Few people know who Lewis Capaldi was before Someone You Loved.
It was his first hit single and the song that introduced most of us to the Scottish singer.
Audiences worldwide loved the song.
But they also began speculating about the Someone You Loved lyrics meaning.
What in the world was Capaldi singing about?
He has actually explained it himself. Keep reading to find out exactly what he had in mind when writing the lyrics. It turns out, he actually had two different, yet somewhat related, ideas in his head.
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Someone You Loved Lyrics And Meaning
Someone You Loved was written by Lewis Capaldi and released in November 2018. It comes from his debut album Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent, which was released a little later in May 2019.
Someone You Loved also featured on Capaldi’s second extended play: Breach. The song enjoyed instant success and has since become a classic that is still played on all the popular radio stations.
It’s a moving song with intense and emotional lyrics. That only added to its quick success.
Capaldi said it took him a lengthy six months to write the song. It is commonly said that the best songs are just supposed to fall into a songwriter’s lap.
Capaldi disagreed with this, instead stating that he believed the best songs come from sitting at a piano and wanting to bash your head against it.
The music video for Someone You Loved was directed by Ozzie Pullin and adds a further meaning to the song. Capaldi is portrayed as a hospital worker who is haunted by the memories of a loved one who has since passed away
The loved one is played Selma Vilhunen who is an actress and model. The story behind the music video emphasizes the feeling of grief and mourning.
The song reached number one in the U.K. and stayed there for a huge seven weeks. It then stayed in the top ten for a further 31 weeks. Someone You Loved also did incredibly well in the US. It topped the Billboard Hot 100 and was streamed excessively on Spotify.
It reached three billion streams by 2023, showing just how popular the song became. It also peaked at number one on the Irish charts and the Canadian Hot 100.
Someone You Loved received critical success. too. It won a Brit Award for Song of the Year and the Ivor Novello Award for Most Played Song.
Someone You Loved Lyrics
Verse 1
I’m going under, and this time, I fear there’s no one to save me
This all or nothing really got a way of driving me crazy
I need somebody to hear, somebody to know
Somebody to have, somebody to hold
It’s easy to say, but it’s never the same
I guess I kinda liked the way you numbed all the pain
Chorus
Now, the day bleeds into nightfall
And you’re not here to get me through it all
I let my guard down and then you pulled the rug
I was getting kinda used to being someone you loved
Verse 2
I’m going under, and this time, I fear there’s no one to turn to
This all or nothing way of loving got me sleeping without you
Now, I need somebody to know, somebody to hear
Somebody to have, just to know how it feels
It’s easy to say, but it’s never the same
I guess I kinda like the way you help me escape
Chorus
Now, the day bleeds into nightfall
And you’re not here to get me through it all
I let my guard down and then you pulled the rug
I was getting kinda used to being someone you loved
Bridge
And I tend to close my eyes when it hurts sometimes
I fall into your arms
I’ll be safe in your sound till I come back around
Chorus
For now, the day bleeds into nightfall
And you’re not here to get me through it all
I let my guard down and then you pulled the rug
I was getting kinda used to being someone you loved
But now the day bleeds into nightfall
And you’re not here to get me through it all
I let my guard down and then you pulled the rug
I was getting kinda used to being someone you loved
I let my guard down and then you pulled the rug
I was getting kinda used to being someone you loved
Someone You Loved Meaning
There was plenty of speculation about the meaning of the song when it was first released. Capaldi was a brand-new artist whom no one had ever heard of before.
People were not used to his style or familiar with the trends of his music. Fans began to guess what his debut single was about. After the song became a huge success, Capaldi was regularly interviewed and was able to speak about his reasons for writing the song.
Someone You Loved is about loss: the loss of either a relationship or a loved one. Capaldi has said that he wrote the song about the end of a relationship, but that he was also influenced by family loss, especially his grandmother.
The dual meaning is reflected in the lyrics where Capaldi sings “Now the day bleeds, into night fall, and you’re not here, to get me through it all.”
These lyrics really show the pain behind losing a loved one. And even if it is just a relationship that has ended, and not a loved one who died, the end of a relationship still has an element of grieving.
In an interview, Capaldi said the song “is about whether you’ve moved on or not from someone.” He describes the song as being about still loving a person but wanting to move on from them.
The lyrics have a sense of vulnerability to them such as “I’m going under and this time there’s no one to save me.” This really reflects the emotions that you feel when you lose someone important to you. It makes the song relatable and that’s probably why Someone You Loved received so much commercial success.
Someone You Loved Lyrics Meaning: Final Thoughts
The Someone You Loved lyrics meaning is a relatable message about the emotional impact of loss and heartbreak. Capaldi’s personal experience of coping with the passing of his grandmother adds depth and authenticity to the song.
But he also had the end of a relationship in mind, in addition to dealing with the loss of a loved one. Both meaning work well in the song and that is a big reason it resonated so well with many listeners. And the song continues to connect with audiences on a profound level, making it as timeless as it is beautiful and emotional.
Another song about loss comes from the band Live. It was a huge hit back in the 90s. To learn all about it, check out our breakdown of the Lightning Crashes lyrics and their meaning.
For a song about a relationship that is not especially strong, check our our analysis of the Skinny Love lyrics and their meaning.
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