Charlotte Emma Aitchison, known by fans as Charli XCX, has just dropped “Used To Know Me,” her latest bit of music in two years. This single comes from the 29-year-old’s most recent album, CRASH, and it’s all about the singer’s freedom from a stagnant, controlling ex-lover.
Charli tells an ex-lover that although she used to be enamored by him, she is no longer willing to stay in a relationship that has been centered on control: “You used to know me, now you don’t/You used to hypnotize me, did it so easy/I’m finally free from your control.” And although it took her some time to realize that this person wasn’t going to change (“Had to change my life ‘cause I knew you’d stay the same”), she finally understands that she’s better off alone (“I’m like a flower blooming/Since I left you behind”).
Most breakup songs hint at the dysfunction within the former relationship, and this is no different. But instead of just calling out the ex’s flaws, Charli takes it a step further, saying that each person saw “evil” in the other: “You say I’m turning evil/…Thought your venom was divine/Knew you were turning evil.”
Although the song doesn’t explicitly say that Charli and this person were sexually intimate, there are some lyrics that hint at intimacy: “I don’t need a kiss goodbye”/… “You had me round your finger/You had me on the floor”).
While there isn’t an official music video for this song, there is an “official visualizer,” which just includes a woman (seemingly Charli) in a thong bathing suit, that viewers watch from behind. And while the visualizer might seem out of place for the song, it ties into Charli’s overall theme for her entire album (which shows her sporting provocative outfits on the front of the album).
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).
