“26” by Lauv

Lauv’s “26” is premised on the vocalist at hand suffering from a persistent feeling of depression and self-defeat. And certain lyrical clues indicate that Lauv is indeed singing about himself. For instance, he is 27 years old on the date of this track’s release, though it is reasonable to postulate that he wrote it at 26. Also it is revealed that the subject of this song is a successful musician, as is Lauv.

But he isn’t coming off on that more-money-more-problems tip per se. To the contrary, the vocalist admits straight up that “money buys you happiness”. But what it is unable to afford is time. Or put alternatively, he has come to the realization that he only has a finite opportunity to master the aforementioned internal issues. And what the chorus implies is that being “26 and rich”, in the grand scheme of things, really isn’t helping that cause any.

Outside of the confines of this song, Lauv has elaborated that what this piece is actually about is a concept like trying to reclaim the “light” of your youth. That is an ambiguous enough statement. But what it ultimately points to, as described, is the vocalist losing his way, so to speak, in the midst of blowing up.

It can also be interpreted, particularly based on the chorus, that what he’s speaking to is an inability to overcome drug addiction. But such an understanding would not be in congruence with the aforenoted explanation. 

Conclusion

We can conclude by saying that whereas the lyrics themselves aren’t complicated, all things considered, the intended message may be challenging to discern. But ultimately, perhaps the simplest way to describe this piece is as one of those types of songs which revolves around the premise that success comes with its drawbacks. And in terms of said drawbacks, in this case it would be something like losing touch with what brought you into the game in the first place.

Facts about “26”

This track, which was made public on 28 January 2022, is, according to Lauv, the lead single from his second album of which “is [already] done”. But at the time of the song’s dropping, the name of that project has yet to be revealed.

Lauv contributed to the writing and production of “26”, as did the following:

• Simon Says
• Ryan OG
• Digi
• John Cunningham

And Sophie Cates also served in a writing capacity.

For the record Lauv, who hails from San Francisco, turned 27 years old on the date of 8 August 2021.