Meaning of “Good Years” by ZAYN
“Good Years” is the title of a single by British singer ZAYN. The lyrics of “Good Years” see the singer (ZAYN) lamenting bitterly about the pains associated with being famous. He talks about the troubles of fame being so enormous that he wishes he never stepped foot into the spotlight. Simply put, all the fame and wealth it has brought him, isn’t worth the pain that also came along with it.
He fears he wasted the best years of his life being in the eyes of the public. Hence the song’s title “Good Years”. He expresses this fear throughout the song and even ends the song with it.
Reaction to the song
Few hours after the song was released, ZAYN’s former bandmate from One Direction, Louis Tomlinson, seemingly responded to the song. Via Twitter, Tomlinson apparently called ZAYN a hypocrite for claiming being famous brought him suffering.
Is this song about One Direction?
According to many a One Direction fan, this song centers on nothing but One Direction’s disbandment. Many Directioners (fans of One Direction) have even called the song a diss track against One Direction.
What do we think? Is this song really about Zayn’s “unhappy” years as a member of One Direction? Somehow we think some of the lyrics might just have something to do with that. Some analysts believe what Zayn is basically trying to say in the lyrics is that he wasted the good years of his life being with One Direction. The angry tweet from Tomlinson supports the claims the song is about One Direction.
Quick Facts about “Good Years”
- ZAYN and at least four other writers are credited with writing this song. The other writers include Michael Hannides, Herbie Crichlow, Anthony Hannides and Khaled Rohaim.
- Rohaim (the track’s co-writer) co-produced the song with MakeYouKnowLove.
- The release date of “Good Years” was 6th December, 2018.
On which album of Zayn’s does this song appear?
This track appears on Zayn’s 2018 album Icarus Falls. Icarus Falls is his second solo studio album. On this album the following tracks appear: “Fingers” and “No Candle No Light”.
i honestly thought he was apoligiseing for all the pain he caused as a star and he was saying sorry for all the pain he caused 1D fans for leaving and he is wishing he could take it back. i am probably wrong but that is what i got out of the song sure he might have hated being in 1D but unless he left the band we might not have the solo songs from the other members of 1D or the songs they did without him.
Same.
I absolutely agree with you and don’t let others tell you what to think
When I heard the song it sounded to me like he is basically regretting his 1D days. “Close my eyes and see a crowd of a thousand tears” is a reference to the thousands of fans 1D would play to at their concerts- tears streaming down their faces. Zayn made comments after leaving 1D that he never wanted to be in the band. That he didn’t like most of the songs he did with 1D. I think this song is his way of saying he feels like he make have wasted his youth being in 1D and regrets that time. Louie then responds on twitter with “what a hypocrite” – which I agree with- because if it weren’t for 1D there would be no Zayn and no career now . . . and if he didn’t want the fame, then he should have said “no” to 1D when he was asked to form the group by Simon Cowell and the other judges. I mean, he can’t have it both ways. Sounds to me like Zayn has a lot of growing up and maturing to do yet. He should never have gotten out of 1D and said that he didn’t like the songs and never wanted to be in the band – because that was basically a slap in the face to all the 1D fans that followed him and the band for the 5 years they were together. But, honestly, Zayn never looked happy being in 1D. He ALWAYS looked like he’d rather be “anyplace but here” every time I saw him perform with 1D. So, this song doesn’t surprise me at all. And, I agree with Louis – stop being a hypocrite Zayn. If you hate the fame so much, then get out of the limelight. When it comes down to it, it’s your choice, after all.
I have to agree😔. He could have just said no when Simon suggested that they be a band.
No, if you lookwant closely to the lyrics, it’s about human and earth
Honestly, this song is just really hurtful.How can he say that? I agree with Louis calling him a hypocrite. Those days in 1D were the best for him but he chose to see only the bad side of it. I’m happy for him and the song is nice but the meaning makes me cry when I listen to it. I’m glad Louis and Zayn are now on speaking terms but I bet he’s still angry. Zayn Malik really needs to grow up. I love him and the song is great but would he seriously be anywhere but here? I don’t think so because of it was too much for him, he could’ve talked to us, spoken out! We’re not just his fans, we are their family and we love them not because they’re famous but because of who they are and we might not know them personally but I feel like I’ve known them got eternity. Zayn didn’t waste his good years in 1D. He didn’t use it well, that’s all.
Zayn’s life got ruined cause of 1d. He was being called a terrorist and he had many points in his life were his was gonna end his life but luckily he didn’t. So stop calling him a hypocrite also. Me as a Muslim it is very annoying to be called a terrorist and its heartbreaking to hear what he has been through especially with Gig Hadid and the her mother’s situation.
