The track became the band’s first to hit one-hundred million streams on Spotify, and did so on April 7th 2019.
Just a month later, the track also became their first single to be certified gold by the RIAA – moving over 500,000 units within nine months.
The song is about being scared of falling in love with someone new, trusting them, and finally saying those eight letters despite previous heartbreak. The song shares a similar meaning with a previous Why Don’t We song, “Runner”, albeit being told from the opposite perspective.
"I remember we were in this writing camp. We literally probably made 70 songs there. It was actually lunchtime, and I finished eating early as I usually do. I went into studio C or something like that. There were these writers, they had that synth thing going, and starting to come up with lyrics and stuff, and I remember I ran over to Daniel, and I was like “Yo, they have like some crazy stuff going on in studio C, you got to come over”, we went and just sat in there, on the session, and just helped out. Because there would be days, we’d have like 5 studios going every day, so there’d be days some of us would be in 1 studio, some of us would be in the next studio. So, we were all working on something crazy, we’re like “yo, come in here.”"
"They were coming up with ideas like every single second. And they are so fresh. It was cool too, I mean, some writers, you go in, and they’re very independent, like they are doing their thing, and they have a way of doing it on their own, and that’s cool, you still want them to come and bring their ideas. But these guys are so cool because we would just come into the session, and they would totally be open to us adding ideas, or just coming in and listening, and like, so I don’t know, they were really chill guys, we could just hang with them. Johnny is just the freshest man on this earth. He has a different mind. He’s a really chill guy, and it was cool, because he would kinda really take life experiences and start ranting about them, and out of nowhere, a lyric would pop up from this rant he just did. And the Monsters have a really dope name. They would just take music a lot of places you wouldn’t expect it to go, like you would hear this, and that’s what a lot of people would hear, and then The Monsters would be like, we’re the Monsters, and it’d interesting to see where they would take it. I think this is a deeper song than we’ve ever really put out before. We’re tapping into some real emotional stuff. It was so, like, crazy to be working with the people we got to work with on this song, because we dreamt of working with them. It was super cool."
8 Letters
why don't we Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You know my worst, see me hurt, but you don't judge
That, right there, is the scariest feeling
Opening and closing up again
I've been hurt so I don't trust
Now here we are, staring at the ceiling
I've said those words before but it was a lie
If all it is is eight letters
Why is it so hard to say?
If all it is is eight letters
Why am I in my own way?
Why do I pull you close
And then ask you for space
If all it is is eight letters
Why is it so hard to say?
Isn't it amazing how almost every line on our hands align
When your hand's in mine
It's like I'm whole again, isn't that a sign
I should speak my mind
I've said those words before but it was a lie
And you deserve to hear them a thousand times
If all it is is eight letters
Why is it so hard to say?
If all it is is eight letters
Why am I in my own way?
Why do I pull you close
And then ask you for space?
If all it is is eight letters
Why is it so hard to say? (Whoa oh, yeah)
Uh uh
When I close my eyes
It's you there in my mind
When I close my eyes
If all it is is eight letters
Why is it so hard to say?
If all it is is eight letters
Why am I in my own way?
Why do I pull you close
And then ask you for space
If all it is is eight letters
Why is it so hard to say?
If all it is is eight letters
When I close my eyes
It's you there in my mind (it's only you)
When I close my eyes
If all it is is eight letters
When I close my eyes
It's you there in my mind (you)
When I close my eyes
If all it is is eight letters
The song "8 Letters" by Why Don't We is a beautiful love song about expressing your feelings to someone special. The lyrics delve into the fear of vulnerability and the struggle to express one's true feelings. The first verse highlights the singer's fear of being vulnerable and the feeling of being judged by someone who knows both their best and worst moments. The lyrics emphasize how scary this feeling can be, and how it can lead to someone opening and closing up emotionally. The fear and insecurity are further emphasized in the second verse when the singer repeats that they've said these words before, but it was a lie. They feel like they have to say those words many times to make it true.
However, as the song progresses, the lyrics highlight a shift in emotions. The bridge talks about how the lines on the singer's hand match perfectly with their partner's hand, and that it's a sign that they should speak their mind, and express their feelings. The song then ends with a repetition of the chorus, but with a different emphasis on the last line. The final line, "When I close my eyes, it's you there in my mind" reinforces the idea the singer wants to express their love as they keep thinking about their loved one.
