What's Normal Anyway

Album: Wildheart (2015)
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Songfacts®:

  • This loner anthem was inspired by Miguel's middle years at school, when he was "too proper for the black kids" but "too black for the Mexicans."

    "I always stuck out like a f--king sore thumb," he told Spin. "Look at me, man. My name is Latin, but I'm obviously black too. And my eyes make me look Asian. I've always been creative, always dressed the way I wanted, always spoke properly… You know how middle school can be. It was like, 'What the f--k is he?'"
  • The song finds Miguel exploring his racial identity. "It was a challenge for people to understand. It was always a question of, 'What are you? Where do you come from?'" the black and Mexican singer told Billboard magazine. "And I guess it kind of rubs off on you... and you wonder, 'Who do I identify with more?' The ("Too proper for the black kids, too black for the Mexicans") opening line is kind of like the beginning - it was part of my personal journey."

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