I honestly totally agree with you. I think Zayn went to write this song about the things he had to go thru at this very young age because of the band. And I don’t think he wanted to diss the band or express his hat against his ex bandmates. It is kinda obvious that he had the hardest time in 1D, and because he left some people thought it was a good idea to blame him for that
Zayn’s life was not ruined by one direction I am a directoner and what you are saying is not totally true. How a directioner would see this is a sad song on how he was treated in the band with MODEST! <:( and Simon. I know about Louis's tweet but they had bad blood them but it has
mainly died down yet Louis and Zayn aren't on talking terms just yet. All the boys have love for each other and support each other through this Hiatus (18 months)
Remember Harry wrote a song to Zayn called 'Walking in the Wind' the lyrics are aimed at him.
I am a singer and a singer like Zayn and the other’s thank’s to Harry but what Zayn is trying to say is he hated 1D but he is thankful for them because he wouldn’t be who he is today with out them and that he wished that he could take back the thing’s that he said but he can’t . He is also saying that with out them he would be nobody and he could never thank them at all.
I straight up feel like zayn didnt want to leave the band but he was forced to look at the good spaces its about zayn “whos gonna be the first to say goodbye” i think management told the boys what was going on and to pretend they didnt know and to pretend to hate them i feel lik managment did it to make zayn look like a bad person once again thats my opinion
yesssssss
I personally think Zayn is trying to tell us that being with One direction was the best thing he could ask for and he’s sorry he hurt many fans but the voice in his head told him to leave because he wasn’t happy. I could be very wrong tho
Truth. There is good and bad in very action. This song was basically a reflection upon something a completely different person did; he was a kid, excited, naive, and hopeful for a career doing something that he loved with four other people just as hopeful and driven as him. No one in this industry prepared anyone that young for what the entertainment industry will do.
And then at the end of it all, he had matured too fast- for better or worse. There are regrets, just as there are fond memories. People, stop demonizing someone else’s introspection; song writing is the epitome of vulnerability, a person being completely open about the deepest parts of themselves. We don’t know the whole story, we- as a fandom- don’t even know the whole picture of Zayn’s side. Relax, and take everything said with a grain of salt.
Enjoy the message, regardless of if it is universal or pointed. It’s a beautiful song, lyrically, melodically and rhythmically and that should be enough.
I was looking at past interviews and I noticed especially in 2014 until he left in 2015, he looked really isolated and like he didn’t want to be there. I understand that he didn’t like the music but if he really didn’t want to be there could he not have left earlier? Yes he didn’t like the music they were making but the rest of the boys are making music which is so different from the music they made together in 1D. This is prob bc they have more control over what they write now than they did in the band. That’s probably what zayn didn’t like as well. At the end of the day as long as they’re all happy that’s all what matters but I wish zayn was less bitter when he left the band when he said he never wanted to be there cos if that was really true and he hated the band I believe he would have been able to leave or opt out after xfactor. He signed up for the possibility of fame when he auditioned for xfactor
I honestly disagree with this. When I first heard the song it sounded to me like Zayn was in a hard time and he’d rather be somewhere else and that he hopes that his good years weren’t wasted and the verses were about times during his good years. Overall it pretty much sounds like he misses those “Good Years”.
I honestly think that Zayn was very happy when he was in the band, he might not have liked the music but he surely had fun with the boys. I think he started to feel a bit pressurized by the management or something or someone else that he felt the need to leave the band and pursue his own career, with his own taste in music. And about the part ‘When I close my eyes, I see a crowd of thousand tears’ I think he talks about the way we directioners are so sad and were shedding tears. I think Louis was a bit upset than the others because he lost his partner in crime so maybe that’s why he called Zayn a hypocrite. I might be wrong tho.
This is my theory after listening to the song for the first time. Let me know what you think.
I believe that this song is about feeling isolated in the world of fame. Zayn never wanted to be a celebrity, he was a kid when they formed the band. Of course, he would agree to it, it was a great opportunity. If you look further into it, a member of 1D’s management spoke up saying that he told Zayn to leave the band. He purposefully isolated Zayn and made him feel unwanted to make him leave. Zayn has never liked the spotlight as much as others, and although he greatly appreciates 1D, towards the end it was obvious how unhappy he was. And for those saying he should have left earlier, he would have let down millions, as well as his friends so that was obviously a major benefactor time-wise. I believe this song is about the negative aspects of fame, and how he spent most of his ‘good years’ overworked and unhappy.
I know this is a little long, but:
In all these interpretations, “good years” will refer to the 1D days.
I feel like, unlike what most One Direction Fans are saying, Zayn’s single “Good Years” from the Icarus Falls Album is not a diss track against 1D or the 1D boys. Instead, I think it is a song about regret. Now, about that regret, I have 2 interpretations. One is that Zayn regrets leaving the band (well I have to fully explain that), especially on a bad note with Louis, and the other is that Zayn regrets being unhappy in the band, when he could have tried to enjoy his time to the fullest and not leave under bad terms. My full interpretation is a combination of both, but I’ll talk about them separately.
