Rare is the third studio album by singer Selena Gomez that was released on January 10, 2020, through Interscope Records. This is Gomez's first album in four years following 2015's Revival. She described this album as a diary from the past few years.
Rare
Rare is the title track for the singer's album of the same name. The song is a self-empowerment anthem that talks about independence.
Selena begins on the first verse with:
Baby
You've been so distant from me lately
And lately
Don’t even wanna call you "baby"
Then, Gomez sing about loving herself instead of having to seek love from someone else on the chorus with the lyrics:
It feels like you don't care
Why don't you recognize I'm so rare?
Always there
You don't do the same for me, that's not fair
I don't have it all
I'm not claiming to
But I know that I’m special (So special), yeah
Dance Again
On "Dance Again", Selena does not want to wait for happiness. She makes that very clear on the first verse singing:
Happiness
Ain't something you sit back and you wait for
Mmm, ah
Confidence
Is throwing your heart through every brick wall
And after everything that Gomez has been through in her life, she lets everyone knows on the chorus that it "feels good to dance again" with the lyrics:
Feels so, feels so, feels so good to dance again
Feels so, feels so, feels so good to dance again
With my emotions undressed, I'm going in with everything
To dance again
Look At Her Now
Look At Her Now is an upbeat song that finds the singer becoming a stronger person after a turbulent relationship, which could be a reference to her on and off again romance with Justin Bieber.
She sings on the first verse:
It was her first real lover
His too 'til he had another
Oh, God, when she found out
Trust levels went way down
Then, Gomez moves into a very catchy chorus on the track with the lyrics:
Mm-mm-mm, mm-mm-mm, mm-mm
Look at her now, watch her go
Mm-mm-mm, mm-mm-mm, mm-mm
Wow, look at her now
Lose You to Love Me
Lose You to Love Me is a strong pop ballad that continues on with the theme of self-love for Rare. Selena bares it all on the first verse singing:
You promised the world and I fell for it
I put you first and you adored it
Set fires to my forest
And you let it burn
Sang off-key in my chorus
'Cause it wasn't yours
Gomez starts to get very emotional on the chorus of the song with the lyrics:
To love, love, yeah
To love, love, yeah
To love, yeah
I needed to lose you to love me, yeah
Ring
Ring is a latin influenced song that talks about Gomez knowing her worth. She has her guy actually where she wants him on the pre-chorus with the lyrics:
Obviously, you know, I'm aware of that
I'm breakin' hearts like a heart attack
Got him right where the carats at
Before Gomez makes it known that she wants to keep her lover wrapped around her finger like he is a ring on the chorus with:
Wrapped 'round my finger like a ring, ring, ring
They just like puppets on a string, string, string
I put it down, they call me up
They doin' way too much
So I'll just let it ring, ring, ring (Oh-oh)
Vulnerable
Vulnerable is a song where someone is taking advantage of your feelings. In Selena's case, she is unsure of what her lover's intentions are if she opens herself up to them.
Selena opens up with the first four lines singing:
If I give you every piece of me, I know that you could drop it
Give you the chance, I know that you could take advantage once you got it
If I open up my heart to you, I know that you could lock it
Throw away the key, and keep it there forever in your pocket
On the pre-chorus, the singer comes in on a personal note with the lyrics:
If I show you all my demons, and we dive into the deep end
Would we crash and burn like every time before?
I would tell you all my secrets, wrap your arms around my weakness
If the only other option's letting go
Then, Gomez starting showing off her beautiful vocals on the chorus with:
I'll stay vulnerable, yeah
I'll stay vulnerable, yeah
I'll stay vulnerable
People You Know
On the seventh track titled "People You Know", Gomez is telling a story about someone that she loves is drifting away from her.
Selena talks about how much of her time was wasted on the pre-chorus with:
So many wasted (Wasted)
Nights with (Nights with) you (You)
I still can taste it (Taste it)
I hate it, wish I could take it back 'cause
The person that Gomez had loved now is just someone from her past as she sings:
We used to be close, but people can go
From people you know to people you don't
And what hurts the most is people can go
Let Me Get Me
On this up-tempo song, Gomez has finally found a sense of freedom from the thoughts that were weighing her down in her head.
