Posted by Selfish, a new single released in 2024 by Justin Timberlake, announcing his upcoming album: let’s analyze the song lyrics and the meaning.
Justin Timberlake is back, triggering the typical load of comments among his fans. A new song, Selfish, was released in January 2024, announcing the new album Everything I Thought It Was, set for release in March. Based on the album’s title and the lyrics in the lead single, the singer is ready to show his most intimate side, facing his deep feelings. We have the full lyrics from this first song, you can find them at the end of this article: let’s analyze their meaning.
Selfish: the song lyrics & meaning
Selfish is a song about love and jealousy: in the lyrics, Justin Timberlake analyses himself and his approach to relationships, admitting he can be particularly possessive towards the person he loves.
Jealousy is a fascinating emotion, we analyzed it in detail in this article. We feel jealous because we love, of course, and we need to ensure there are no threats to the relationship’s stability. However, Justin Timberlake presents it slightly differently: his jealousy comes from the fact that love absorbs him completely. When he loves someone, he wants her in every aspect of his life, filling every space. You can see the way he lives love in the lyrics below:
I want every bit of you, I guess I’m selfish
It’s bad for my mental, but I can’t fight it
Every time the phone rings
I hope that it’s you on the other side
I wanna tell you everything (‘Thing)
Everything that’s on my mind
It’s the typical intensity love has in the first phase. The one that seems almost like an addiction: your thoughts are permeated by the object of your love, and your feelings push you to have more and more of them, with no limits. That’s very natural, and we all experienced it. We even described the characteristics of this phase here.
Obviously, this means that we care a lot about that person. And when love is in your life, when that happiness kicks in, you are immediately afraid that something can go wrong (right, Benson Boone?). That’s where jealousy enters our lives: we look for possible threats to the beauty of our relationship. Rivals can be everywhere, and jealousy is the emotion that raises our attention in that direction. This is expressed explicitly by Justin Timberlake’s Selfish in the lyrics below.
I don’t want any other guys
Takin’ my place, girl, I got too much pride
I know I may be wrong
But I don’t wanna be right
It’s almost an admission of guilt: Justin Timberlake knows he can be too much sometimes. He’s sharing this side of himself as an expression of true love. The song also contains beautiful poetry dedicated to his significant one.
‘Cause your lips were made for mine
And my heart would go flatline
If it wasn’t beatin’ for you all the time
Owner of my heart
Tattoed your mark
There for the whole world to see
You’re the owner of my heart
And all my scars
“Everything I Thought It Was” is the title of Justin Timberlake’s new album, and we will probably hear more songs reflecting on his interiority and vision of life. For now, we can enjoy his Selfish, with the meaning of its lyrics: I know I can be jealous, I understand it may be wrong; but I love you so much that I want every piece of you, every day, every moment. You make me happy, and that’s why I want to protect what we have with all my energy. We all experienced jealousy in our lives: this song represents a personal explanation of this peculiar emotion.
Read other popular song lyrics and their meaning on Auralcrave
The official video and the complete lyrics
If they saw what I saw
They would fall the way I fell
But they don’t know what you want
And baby, I would never tell
If they know what I know
They would never let you go
So guess what?
I ain’t ever lettin’ you go
‘Cause your lips were made for mine
And my heart would go flatline
If it wasn’t beatin’ for you all the time
So if I get jealous, I can’t help it
I want every bit of you, I guess I’m selfish
It’s bad for my mental, but I can’t fight it, when
You’re out lookin’ like you do, but you can’t hide it, no
Put you in a frame, ooh, baby, who could blame you?
Glad your mama made you
Makin’ me insane, you cannot be explainеd, ooh
You must be an angel
Every time the phone rings
I hope that it’s you on the other side
I wanna tell you everything (‘Thing)
Everything that’s on my mind
And I don’t want any other guys
Takin’ my place, girl, I got too much pride
I know I may be wrong
But I don’t wanna be right
‘Cause your lips were made for mine
And my heart would go flatline
If it wasn’t beatin’ for you all the time, uh
So if I get jealous, I can’t help it
I want every bit of you, I guess I’m selfish
It’s bad for my mental, but I can’t fight it, when
You’re out lookin’ like you do, but you can’t hide it, no
Put you in a frame, ooh, baby, who could blame you?
Glad your mama made you
Makin’ me insane, you cannot be explained, ooh
You must be an angel
Put you in a frame, ooh, baby, who could blame you?
Glad your mama made you
Makin’ me insane, you cannot be explained, ooh
You must be an angel
Owner of my heart
Tattoed your mark
There for the whole world to see
You’re the owner of my heart
And all my scars
Baby, you got such a hold on me, so
So if I get jealous, I can’t help it
I want every bit of you, I guess I’m selfish (I guess I’m selfish)
It’s bad for my mental, but I can’t fight it, when
You’re out lookin’ like you do, but you can’t hide it, no
Put you in a frame, ooh, baby, who could blame you?
Glad your mama made you (Glad your mama made you)
Makin’ me insane, you cannot be explained, ooh
You must be an angel (You must be an angel)
Put you in a frame, ooh, baby, who could blame you?
Glad your mama made you (Glad your mama made you)
Makin’ me insane, you cannot be explained, ooh
You must be an angel
Jealous, but I can’t help it
I want every bit of you, I guess I’m selfish
