ZAYNโs discography (which includes his first album, Mind of Mine, which hit No. 1 on the charts, thankyouverymuch, as well as his lengthy 2018 release, Icarus Falls, which clocks in at 27 tracks total) is one packed with sultry vibes and confessional lyrics and serves up with some unbridled honesty and a refreshing bluntness. So, in honor of his 26th birthday (Jan. 12), we singled out 26 of our favorite ZAYN lyrics. Read on!
1. โI go where you go / Go through Armageddon / Girl I got you / Theres no goodbyes only us / So I will followโ - โFlight of the Starsโ
โFlight of the Starsโ follows the notion of someoneโs willingness to go to great lengths for the person they love -- including, as ZAYN says, Armageddon.
2. โYou thought you had me, didn't you? / When you lied to my face, I could see the truth / Every step of the way I knew / How you fooled me, booโ - โEntertainerโ
ZAYN makes it known that he was well aware his SO was attempting to play him for a fool in this biting track.
3. โHeart beats the pump of my blood / No strings for you to pull onโ - โBefourโ
We love how this one not only references the pull of heartstrings, but also the metaphor of a puppetmaster controlling oneโs heart.
4. โItโs a paradise / And itโs a war zoneโ - โPillowtalkโ
ZAYNโs No. 1 single is easily one of the strongest tracks on the album, and the juxtaposition of the bedroom as a place of pleasure and pain (are we sure this isnโt the one written for Fifty Shades?) makes this song get under your skin.
5. โYouโre like a commotion all because of meโ - โBorderszโ
There may be some cockiness going on here, but we love the idea of describing someone as a โcommotion.โ If thatโs not an onomatopoeia word, it certainly should be.
6. โI just wanna keep calling your name until you come back homeโ - โI Donโt Wanna Live Foreverโ (feat. Taylor Swift)
ZAYNโs collaboration with Taylor Swift flaunted his falsetto vocals like no other. And this lyric in particular strikes a chord โ anyone who has ever been in love has felt this level of desperation.
7. โSaw your face and got inspiredโ - โItโs Youโ
WEโLL BE YOUR MUSE, ZAYN.
8. โThis ain't my scene / This wasn't my dreamโ - โTruthโ
โTruthโ probably shouldโve been called โTruth Bombs,โ since this is really what ZAYN dropped on this track. Another blisteringly candid admission about his time in 1D.
9. โDonโt think because youโre with me this is realโ - โWrongโ
โWrongโ easily contains some of the most sexually explicit lyrics on Mind of Mine, but this one is nothing but heartbreakingly honest.
10. โI found my life between a first kiss and a last goodbyeโ - โBrightโ
Sigh. Havenโt we all?
11. โIโm tired of looking at myself / In my rear viewโ - โRear Viewโ
Coming to the realization that itโs time to move on and start looking forward is a powerful one โ and the imagery of the rear view mirror is the perfect metaphor.
12. โWe're so late nights / Red eyes, amnesia, on iceโ - โDrunkโ
โWeโre so late nightsโ is the one that really sticks out here, and ZAYN sets the scene for those hazy flings that only happen in clubs or in the steaminess of summer.
13. โIโm sippinโ on that pink Lucozade / Weโre blazing on that newfound hazeโ - โLucozadeโ
Sometimes lyrics are profound. Other times, they just make you crave a sports drink.
14. โI need somebody to / Love me blueโ - โBlueโ
Blue is a color often associated with sadness, but this line makes it seem like ZAYN desires for someone to love him so much heโs almost suffocating under it.
15. โTaste your sweet profanityโ - โBorderszโ
Lovinโ the juxtaposition in this lyric. Profanity is often classified as bad or dirty, so to see it described as โsweetโ โ it definitely brings in a sexual element.
16. โI love to hold you close, tonight and always / I love to wake up next to youโ - Pillowtalk
For all the blatant references to sex on Mind of Mine, this line is just romance incarnate.
17. โLetโs get naked and explore / Our inner secretsโ - โTIOโ
Anddd then thereโs this one from โTIOโ (an acronym for โtake it offโ), which really just gets straight to the point. While the chorus of this track is much more blunt (ZAYN repeats โtake it offโ more than a handful of times), this line is a touch more poetic.
18. โCanโt tune my chords into your songโ - โBefourโ
Not to be too overanalytical here, but the โfourโ in โBefourโ is maybe, probably, most likely a pointed reference at 1Dโs Four, their last album before ZAYN left the group. And with this lyric so obviously about music โ and on a more deeper level, about not wanting to fit into the mold โ it certainly seems like another message to One Direction.
19. โI question myself all the timeโ - โShe Donโt Love Meโ
Hereโs to the debilitating anxiety that everyone experiences when they are unsure if their partner is still in love with them or not. โI question myself all the timeโ is honestly a hallmark of anxiety, and itโs meaningful to see the singer open up about his own struggles in his music.
20. โWhen you just try to find your way / But you canโt find the time / Iโll come for youโ - โWhoโ
Not that any of ZAYNโs girlfriends have ever needed โsavingโ (see: that time Gigi Hadid handled an attack all fine just by herself), itโs still romantic to know that heโll support them.
21. โShe puts her mouth round the cigarette / I put it out โcause she likes thatโ - โSheโ
Sometimes ZAYN crafts lyrics that are more descriptive than blunt, and every time he does it, we appreciate it even more. This one just paints a picture in your head.
22. โThis love is tainted / I need you and I hate itโ - โFool For Youโ
Many of the lyrics on Mind of Mine deal with conflicting desires and juxtaposed imagery, and this one describes that internal struggle to a T.
23. โMy own mind was in the way / Front seat, new viewโ - Truth
Thereโs no way this lyric doesnโt refer to One Direction, and it speaks to new beginnings. This time, ZAYNโs the one in the driverโs seat.
24. โAm I wrong for wanting us to make it?โ - โItโs Youโ
The way ZAYN croons this lyric so mournfully adds to its brilliant simplicity.
25. โBright lights / But sheโs fadingโ - โSheโ
Another lyric filled with warring truths, this one is reminiscent of those late nights when your night is done. It sounds much more eloquent when put in his words, doesnโt it?
26. โCan your heart be mine in search?โ - โRear Viewโ
Yes, young Zaint Valentine, FIND OUR HEART IN YOUR SEARCH. This Shakespearian-esque lyric is totally going on a candy heart.
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