Conan Gray’s “Jigsaw” Lyrics Meaning

The title of this song is meant to metaphorically allude to the idea of the vocalist currently being a “jigsaw” reflection of his true self. That is to say that he has altered so many aspects of his personality and character that now, to some degree, Conan has proven unrecognizable to himself. 

And the lyrics generally read as if he made these sacrifices in the name of romance. Put simply, he did this to please a lady that he is in love with. But based on Conan’s own explanation of this piece, the addressee can also be interpreted as the world at large, i.e. his fandom, so to speak.

And the moral of the story is that even after transforming himself into someone he doesn’t like, still said addressee is not loving the vocalist in return. So on the surface, this very much reads like a tale of unrequited love. 

But more to the point, once again resorting to Conan’s own explanation, is the vocalist feeling sorta like a fool in the aftermath of surrendering his own happiness and uniqueness for someone(s) who, at the end of the day, still does not approve of him. So the lesson contained therein is that it’s better to keep it real with yourself than to forfeit your individuality in the name of pleasing others.

Release of “Jigsaw”

“Jigsaw” was put out by Republic Records on 21 January 2022. It marks Conan Gray’s first single of said year. This song is one of the tracks from his second studio album – the follow-up to his first, 2020’s Kid Krow.

Did Conan Gray write this song?

Conan co-wrote “Jigsaw” with prolific songwriter Dan Nigro. Nigro, a renowned American behind-the-scenes’ musician, also produced “Jigsaw”.

FYI, Nigro really made a name for himself as a collaborator of Olivia Rodrigo’s in 2021.