It’s always good to switch it up. At least that’s what Niall Horan is doing with his single, “Meltdown,” from his forthcoming album, The Show.
This song, which as of early May already had 4 million streams on Spotify, is a bit different from Horan’s former works. It’s still pop, but there’s a layer of alternative synth involved. And while some of his older music includes sexual innuendo, this track is about being present for someone as they wrestle through moments of anxiety.
Whoever Horan is speaking to in this song, it’s clear that he intends to be present for this person as they work through very difficult moments (“Losin’ your mind in the mirror like you have to/Screamin’ in your car in the driveway/Spinnin’ out, think your life’s going sideways”).
And even though some moments feel as if they’ll never turn upward (“When you’re hittin’ the wall/And every star falls”), he assures this person that “this too shall pass” and that “when it all melts down, I’ll be there.”
Some of these scenarios sound hopeless (“One broken glass/Turns to total collapse), but the point of the song is that although you may be overwhelmed for a moment, you are not alone and even the toughest moments eventually change.
In a message to his Instagram followers, Horan posted about this song, saying that it is “basically about feeling anxious and being in that kind of freaking out moment but knowing deep down that everything will be alright.”
Sonically, the music reflects this as it keeps a quick pace. Lyrically, it expresses something that everyone has felt at some point in life: anxiety. And whether or not you’ve dealt with moments like those shared in this song, hopefully you can walk away knowing that, as he says “this too shall pass.”
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).
