“ceilings” – Lizzy McAlpine
On the first listen, “ceilings” by Lizzy McAlpine starts as the quintessential love song we have all wanted but then unexpectedly shifts gears during the outro and becomes a heartbreaking reflection on a past relationship. Before we dive into the discussion, we must discuss how Lizzy McAlpine accrued such success on “ceilings.” After gaining viral traction on TikTok, which then translated into worldwide recognition, American singer-songwriter Lizzy McAlpine grew a name for herself as her talent shines through her songs. Her incredible songwriting and soft, stunning voice on this track were enough to entice her listeners and make them into fans.
“ceilings” was released as a part of McAlpine’s third album, Five Seconds Flat (stylized in all lowercase) on April 8, 2022. The album was well-received by critics. Before this, McAlpine had released two albums, her debut album entitled Indigo, which can no longer be found on Spotify or Apple Music, and Give Me A Minute. Neither of these albums initially ever really gained any success compared to her most recent album, however, that does not mean her first two albums are not a pleasure to listen to whenever they come on. On Give Me A Minute, Lizzy McAlpine garnered a small hit with the single “Pancakes for Dinner,” which currently sits at around 30 million streams. Nevertheless, it is apparent McAlpine was moving into the spotlight after “ceilings” as she performed on live television for the first time in her career for The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.
Lizzy McAlpine performing live. Source
McAlpine begins “ceilings” by making it evident that she is yearning for her partner while looking up and noticing the “plaster” on the ceilings. She wants her partner to make time move faster as she enjoys spending time with them and alludes to the ideology that time moves faster when you are having fun or enjoying yourself. Then, McAlpine reinforces that she is in love with her partner by calling them “cute” and enjoying the experience of getting rained on and having her “shoes full of water”. This experience may seem unpleasant as I know I feel disgusting after being drenched by the rain, however, this showcases that whatever McAlpine does with her significant other is something that she adores, even if it is typically an unpleasant experience. She then switches the scene to her partner driving her home to drop her off after spending time together. It is displayed that she is reluctant to leave because she loves her partner’s presence, but she must leave. However, before she leaves they share a kiss in the car which invokes a reminiscent feeling within her as she feels like this moment is “like the start of a movie [she’s] seen before.”
McAlpine starts the next verse by returning to the common theme expressed in the track, she shares an intimate moment with her partner, yet she displays indecisiveness on whether or not she wants to express her love for them because she does not want to ruin the moment. She then sings that it is “lovely to sit between comfort and chaos”, which describes the predicament that McAlpine is currently in; she is in the moment where it is the start of the relationship but she does not truly know what she and this person are quite yet. However, McAlpine then begins to reveal that everything she was discussing was just a fantasy as she reveals “It’s not real”, referring to the moments she was sharing with the listener. She was just flipping through the memory book she captured of them in her mind and reminiscing. Finally, she closes out the song by once again referring to the feeling of this past relationship as a movie, however displays closure as it is now the end of the movie, and her ex-partner is left in the past.
McAlpine shows signs of getting over the past relationship she once cherished.
I am continuously amazed at how similar our music tastes are! I liked your analysis of ceilings. Personally, I like Pancakes for Breakfast by Lizzie. What is your favorite song?
I like your lyricL analysis, and the song itself. I didn’t exactly recognize it until the outro, which gave me chills! I love questions of reality in songs like this, it’s so perfect and goes so well, when the singer says it feels like a dream or movie you question the extent they mean this. Does she maybe mean to imply, it was a bit fake, as in, everything wasn’t as it seemed?
Hi Matthew, I really like this song – I’ve listened to it before and I just gave it another listen while reading your blog. I find it so interesting reading into lyrics and surfacing the true meanings of songs, it almost adds another layer to the song. In my opinion, Lizzy McAlpine doesn’t have any other good songs, this is the only one I enjoy. What other songs do you enjoy by her?
I liked reading this blog. It is typically not the type of music that I am interested in, but you were able to explain the whole song without making it boring. I also really liked your analysis of the song, and how deep you went into all of the lyrics. Also, the introduction at the beginning was very helpful, especially because I didn’t know anything about her before.
I think this was a really unique song, and Lizzy McAlpine is a really unique and creative artist. She was very well-known at my school because she graduated from my high school in 2018, so her rise to fame was exciting for us to observe. When this particular song became popular on TikTok, I loved how it really displayed the range of emotions she had for this past relationship. It’s really palpable and vibrant, and I think she captures so many themes in this song.
I love the variety of music you choose. Even though this was her first big hit, her music is really good and very catchy. I love how you analyzed this song by comparing it to a lot of normal, human experiences. Your blogs and deep dives into songs are great!