Line by Line Meaning
You know me the best
You understand me better than anyone else
You know my worst, see me hurt, but you don't judge
You've seen me at my lowest, but you never judged me for it
That, right there, is the scariest feeling
Being vulnerable with you scares me the most
Opening and closing up again
I'm hesitant to open up because I'm scared you'll hurt me like others have
I've been hurt so I don't trust
Past hurts have made it difficult for me to trust again
Now here we are, staring at the ceiling
We're lying here together, but I'm still scared to share my feelings
I've said those words before but it was a lie
I've told you I love you before, but I wasn't being honest
And you deserve to hear them a thousand times
You deserve to hear me say that I truly love you over and over
If all it is is eight letters
The phrase 'I love you' is made up of just eight letters
Why is it so hard to say?
Why is it so difficult for me to express my love for you?
Why am I in my own way?
What is stopping me from being able to say these three simple words?
Why do I pull you close and then ask you for space?
Why am I so inconsistent in my affection for you?
Isn't it amazing how almost every line on our hands align
Isn't it incredible how well we fit together?
When your hand's in mine, it's like I'm whole again, isn't that a sign
When we're together, I feel complete and happy, is that a sign that we should be together?
I should speak my mind
I should be honest with you about my feelings
When I close my eyes, it's you there in my mind
I think about you all the time, even when you're not here with me
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Marcus Lomax, Jonny Price, James Abrahart, Stefan Johnson, Jordan K. Johnson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@haewonloml9477
You know me the best
You know my worst, see me hurt, but you don't judge
That right there is the scariest feeling
Opening and closing up again
I've been hurt, so I don't trust
Now here we are, staring at the ceiling
I've said those words before, but it was a lie
And you deserve to hear them a thousand times
If all it is is eight letters
Why is it so hard to say?
If all it is is eight letters
Why am I in my own way?
Why do I pull you close?
And then ask you for space
If all it is is eight letters
Why is it so hard to say?
Isn't it amazing how almost every line on our hands align?
When your hand's in mine
It's like I'm whole again, isn't that a sign?
I should speak my mind
I've said those words before, but it was a lie
And you deserve to hear them a thousand times
If all it is is eight letters
Why is it so hard to say?
If all it is is eight letters
Why am I in my own way?
Why do I pull you close?
And then ask you for space
If all it is is eight letters
Why is it so hard to say? (Woah, oh yeah)
When I close my eyes
It's you there in my mind
When I close my eyes
If all it is is eight letters
Why is it so hard to say?
If all it is is eight letters
Why am I in my own way?
Why do I pull you close?
And then ask you for space
If all it is is eight letters
Why is it so hard to say?
If all it is is eight letters
When I close my eyes
It's you there in my mind (it's only you)
When I close my eyes
If all it is is eight letters
When I close my eyes
It's you there in my mind (you)
When I close my eyes
If all it is is eight letters
@soulmatechan
8 Letters:
I love you
I miss you
I am sorry
I need you
I want you
I like you
I hate you
#8Letters
Edit: These are some other words I took from a comment section:
I got food.
Fortnite
I love wdw
I am tired
I'm hungry
Thank you
I am yours
Fartface
Pregnant
Self love
We're done
Lavender
I am Groot
I'm hooked
I love kfc
Taco Bell
8 letters
I still do
Elephant
Cold in LA
Big Plans
Chipotle
Peppa Pig
I had hope
Thug life
Mad at you
I'm wasted
I need you
Everyday
Annoying
Lip gloss
I lost you
Stay home
I fuck you
I know you
Sayonara
Take care
I got lost
I love pie
Big brain
Bisexual
Nintendo
Surprise
Forget me
Forget us
Let him go
Comeback
And so on and so forth.....thank you for all the likes and replies I never had so many ☺️🙏❤️
@rubinaruth8293
Who's here in 2024
@piatorralba8358
I'm here ❤❤
@geraldantawag8960
Sup 🙌😊
@geraldantawag8960
My therapy during my anxiety attack ❤
@sdshuxiong8212
Me
@SmilingEspressoMachine-sx4vx
Im here for Faceless girl
@Haji84
Corbyn’s high notes just took me to the heaven👼
@youtuberedm5571
ʕʘ‿ʘʔHaji84ʕʘ‿ʘʔ 😇😇
@nancyhaddad6777
Ikr
@lilmac06
It looks like he was in heaven🏁❤️