First of all, I’ll talk about my first interpretation: Zayn regrets leaving the band. Zayn wrote this song years after leaving the band, so one could interpret the lines “I’d rather be anywhere but here” as saying that he’d rather not be in the situation that he is currently in: estranged from the band members (we’ve not gotten any proof otherwise). I feel that when he says “I pray to God I didn’t waste all my good years,” Zayn means that he wishes that by leaving 1D and dissing 1D in consequent interviews, he didn’t waste all the effort and friendships and relationships he made, especially now that, consequently, he is estranged from all the boys, but especially Louis. Another piece of evidence to support this theory is “a crowd of thousand tears,” which could refer to the sorrow of the 1D fans when they heard that Zayn had left the band, and Zayn wishing that he didn’t upset the people who basically got him where he is today.
“The voices screaming loud as hell
We don’t care ’bout no one else
Nothing in the world could bring us down
Now we’re so high among the stars without a worry.”
When I personally read the above quote from the song, I feel like Zayn is admiring or being nostalgic about that time – that time referring to the days when he was in One Direction (“Nothing in the world could bring us down”).
“Too much drugs and alcohol
What the hell were we fighting for?
‘Cause now the whole damn world will know
That we’re too numb and just too dumb to change the story
Neither one, one of us wants to say we’re sorry”
This snippet from the song talks about the negative aspects of fame that came from 1D, especially between Zayn and Louis. During the 1D years, Zayn looked to be closest to Louis, but after Zayn left the band, he had largely public Twitter fights with Louis. Additionally, when Louis’ mother died, Zayn was the only member who didn’t come to support Louis. So, I believe the last 3 lines refer to the fights between Louis and Zayn and how they both don’t want to say sorry to each – they’re too numb because of the pain. Another interpretation for the last 3 lines could be that Zayn or the boys could have done something to reconcile, but “neither one, one of [them] wants to say [they’re] sorry.”
“Need a chance just to breathe, feel alive
And when the day meets the night, show me the light
Feel the wind and the fire
Hold the pain deep inside
It’s in my eyes
In my eyes”
Finally, I feel that the first line of this snippet talks about how the negative aspects of fame got to Zayn, and how he left the band because of it. But, he “[holds] the pain deep inside” still – he feels the pain of leaving and severing some of the best relationships he made in life.
So, that is my first interpretation.
Now, for my second interpretation: Zayn regrets being unhappy in the band, when he could have tried to enjoy his time to the fullest.
“I’d rather be anywhere, anywhere but here
I’d rather be anywhere, anywhere but here
I close my eyes and see a crowd of a thousand tears
I pray to God I didn’t waste all my good years
All my good years
All my good years”
In this first bit of the song, I feel that the first 3 lines are from the perspective of Zayn during the 1D years, when he was touring and performing even if he had anxiety, and how he wished that he was not on stage while performing in front of a crowd of crying fangirls who were really happy to see their idols. The 4th line could be from the perspective of a Zayn who wrote this song, who could be expressing his regret about wasting all those years performing being unhappy (even if he had a valid reason).
“Too much drugs and alcohol
What the hell were we fighting for?”
These two lines also support the fact that Zayn was unhappy in the band, using drugs and alcohol to cope.
“Need a chance just to breathe, feel alive
And when the day meets the night, show me the light
Feel the wind and the fire
Hold the pain deep inside
It’s in my eyes
In my eyes”
Finally, I feel like these lines talk about how, even though he didn’t like performing because it gave him anxiety, he did it and he felt the rush, the “wind and the fire.” “Light” could refer to the stadium light that Zayn performed under with the rest of the boys. But, he also says that he held the pain deep inside and if you looked at his eyes (which you could see in the different performances at the end of Zayn’s 1D career), you would see the pain. But, he needed to leave to feel alive and finally breathe and take a break from the constant touring.
Coupled with the chorus, you could see that this song could show that Zayn regrets being unhappy during his 1D era.
totally agree on your first theory of regret, every time i’d listen to the song this is all I can think of — his regret of wasting the good years with 1d! I didn’t know that it was perceived as a diss track:< (late directioner)
I don’t believe that Zayn meant to be offensive even when he said that he didn’t want to be in the band from the first year. To have been more accurate, he should have said that there was “a part of him” that didn’t want to be in the band even from the first year. The way he has said it could be taken as offensive, but I don’t think anybody thought he was a mean person to start saying mean things that were hurtful. His personality did not change. He is speaking honestly without realizing that how he says it is not conveying the meaning properly and his wording can cause hurt feelings. Why do some people think that he suddenly became a mean person? he just needed to save himself.
As to the song, I don’t think it’s a diss against 1D. Zayn is a complex character and a man of deep thought. He speaks about complex meanings and complex concepts. Writing a diss song would be petty, unnecessary and honestly weird for someone who is putting out such beautiful and complex art.
The problem is that because people in the band don’t talk to each other everything anybody says is subject to speculation.
In an interview Harry says to the effect “what did we do that he was having such a bad time?” the answer is “it was not anything you did”. He was unhappy and overwhelmed, which took a toll on Zayn and he has spoken about his misery. He never said that the boys made him miserable. I have not heard anything but good things from him about the boys.
I think it was about his journey with depression, eating disorters, acholol, etc. He’s saying he hopes all that didn’t ruin his time in the band.