“Can’t Tame Her” by Zara Larsson

According to Zara Larsson’s explanation of the premise behind “Can’t Tame Her”, it is one we come across quite regularly. And that is a female celebrity feeling restricted by the public’s perception and who she’s supposed to be. But that said these lyrics do not speak to such a concept, at least not directly.

“YOU CAN’T TAME THE GIRL”

Instead who we are met with subject-wise is a girl whom Zara refers to in the third person, though we will take as perhaps being an image of herself. As depicted in the first verse (as well as the bridge), this lady is someone who can hit up the club and “dance on her own”. 

And even upon the venue closing, rather than heading home, she wanders about, looking for the next thrill, deep into the night. So what’s being inferred is that the subject not only likes excitement but is also fiercely independent, as throughout she is not depicted as being devoid on any type of companionship. 

Furthermore, as implied in the chorus, her independence is further manifested by the fact that she actually has the freedom to go and spend the entire night out on the town as she chooses.

“SHE’S SO MAGNETIC”

As relayed in the second verse, the subject possesses a “magnetic” appeal, and as revealed in the first, she has accordingly caught Zara’s attention on more than one occasion. So this is clearly someone whom the vocalist has come to look up to as being a model of confidence and self-determination.

The lyrics do not specify if this lady has met any resistance in terms of her resolve to party all night long. But nevertheless, Larsson has been able to ascertain that she is untamable. In other words, as depicted, the subject cannot stay still (specifically in terms of partying). 

Indeed, even if someone were to attempt to “tie her down” or “change her”, their efforts would prove unsuccessful. And whereas maybe some would judge her for possessing such a modus operandi, the vocalist still adores her. In her eyes, she is blameless.

ZARA LARSSON, A YOUNG & FIERCELY-INDEPENDENT INDUSTRY VET HERSELF

Zara Larsson began teasing “Can’t Tame Her” in early December of 2022. The song was eventually officially released on 26 January 2023. This was made possible via the efforts of Epic, Sony and Sommer House. The latter is actually a label Larsson founded herself, in 2020, perhaps being inspired by Taylor Swift, who’s another forceful female singer in the game. 

That is to say that through Sommer House, Larsson has accomplished the very-rare feat of acquiring ownership (from the Ten Music Group, whom she signed with in 2012) over all of the earlier entries in her discography.

Zara is 25 years old as of this writing and has been in the game since her prepubescent years. Thus far she has three full-lengths under her belt. The most-successful of these being her LP, “So Good” (2017). That particular project has gone multi-platinum in a number of European countries. It also achieved platinum status in the US and UK.

As for “Can’t Tame Her”, at the time of its issuance, it was a standalone single.

THE COMPOSITION TEAM BEHIND “CAN’T TAME HER”

As with Larsson, the producers of this track, Kian Sang and Karl Ivert (who together are known as MTHR) are from Sweden and likewise associated with Sony Music. 

The three of them also co-wrote “Can’t Tame Her” with MNEK, who hails from the UK. So the official writing credits look like this:

• Zara Larsson
• King Sang
• Karl Ivert
• MNEK

In terms of the audio qualities of this song, Larsson has observed that “it is a little different” than her standard fare. But she further went on to express satisfaction with “Can’t Tame Her”, classifying it as “a banger” that “gets people excited” and a forward step as far as her artistry is concerned.

CONCLUSION

We feel you, Zara, as we’ve studied enough popular-female musicians to know that many of them do feel stifled and pigeonholed by the spotlight. And we also know that this tends to be especially true for those like Larsson who have been in the game since childhood.

However, if the purpose of this song is to rage against the machine in that regard, the lyrics kinda miss the point. Instead, “Can’t Tame Her” reads like a celebration of a hardcore-partying lifestyle and furthermore one that is being perpetuated by a young lady who refuses to let anyone advise her otherwise. So it would appear that in this case, carefree, nonstop partying is symbolically synonymous with an overall feeling of freedom.