Meaning of “Valentine” by 5 Seconds of Summer
“Valentine” is a love song by the noted Australian pop rock band 5 Seconds of Summer (5SOS). According to the band’s guitarist Michael Clifford, “Valentine” is purely a Valentine’s Day song. He called it his “ultimate Valentine song” since it “encapsulates the mood and feeling you wanna be feeling” on Saint Valentine’s Day. To him, the song can be likened to the band’s version of Mariah Carey’s 1994 hit single “All I Want for Christmas Is You”.
What the other band members said about this song
According to the band’s drummer, Ashton Irwin, the song’s lyrics are about a love that is “lazy” and “feels free”. This love in question “meets in the middle” without any expectations.
As for the band’s lead vocalist, Luke Hemmings, he said to him, the song’s lyrics are about Valentine’s Day not being celebrated once a year but every blessed day of the year.
5 Seconds of Summer said the above statements about the song on their seven-episode YouTube series titled 5SOS – Cocktail Chats. In the series, the band members shed light on the meaning of the songs from their 2018 album Youngblood. Below you can watch the full video of the interview in which they talk about the meaning of “Valentine”.
Facts about “Valentine”
- 5 Seconds of Summer wrote this song along with renowned American musician and songwriter Mike Elizondo. Elizondo is most famous for collaborating with hip hop icons Eminem and Dr. Dre.
- Aside from co-writing “Valentine”, Elizondo also produced it. He handled the production all by himself.
- All members of 5SOS (Luke Hemmings, Ashton Irwin, Calum Hood and Michael Clifford) contribute vocals to the track.
- This song was performed live publicly for the first time on March 10th, 2018 during the iHeartRadio Music Awards Fan Army Celebration event held in Los Angeles, California.
- The track was later released on June 15th, 2018 as the fourth track from 5SOS’s chart-topping third studio album Youngblood.
- The official music video for “Valentine” was released on September 13th, 2018. It was directed by Instagram star and photographer Andy DeLuca alongside 5SOS’s drummer Ashton Irwin. You can watch the video below.
Each of the four skeletons in the clip represents each member of 5SOS. Despite the song being about Valentine’s Day, many find its music video to be too dark to carry a Valentine feeling.
Was “Valentine” released as a single?
Yes, it was. It was released along with the likes of “Youngblood” as one of the singles from the album Youngblood.
Prior to “Valentine”, have 5SOS worked with Mike Elizondo?
No. This is the first time Elizondo and 5SOS are collaborating. Calum Hood, the bassist of 5SOS, said he loved working with Elizondo. According to him, despite Elizondo’s status, he shows a lot of respect to the musicians he works with. FYI: Elizondo is also a highly skilled bassist. He was for several years Dr. Dre’s bass player.
What musical genre does “Valentine” fit into?
We can classify this song into the following genres: Pop and pop rock. It can also fit into New Wave.