Selena makes mention about her mental health issues with the lyrics:
Like a prayer surroundin' us, movin' effortlessly
Every word is relief
I'm in dance floor therapy, all my babies and me
But tonight, it's for free
No self-sabotage, no letting my thoughts run
Me and this spiral are done
Then, Gomez lets her listeners know that she is okay on the chorus singing:
Don't get me down, I won't let me get me (Ooh)
Don't get me down, I won't let me get me (Ooh)
I'm good right now, I won't let me get me
Take that tired heart and go and turn it inside-out
Crowded Room featuring 6LACK
Crowded Room is about falling head over heels for someone so much that when you're with them, it feels like no one else is in the room.
Selena sings on the first verse:
Baby, it's just me and you
Just us two
Even in a crowded room
Baby, it's just me and you, yeah
Then, 6LACK makes his appearance on the third verse singing:
It's just us two in the crowd, we feel alone
I turn every chair that you sit in into a throne
Not too many of 'em put it down like me
I say it humbly, but they don't wear the crown like me
It's all in your eyes, locked, loaded, we were rolling
You make the whole room feel slow-motion
You make me feel like I'm drowning in a potion
Kinda Crazy
Kinda Crazy is where you are dating someone and slowly but surely find out that they're "kinda crazy" once they start to show their true colors.
On the chorus, Selena sings:
I think you're kind of crazy
And not the good kind, baby
'Cause you're actin' super shady
You know it, you know it
Been dodgin' phone calls lately
But still textin' me, "Baby"
Yeah, I think you're kind of crazy
She also talks about being gas lit by her so called lover on the second verse with the lyrics:
And now you're treatin' me like I'm insane
You're insane
Fun
Fun is a pop song about seeing a guy who just isn't right for you but you do it because it's so much fun. Selena is making some references to her mental health again like she did in "Let Me Get Me" , but this time, she is doing it in a more flirty kind of way.
On the first verse, Gomez sings:
This is just what the doctor ordered (Yeah)
Put a gold star on my disorder
Yeah, we've talked around every corner
If I'm lookin' at you and me, we're on some kind of symmetry
And then, she goes into the chorus with the lyrics:
Can't stop myself, it's true
I like the way you move, uh-huh
Oh, we got somethin' in this room
Can't make that up
You may not be the one, uh-huh
But you look like fun
Cut You Off
Cut You Off is the only explicit track on the album that talks about heartbreak and moving on from a relationship while also feeling better about yourself. This song is also rumored to be about her ex-boyfriend Justin Bieber as Gomez sings on the pre-chorus:
The truth is that I think I've had enough
Professionally messin' with my trust
How could I confuse that s*** for love?
Selena wants to let go of the thoughts of her former lover on the chorus with:
When I'm without you
I don't overthink it, I just carry on, get
You out my head now
I just cut you off
A Sweeter Place featuring Kid Cudi
A Sweeter Place serves as the closing song for Selena's third album. The singer talks about starting a new chapter in her life after going through so much turmoil.
Gomez begins singing about wanting to find a place to keep her worries away with the lyrics:
Is there a place where I can hide away?
Red lips, french kiss my worries all away
There must be a sweeter place
We can sugarcoat the taste
Sweeter place
Then, Kid Cudi exchanges his verse on the track rapping:
As I fantasize
So much to see, I'm in paradise, oh, I
Always seems I'm new inside
Deep, deep down in me, I go now, baby, born to fly, oh, I
Now see, how could it be?
We will find our way, we'll find the things we seek, ooh-ee
Rare is officially Selena's best album to date in my book. I love the different emotions that she channeled on each song from beginning to end. And the messages of self-acceptance, love and empowerment is a reminder that Gomez is a force to be reckon after coming out of a dark and stepping into the light. This girl absolutely slayed this album. It turns out that Rare was definitely worth the wait after all.
Buy and stream Rare on Apple Music, Spotify, Google Play, Deezer, and more:
