made me hate me
Regret that I changed me
I hate that you made me just like you
Just like you
(Just like you)
(Just like you)
(Just like you)
(Just like you)
In "Special," SZA expresses a longing to be a different person, specifically the girl from the Gucci store who never has to wear makeup and owns couture clothing. She compares herself to this girl and lists her own flaws, such as pimples and dry skin. SZA admits to jealousy and envy towards this girl, but also acknowledges that she never liked her and only wanted to be like her. She resents the way others look at this girl, believing that they never truly saw her. SZA then reflects on a past relationship, where she gave her all to someone who turned out to be a "loser," causing her to lose her own sense of specialness. She yearns to be the person she was before, but regrets changing herself to please this person. Throughout the song, SZA oscillates between self-loathing and anger towards the person who made her feel this way.
The song expresses a deeply personal and vulnerable sentiment that is relatable to many who struggle with self-image and the pressure to live up to certain societal standards. SZA conveys a sense of longing for a better self, but at the same time, recognizes the toxic patterns within her own behavior and thoughts. It can be interpreted as a criticism of societal beauty standards and the ways in which we often internalize and perpetuate them. SZA also touches upon the issue of toxic relationships and how they can cause us to lose our sense of self and specialness.
Line by Line Meaning
I wish I was that girl from the Gucci store
SZA wishes she was someone who could afford designer clothes and look effortlessly beautiful while doing so.
She never wore any makeup and she owns couture
The girl SZA envies doesn't even wear makeup and has expensive clothing items.
I got pimples where my beauty marks should be
SZA has acne where she wishes she had beauty marks, making her feel insecure.
I got dry skin on my elbows and knees
SZA has patches of dry skin on her body, which further add to her feelings of insecurity.
I never liked her, wanted to be like her
Despite envying the other girl, SZA never actually liked her and only wanted to be like her for her perceived beauty.
Hate how you look at her, 'cause you never saw me
SZA hates how her lover looks at the other girl because they never see her in the same beautiful light.
Like I was an art piece, like I was an ordinary girl
SZA felt like her lover treated her like a piece of art and only saw her as an ordinary girl, rather than someone special.
I wish I was special
SZA wishes she was unique and remarkable in the eyes of her lover.
I gave all my special
SZA gave everything that made her special to her lover.
Away to a loser
Her lover turned out to be a loser who didn't appreciate her.
Now I'm just a loser
Because her lover didn't appreciate her, SZA now feels like a loser.
I used to be special
Before her lover took everything that made her unique, SZA was special.
But you made me hate me
SZA's lover made her hate herself by not appreciating everything that made her special.
Regret that I changed me
SZA now regrets changing herself for someone who didn't appreciate her to begin with.
I hate that you made
SZA hates that her lover made her feel inadequate and insecure.
Just like you
SZA now feels like her lover and doesn't like it.
I wanted to be thick, now I wanna be thin
SZA had previously wanted a curvier body type, but now wants to be thin because of her insecurity.
Heard Pilates is in, bash your windows out
SZA is considering drastic measures like breaking things rather than just doing Pilates to change her body.
You gon' hear my mouth, you could kick me out
SZA is angry at her lover for making her feel this way and is willing to stand up for herself, even if it means being kicked out of the relationship.
You say I'm too wild, you gon' hate me now
SZA's lover is criticizing her for parts of her personality and she fears he will leave her because of it.
Boy, you got me fucked up, now I'm gettin' fucked up
SZA is upset and turning to substances to cope with her emotions.
Thinkin' 'bout us fuckin', why you'd have to fuck her?
SZA is thinking about her lover cheating on her and is wondering why he would choose someone else over her.
I don't wanna see you, why'd you have to treat me
SZA doesn't want to see her lover anymore and is questioning why he treated her so poorly.
Like I was an ordinary girl?
SZA is still upset about the fact that her lover didn't see her as unique and special.
Just like you
SZA repeats this line multiple times to emphasize how much she hates feeling like her lover.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Benjamin Levin, Blake Slatkin, Johan Karl Schuster, Omer Fedi, Solana Imani Rowe
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jjared1314
Verse 1]
I wish I was that girl from that Gucci store
She never wore any makeup and she owns couture
I got pimples where my beauty marks should be
I got dry skin on my elbows and knees
I never liked her, wanted to be like her
Hate how you look at her 'cause you never saw me
Like I was an art piece, like I was an ordinary girl
[Chorus]
I wish I was special
I gave all my special
Away to a loser
Now I'm just a loser
I used to be special
But you made me hate me
Regret that I changed me
I hate that you made me
Just like you
Just like you
[Verse 2]
I wanted to be thick, now I wanna be thin
Heard Pilates is in, bash your windows out
You gon' hear my mouth, you could kick me out
You say I'm too wild, you gon' hate me now
Boy, you got me fucked up, now I'm gettin' fucked up
Thinkin' 'bout us fucking, why you'd have to fuck her?
I don't wanna see you, why'd you have to treat me
Like I was an ordinary girl?
[Chorus]
I wish I was special
I gave all my special
Away to a loser
Now I'm just a loser
I used to be special
But you made me hate me
Regret that I changed me
I hate that you made me
Just like you
Just like you
[Outro]
(Just like you)
(Just like you)
(Just like you)
(Just like you)
@shiaxne
LYRICS:
[Verse 1]
I wish I was that girl from that Gucci store
She never wore any makeup and she owns couture
I got pimples where my beauty marks should be
I got dry skin on my elbows and knees
I never liked her, wanted to be like her
Hate how you look at her 'cause you never saw me
Like I was an art piece, like I was an ordinary girl
[Chorus]
I wish I was special
I gave all my special
Away to a loser
Now I'm just a loser
I used to be special
But you made me hate me
Regret that I changed me
I hate that you made me
Just like you
Just like you
[Verse 2]
I wanted to be thick, now I wanna be thin
Heard Pilates is in, bust your windows out
You gon' hear my mouth, you could kick me out
You say I'm too wild, you gon' hate me now
Boy, you got me fucked up, now I'm gettin' fucked up
Thinkin' 'bout us fucking, why you'd have to fuck her?
I don't wanna see you, why'd you have to treat me
Like I was an ordinary girl?
[Chorus]
I wish I was special
I gave all my special
Away to a loser
Now I'm just a loser
I used to be special
But you made me hate me
Regret that I changed me
I hate that you made me
Just like you
Just like you
[Outro]
(Just like you)
(Just like you)
(Just like you)
(Just like you)
@x0Neymar_
She sings what we all hide inside and wanna say out loud 🤍
@aaron-bs5th
summed it up perfectly ❤
@jazminejackson4587
Exactly
@symonecapri5339
Felt this
@leahhaji
facts
@leahhaji
@The King sure I’ll check it out now :)!
@xlovlukki
I love how she is using the literal opposite lyrics of "Normal Girl" from CTRL where she is continuously wishing to be normal, but after getting heart broken and treated as if she was nothing she wants to be special. Top tier artist we have here ladies and gentlemen!
@akeehlauhh426
You just gave me the vibes I couldn’t put into words
@ChayMilani
yesss
@garanceahran7953
Female logic which is not logic at all 😂