Post Malone has worked hard to make himself a household name among teens. Following two number one singles from his wildly popular album Beerbongs & Bentleys, he’s now joined forces with collaborator Swae Lee on their chart-topping hit “Sunflower.”
The song was originally a collaboration between the two artists. But it’s also found a place on the hip-hop heavy soundtrack for Spider-Man: Into the Spider Verse. And it’s a genre-bender, blending R&B, hip-hop and pop as it focuses on a couple who emotionally drain each other and can’t seem to work out their issues, no matter how hard they try.
Swae Lee enters the musical scene long enough to tell listeners about his on-again, off-again relationship with a woman. Despite the fact that she looks “bad bad,” they’re now ending their relationship: “Callin’ it quits now, baby, I’m a wreck (wreck)/Crash at my place, baby, you’re a wreck (wreck).”
But things don’t end quietly, and Lee says that she’s quick to yell at him (“Thinkin’ in a bad way, losin’ your grip/Screamin’ at my face, baby, don’t trip”), acting in ways he doesn’t understand (“Lookin’ at you sideways, party on tilt”). But even when she’s acting a little crazy, he’s still down to have sex, if she’s offering (“Ooh, ooh, some things you just can’t refuse/She wanna ride me like a cruise, and I’m not tryna lose”).
Post Malone takes over verse two, further emphasizing the details of this dysfunctional relationship. His lover wants him to stay: “Every time I’m leavin’ on ya (Ooh)/You don’t make it easy, no (No, no)/Wish I could be there for ya (Ooh)/Give me a reason to, oh (Oh)” as she works to regain his trust (“Fightin’ for my trust, and you won’t back down”). (No)”).
But no matter how much pleading is heard, he still feels that this relationship will eventually destroy both of them: “And you’ll be left in the dust, unless I stuck by ya’/You’re a sunflower, I think your love would be too much.”
In October 2018, the first video for “Sunflower” was released. Paired with scenes from Spider-Man: Into the Spider Verse, the song plays in the background, and is sung by hero Miles Morales.
In this version, the song’s most explicit verses about sex are deleted. That said, it’s not too big a leap to think that some young listeners who discover the edited version of the song could easily come across the more explicit version as well.
But the song has a second video. It features behind-the-scenes footage of Post Malone and Swae Lee as they create this track. We see them as they dance on stage, sing and sporadically drink beer and smoke cigarettes.
So despite this song’s presence on a soundtrack from a popular kids’ movie, the unedited version—both the risqué song and its second video—is anything but kids’ stuff.
Kristin Smith joined the Plugged In team in 2017. Formerly a Spanish and English teacher, Kristin loves reading literature and eating authentic Mexican tacos. She and her husband, Eddy, love raising their children Judah and Selah. Kristin also has a deep affection for coffee, music, her dog (Cali) and cat (Aslan).
