Artist: Ashley Grimmie
Title: Wrong Again
Length: 3:47
Genre: Ballad, Pop
Written By: A.Grimmie, J.Grimmie
Produced By: MakeAScene
Label: Independent
From The Album: TBC
Wrong Again is a song by American singer-songwriter Ashley Grimmie. The track serves as the lead single from her anticipated and currently untitled debut studio album. It is her third single overall and marks a major comeback for Grimmie, who had not released any material for up to three years until this point. Ashley was initially set to release her album back in 2014, following her debut EP "Underdog" which was a critical and commercial success. The album was postponed due to Grimmie being "unhappy" with the material as well as hitting writer's block later on in the process. Ashley began piecing together her new project in early 2016 and was hoping to release in early 2017 but with her younger brother, Joshua Grimmie, back on the music scene, she postponed yet again so that the projects would not clash. The song is a pop ballad with extremely minor elements of electro house, using a heavy "running" beat and vocoder manipulated vocals as its backing at later points in the song. "Wrong Again" was written by Ashley alongside her brother Joshua in April 2017, becoming one of the last songs to be created for her new album. Production was handled by MakeAScene.
The song tells the tale of a girl who is struggling to admit to someone that she has problems she finds hard to deal with. Due to her pride, fear of saying it out loud and her ability to easily mask what is going on, she doesn't dare reach out to anyone else. The issue she has isn't explicitly stated, allowing the listener to put their own imprint on the lyrics and relate to the song on a deeper level. Lines like
"Swear that I'll get better, find the remedy" and
"Maybe I can fake the strength and spill tonight?" tell us that Grimmie wants and needs help deep down but no matter how hard she tries, she cannot find it within her self to admit that she needs help. The whole idea around the lines and title "Wrong Again" refers to how life always tricks her and just when things are going well, something goes awry and sends her back into this somewhat depressive state. It can also stand for her constant mistakes, seeing that she is her "own worst enemy" and the choices she makes are "wrong". Again, the vague lyrics are open to interpretation. In the bridge of the song, the meaning is flipped around. The lines
"But you see through it all, focus on all of the beauty/Oh I got it wrong, got it wrong again" show us that Ashley has feared her "mess" would be too much for her friend/lover when she really shouldn't have as they do not see her bad points as anything to run away from. Away from the story of the girl in the song, many have theorised that the lyrics are actually about Joshua Grimmie and his battle with low self esteem as he did co-write the track.
The track begins with heavy, brooding and gloom strings which conjure up immediate feelings of dread and despair. Right from the start, it is clear that Grimmie has grown and matured musically as these strings alone are far meatier than the lighter acoustic pop sounds heard on her EP. "Wrong Again" plays out slowly, finely unravelling as Ashley tells her story of the hurt girl, with the chorus not coming in until way after a minute of the song playing. It is not your typical pop ballad as Ashley delivers her lines with conviction, the words are blunt and honest and she has a way of beautifully and emotively telling a story - something which her younger brother is a master of. It strays away from your regular, soppy ballads which drag on about a broken heart. Grimmie's voice has also developed a richer tone and she's not afraid to show it off. Strong yet wounded, Ashley soars through the chorus before reining it in for the subtle and fragile verses.
Ashley Says:Quote:"I knew from the moment this song was completed that it was going to be a special one. When I was writing the song, I was in a very glum mood. It was a terrible day weather wise. The rain wouldn't let up, the skies were grey and everyone in the city just seemed over it. I was riding the train and was caught in the rush hour but it didn't seem hectic. Busy, yes, but lively? Far from it. Everyone was finishing work and just totally done with it. The train ride was all shades of grey and silent. A real downer. I remember looking around and not seeing one single smile. Being surrounded by that brought my mood down too. I was already in the process of creating a song in my mind at the time. I had a rough melody and a few lines. The bleakness of that train ride and the entire city that day really put me in a sullen state of mind and when I got home, I just started to write this rather dark story. My surroundings really had an impact on me."
"Joshua came around later and he helped me finish the song. My little brother is a total genius when it comes to storytelling and writing in general. I had a very rough draft, a title and the core of "Wrong Again" and he came along and really put more meat on its bones. He fleshed it out and his word choice really helped bring out the sadness of the girl in the story. Looking back, it upsets me to know that he might have been feeling those exact words when he was writing them. Back then, he wasn't diagnosed and didn't talk about his feelings as much and I often wonder if that is what was really running through his head at the time."
"People have said to me that this is a risky song to release as my comeback single. In all honesty, I know it is but I'm not really looking for a big radio hit or anything like that. Success and recognition is brilliant, of course. It's just that I'm not releasing music with that in mind. I'm an independent artist and I just want to release my music to people. It's been three years since I last released something and I just want to unleash the stuff I've been working so hard on. I don't have to meet any expectations or deadlines. I just want to give my fans new material and get back out there. Coming back with a ballad is not the most conventional thing to do and I get that but whenever I showcase my new material to people, "Wrong Again" is always the one that gets one of the biggest responses. I feel like there's something special about it and it is definitely one of, if not my favorite song I've recorded."
"Wrong Again"I'm standing here on the edge of sanity
I've been 'round here a couple times before
But you could never tell, no you could never tell
Gracefully teetering on the brink of tragedy
Always pulled in by its mysterious allure
I mask the fear so well, no you could never tell
God knows that it hurts to keep it inside
I'm feeling much worse each and every time
Round and round I go on the torturous ride
I could be in control if I let this pride go
Yeah I could be in control if I just let you know
Always thinking that I'm finally waking
But little girl, you're just forever mistaken
I'm sitting all alone down in the basement
Empty bottles, broken mind, just wasting
Yeah I got it wrong, got it wrong again
Oh I got it wrong, got it wrong again
Silently crying for help, for help again
Tried to hold it down but can't handle the pressure
Oh I got it wrong, got it wrong againLooking at the reflection of my own worst enemy
Don't wanna face her, I race for the bedroom door
I really wish I could tell, you can't even tell
Swear that I'll get better, find the remedy
Try different concoctions, they numb to the core
Now I don't have the strength to tell, I can't tell
Trying to believe that I'm winning this fight
Still twisted within but glowing on the outside
Maybe I can fake the strength and spill tonight?
I could be in control if I let this pride go
Yeah I could be in control if I just let you know
Always thinking that I'm finally waking
But little girl, you're just forever mistaken
I'm sitting all alone down in the basement
Empty bottles, broken mind, just wasting
Yeah I got it wrong, got it wrong again
Oh I got it wrong, got it wrong again
Silently crying for help, for help again
Tried to hold it down but can't handle the pressure
Oh I got it wrong, got it wrong againAll of the poison that has ever travelled through me
All of the disastrous things that have happened to me
It's flashing before my eyes like the world's worst movie
Can't watch myself any more, it's left me feeling woozy
But you see through it all, focus on all of the beauty
Oh I got it wrong, got it wrong again
Always thinking that I'm finally waking
But little girl, you're just forever mistaken
I'm sitting all alone down in the basement
Empty bottles, broken mind, just wasting
Yeah I got it wrong, got it wrong again
Oh I got it wrong, got it wrong again
Silently crying for help, for help again
Tried to hold it down but can't handle the pressure
Oh I got it wrong, got it wrong againWrong again
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