Conan Gray, This Song | Song Review 🎵

Conan Gray delivers one of the most authentic, beautiful, and honest songs of his career with “This Song,” the first single from his fourth LP, Wishbone.

“You know that I love you / And I have a feeling that you love me back.” Matters of the heart appear in the first line of the first verse of “This Song”, the first single from Wishbone, the fourth studio album by the handsome and talented Conan Gray. “This Song” finds Gray being shy about confessing to a close friend that he loves them. “I’m too shy to tell you the words of my mind,” he sings, “I hope you can see if you read through these lines.” This is a common, relatable occurrence. Gray wrote “This Song” while Ethan Gruska and Dan Nigro produced it.  The musical accompaniment shines, delivering gorgeous folk-pop and pop/rock vibes.  In addition to the standard instrumentation (keys, guitar, bass, and drums), the strings up the ante. 

As always, Conan Gray impresses with his beautiful voice. He masterfully brings the terrific, tune melodies to life. He is authentic and sincere as he sings about his relationship with this person, including, “You joke ‘bout your mother / She can’t help but cry when she hears Elton John,” and “Your brown racer jacket, my hands through the sleeves / The smell of your perfume is all over me.” Cleverly, Gray references other songs throughout his career, which makes “This Song” feel even more accomplished. Of course, the section to be is the chorus, which soars. Gray’s expression and nuance are particularly exceptional:

“That I wrote this song about you

Something I wish you knew

Something I’ve tried to say

But now I’ll say it straight

I wrote this song for you.”

There is another component to “This Song” that makes it potent: a music video.  The music video is queer, depicting a desire between two boys.  There is apparent sexual confusion from Gray’s love interest, played by Corey Fogelmanis, while Gray, like in the song, is in love, beyond friendship with him.  A big moment happens – maybe the biggest of Gray’s career: they eventually share a kiss and their mutual love, beyond friendship, is confirmed. Aww! Jam-packed, “This Song” is authentic, beautiful, honest, and vulnerable.  Conan Gray kicks it up a notch with this song. Bravo!