“Every Rule” by Charli XCX

“Every Rule” is apparently set in New York City where two lovers, the vocalist and addressee, seemingly first met. And the reason Charli goes about proclaiming that she’s “breaking every rule for” this individual is because, by the looks of things, she is cheating on her actual boyfriend to be with him.

The addressee reads like someone who, most simply put, the vocalist was unable to resist. Indeed the lyrical focus doesn’t really have anything to do with her actual boyfriend, i.e. Charli having beef with him or anything like that. To the contrary, she expresses guilt for creeping behind his back and goes as far as to acknowledge that what she’s doing to him “is not fair”. So if anything, her official sweetheart reads like a stand-up guy.

But that said, it’s pretty clear that she has no intention of deading her affair with the addressee. In fact, the thesis sentiment of “Every Rule” would have to be that the vocalist is actually “in love” with her illicit lover, on top of getting a kick out of “sneaking around” with him, even though there’s also a fear factor involved. And that is why she is willing to ‘break every rule’ to be with him.

Below is what Charli said about this song in an interview that was published on Rolling Stone in early 2022:

When did Charli XCX release “Every Rule”?

Charli XCX’s fifth studio album is entitled “Crash”. “Every Rule” holds the distinction of being the album’s only promotional single. The single itself was made public by Atlantic Records on 13 March of 2022.

Writing and Recording

Charli (who is currently 29 years old) wrote this song in conjunction with one of its producers, A. G. Cook. And the other producer of “Every Rule” is Oneohtrix Point Never, an American musician who recently made waves due to his contributions to The Weeknd’s album, “Dawn FM” (2022).

The recording of this song dates back to 2020. Moreover, Charli has implied that it is based on an actual romance she is involved in.