“Serotonin” by Girl in Red

The 2010s was an era in popular music whereas it became chic for musicians to reveal their emotional and psychological shortcomings. And that trend has continued into the 2010s with tracks like “Serotonin”.

Serotonin is a hormone which, theoretically, regulates our feelings of internal happiness. And what Girl in Red is putting forth in this song is that she is suffering from a deficiency in such. So one way of looking at the thesis sentiment is as she being depressed. 

But in reality she is dealing with an extremely-severe case of depression, if you want to call it that, on some next level. For instance, she fantasizes about maiming herself and committing suicide in the most violent ways imaginable. Sometimes these dark thoughts also manifest themselves externally, as in the narrator contemplating ‘hurting somebody she loves’. 

On a more subtle note, she can be “incredibly impulsive” or find herself “crying like a f–king baby”. Indeed the situation has now reached a point where the narrator has become afraid of her own thoughts. And trying to “contain” them is taking its own toll on her wellbeing.

What “Serotonin” is all about

So all lyrics considered, we can conclude, as stated in the outro, that the narrator does not feel comfortable in her own skin.  Moreover she has some serious, even deadly things going on in her mind. And this scary things read as if they are a bit deeper than simply being attributable to lack of a certain hormone. And these lyrics are in fact a reflection of her true-to-life mental state.

But again, it has become kinda cool in this day and age for musicians, especially young ones we can say, to present themselves as being vulnerable and self-destructive. 

So hopefully the fact that Girl in Red is by all accounts an up-and-coming artist will lead to her adopting a more-positive outlook on life.

Facts about “Serotonin”

This track was made public by a label called AWAL on 3 March 2021. It is the third single from Girl in Red’s first studio album, which is entitled “If I Could Make It Go Quiet”. 

This song was written by Girl in Red, a singer from Norway. At the time of the release of the track, she is 22 years old. She also produced it, doing so alongside Matias Tellez and Finneas. The latter is the older brother and regular collaborator of Billie Eilish.

Finneas, who at the time would be the most-popular of the three artists listed above, called “Serotonin” a great song. He actually referred to it as one of the best songs he’s heard. And he went on to elaborate his feeling of being thrilled to be one of the creators of the song.

This particular track has been dubbed “the stand-out” of “If I Could Make It Go Quiet”. For instance, Annie Mac chose it as one of her Hottest Record(s) in the World on her popular BBC Radio program.

More about Girl in Red

Girl in Red is a largely self-taught musician from Norway. She began as an independent artist in 2016 and two years later was named Norwegian Newcomer of the Year at the GAFFA Awards. 

Her first EP, Chapter 1, came out in 2018. And by 2020, Girl in Red has established herself as what is referred to as a “queer icon”, i.e. a champion of LGBT rights, being a lesbian (though definitely not fond of that word) herself.

Concerning Girl in Red’s aforementioned homosexuality, her name is linked to a saying that became popular circa 2020. And that would be the question, “Do you listen to Girl in Red”? 

This is a roundabout way of asking a lady if she is lesbian. Indeed somewhat relatedly there was a whole controversy concerning the way that Girl in Red’s music has been utilized in light of her queerness.    

More about the substance serotonin

As aforementioned, serotonin is a hormone. And whereas it plays an essential role on our disposition (i.e. happiness), apparently it is not primarily produced internally. Rather according to Healthline it is introduced into our bodies via a certain amino acid that is commonly contained in foods such as the following:

• nuts
• cheese
• red meat 

And besides serotonin ‘reducing depression’ it also ‘regulates anxiety’, ‘heals wounds’ and ‘maintains bone health’. It is also believed to play a very-important role in the functioning of our digestive systems. Due to its health benefits and studies revealing that depressed people tend to have low levels of this hormone, in recent times there has been more awareness and thus conscientious efforts by some to increase their serotonin level. 

And there are ways to do so even outside of the aforementioned foods.