Benson Boone never really thought much about singing.
Then, he sang at a high school talent show, impressed his listeners and discovered he had a talent for it.
Soon after, he started a TikTok account and, in 2021, auditioned for the 19th season of American Idol and quickly moved forward before withdrawing from the competition.
But American Idol may not be where you’ve heard his voice. Not just because he eventually took himself out of the running, but because his songs are all over TikTok (where he has 4.7 million followers) and Instagram where another 1.4 million people follow him).
The latest single that Boone’s fans are embracing? It’s one that’s climbing the Billboard Hot 100 charts, too–and it’s called “Beautiful Things.”
The song features Boone’s crooning voice, tender guitar and lyrics that seem to encourage listeners to sing along. Lyrics that find Boone asking God not to snatch away all the newfound things, and people, in his life that bring him both peace and contentment.
Boone shares that he has personally struggled for the last four years. But now, things are better for him in every way. He’s close to his family (“I see my family every month”), he’s enjoying where he is in life (“And I think I may have it all”) and he’s even found a girl worth bringing home to meet his parents (“I found a girl my parents love”).
Still, he wrestles with these good things, believing that God can take them all away if He should so please. And this is exactly what he’s begging God not to do (“But I know the things He gives me He can take away/…I hope I don’t lose you/…I want you I need you, oh God/Don’t take these beautiful things that I’ve got”).
Boone says that he wants his girlfriend to be a part of his life, and remain a woman with whom he’s intimate (“She’ll come and stay the night…/And I hold you every night/That’s a feeling I wanna get used to/But there’s no man as terrified/As the man who stands to lose you”).
He also admits to dealing with anxiety, saying that he often struggles to fully enjoy what he has because he fears he will lose it all (“I’ve got enough/I’ve got peace and I’ve got love/But I’m up at night thinkin’/I just might lose it all”).
This song sounds like something I would have obsessed over in college. mostly because I had a really big Indie music phase and this hits all the right notes.
Boone has this voice that some may mistake as a foreign accent. The drums come in at just the right time. The lyrics fuel young adult angst. It’s, like, the perfect combination.
But my college music choices aren’t why you’re here. You want to know what this song is about.
Primarily, it’s about a young man finally doing well in life, finally falling in love with a woman, finally reaching a place of peace… but there’s still a voice in the back of his head telling him none of it will last. It’s all momentary. Fleeting.
And instead of Boone being the one that would screw it all up, it seems that God is to blame here. God is the one who could take all of this goodness away from him. Like the story of Job.
Is he right theologically? Well, that’s up to the listener in this case. But for parents, there’s no profanity. No mention of drugs or alcohol. There is, however, the implication that Boone is sleeping with his girlfriend. And though he doesn’t talk much about it in interviews, it’s worth noting that Boone comes from a Mormon background as well and still seems connected to that faith.
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).
Our weekly newsletter will keep you in the loop on the biggest things happening in entertainment and technology. Sign up today, and we’ll send you a chapter from the new Plugged In book, Becoming a Screen-Savvy Family, that focuses on how to implement a “screentime reset” in your family!
