It may be a while before we hear SZA’s remix to Lizzo’s “Special,” but her new album, SOS, features a song of her own called “Special.”
On “Special,” SZA looks back not-so-fondly on lost love. She recalls the many things she changed about herself in order to please this person.
The song opens with a sweet, simple strum of a guitar, as she recalls comparing herself to a “girl from the Gucci store” who “never wore any makeup and owns couture.”
As the song reaches the song’s chorus, SZA sings, “I wish I was special / I gave all my special / away to a loser / Now I’m just a loser.”
Though there’s no direct or clear sample, the song sounds similar to Radiohead‘s “Creep,” notably the song’s pre-chorus, on which, Thom Yorke sings, “I wish I was special / You’re so f*ckin’ special.”
Both songs are somewhat self-deprecating in nature, but SZA is aware that the song’s subject wasn’t worth her time. Lyrics like “regret that I changed me / I hate that you made me / just like you” show SZA’s reaching a coming-of-age in her early 30s, moving on from the insecurities she lamented in her debut album, CTRL.
Check out “Special” above.
SOS is out now via RCA Records and Top Dawg Entertainment. Stream it here.