Jhené Aiko’s “The Worst” Lyrics Meaning

Whom Jhené is referring to as “the worst” is in fact her boyfriend. So this is basically another way of her saying that he is proven to be the very worst lover imaginable. And based on how the lyrics play out, the reason she is labeling him so is because he is unfaithful. Or another way of analyzing at it, as based on the third verse, is that he seduced her, making her believe she was the only one when in fact he is a womanizer.  And whereas she was alerted earlier to his ways, she chose to ignore such warnings and fell for his sweet talk anyway.

You can view the lyrics, alternate interprations and sheet music for Jhené Aiko's The Worst at Lyrics.org.

And the way the situation reads is sort of like now he’s trying to win her back. But she is not entertaining his advances, as she has come to the conclusion that this is someone whom she doesn’t actually “need”. However, this realization does not negate the fact that she still ‘loves’ and ‘wants’ him. So conclusively, we can say that the singer is caught up in a dilemma whereas she has fallen in love with a toxic partner.

“I don’t need you but I want you”

Facts about “The Worst”

This song was released as the third single from Jhené’s maiden EP, which is entitled “Sail Out”, on 12th November, 2013. And the label that put it out is Def Jam Records.

“The Worst” samples another track, entitled “Excuse Me Miss”, which was released by Jay-Z in 2003. As such, the writers of the latter – Jay-Z, Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo – are also acknowledged as the co-writers of the former. And the other co-writers of “The Worst” are Aiko and the track’s producers, the Fisticuffs (B. Warfield and M. Robinson).

“The Worst” took home a 2014 BET Centric Award. It was also nominated for a Grammy in 2015. It lost to Beyoncé and Jay Z’s international hit song “Drunk in Love“.

This track appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 and also made it onto 3 other Billboard lists, faring most-impressively on the Adult R&B Songs chart. On this chart, it peaked at number 4. The track went on to be certified double-Platinum in the US, and it also charted in Belgium.

Music Video Meaning

The music video to this song, which had Danny Williams as its director, depicts Jhené after she had apparently murdered her boyfriend. However, the songstress went on to explain that this depiction was actually a metaphor for her “killing the feelings” she had for this individual.

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