Selfish

Album: Life Support (2020)
Charted: 53 119
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • "Selfish" is an emotional ballad in which Madison Beer recounts a tale of romantic disentanglement.

    Shouldn't love you, but I couldn't help it
    Had a feeling that you never felt it
    I always knew that you were too damn selfish
    Don't know why I looked the other way


    After months of being hurt, the songstress finally realized her lover is "too damn selfish" for the relationship to work. It hit home that her ex never reciprocated her love, and she now feels betrayed by him.
  • Many fans believe Madison Beer is referencing her toxic relationship with socialite Zack Bia. The pair dated on-and-off between 2017 and 2019. That Beer has described this as her "most-personal" song she has released to date adds further credence to the theory.
  • Madison Beer has previously released several empowering self-love anthems, but this intimate song finds her letting her guard down. She told Radio.com: "I'm so ready to have this vulnerable side of me out in the world. I feel like it's been a long time I've been pushing this narrative of - badass, I hate my ex I'm doing my thing, I'm a cool girl - it's time to wipe that away a little bit and show the real me. The nerdy, sad, lonely girl inside."

    "That's the part to me that I'm so excited to show because I think that a lot of people misjudge me and misunderstand me because of the narrative I've pushed in my music so much," Beer added. "I'm only 20 years old, I'm a very emotional girl, I'm a Pisces so, filled with tears all the time. I just think it's really important to show that side. Especially as an artist."
  • Madison Beer co-wrote and co-produced the song with frequent collaborator Leroy Clampitt, also known as Big Taste. Clampitt's other credits include Justin Bieber's "Company" and Sage the Gemni's "Now and Later."

    The other credited writers of the song are Jeremy Dussoliet, Tim Sommers, Elizabeth Lowell Boland, and Jaramye Daniels.
  • The themes of empowerment and breaking free of restraints run throughout Life Support. Beer told The Sun, "I want young girls to listen to this album and feel empowered - about themselves, about their relationships."

    She added: "With a song like Selfish, I want them to know that it's OK to reminisce and get sad about somebody who treated you poorly."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Rickie Lee Jones

Rickie Lee JonesSongwriter Interviews

Rickie Lee Jones on songwriting, social media, and how she's handling Trump.

Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders

Chrissie Hynde of The PretendersSongwriter Interviews

The rock revolutionist on songwriting, quitting smoking, and what she thinks of Rush Limbaugh using her song.

Don Dokken

Don DokkenSongwriter Interviews

Dokken frontman Don Dokken explains what broke up the band at the height of their success in the late '80s, and talks about the botched surgery that paralyzed his right arm.

Donny Osmond

Donny OsmondSongwriter Interviews

Donny Osmond talks about his biggest hits, his Vegas show, and the fan who taught him to take "Puppy Love" seriously.

Van Dyke Parks

Van Dyke ParksSongwriter Interviews

U2, Carly Simon, Joanna Newsom, Brian Wilson and Fiona Apple have all gone to Van Dyke Parks to make their songs exceptional.

Little Richard

Little RichardFact or Fiction

Was Long Tall Sally a cross-dresser? Did he really set his piano on fire? See if you know the real stories about one of rock's greatest innovators.