Katy Perry’s new album Smile is here and with it a bunch of musical gems. One of them is the upbeat single Cry About It Later, followed by a magical and witchy animated music video. Is Katy Perry the new Sabrina the Witch? Okay, maybe not, but we are here to find out what this song is all about.
Katy Perry had a rather turbulent month. On the same week that she released her sixth album, she welcomed her first child, Daisy Dove Bloom, with her fiancé Orlando Bloom. Following the release of her album, she released four singles – Daisies, What Makes a Woman, Never Really Over, and of course, Cry About It Later. Four singles, an album, and giving birth all in the same month? I guess we can say THAT is what makes a woman. The singer herself didn’t hide how proud she was of herself, and she took it to Twitter to give herself a well-deserved pat on the back:
The Meaning of Cry About It Later
When it comes to Cry About It Later meaning, the title itself is pretty self-explanatory. All of us cope with pain differently. Some drink until they can’t feel it anymore, some put the war paint on and go through it like real soldiers, and some choose to make it a problem for another day. In her new song, Cry About It Later, Katy Perry chose the latter. As the name suggests, this song is about choosing to ignore the pain and instead deal with your problems later.
The singer gave no hints that this song could be about her own current experiences. However, everyone can relate to the lyrics of Cry About It Later. Pretty much all of us went through the same phase – bottling up emotions and choosing to deal with them some other time. ‘That’s a problem for another day’ mentality seems to be the song’s central theme.
If you’re interested in a detailed analysis of the song’s meaning and learning about Katy Perry’s own experiences in love and heartbreak, then stay with me, and we’ll dive into it together.
Party the Tears Away
We have all been there. Doing anything and everything to get our minds off the thing that’s hurting us. Many people find salvation is alcohol and partying, keeping their minds busy, and choosing to ignore the pain. That’s precisely what Katy Perry captured in her single. Although it is not something that should be romanticized, drinking, and partying the pain away is a coping mechanism known to many people out there. In a recent interview, Katy Perry said this song is also about her own experiences during the dark times of her life.
I know tomorrow, I’ll be left hungover
Katy Perry – Cry About It Later Lyrics
But I’m ready for a shameless summer
Champagne on ice only makes you stronger
Cry About It Later shows us a person who is desperately trying to forget their heartbreak and their loved one. Partying, drinking, and having a ‘shameless summer’ is what’s keeping this person busy. They don’t want to deal with their pain. They want to forget it and deal with it when they are ready to face it, no matter how long it takes. The last lyrics of the verse – ‘champagne on ice only makes you stronger,’ show a coping mechanism typical for people in a situation like this one. This person found strength in alcohol and in the fact that it helps them forget. Don’t go to Katy Perry for advice on how to deal with heartbreak, kids, you might end up with problems much more significant than those of a broken heart.
Finding an Escape in Someone Else
Drinkin’ it, drinkin’ it, drinkin’ it all up (Ah)
Katy Perry – Cry About It Later Lyrics
Body to body, I almost forgot
You’re not him, you’re not her
For the person described in the song, the next step in pushing the pain away is to find someone that could replace their loved one. They keep dancing with strangers, person after a person, but nothing seems to work, and they cannot get the person they love out of their head. No matter how much the person drinks and how hard they try to replace the person they’ve lost. They can’t seem to get over them, and they soon realize that no one can be them. I guess pushing the pain away doesn’t mean it’s not there at all and that it still comes back in flashes, reminding us of what we’re trying to forget.
I think I’m ready to be someone’s new muse
Katy Perry – Cry About It Later Lyrics
I think I’m ready for a brand new tattoo (Give me it)
I’m gonna fake it ’til it makes me feel good
Although partying with strangers doesn’t seem to help this person, they are still not giving up on finding a replacement. As if drinking the pain away wasn’t a bad coping mechanism on its own, now the person is trying to get into a new relationship while still loving someone else? ‘Fake it till you make it’ is what’s giving them hope, and who are we to judge in a world where manifestation is slowly becoming a trend, right?
Erase the Past and Move On
In her 2010 single, The One That Got Away, Katy Perry sings Someone said you had your tattoo removed / Saw you downtown, singing the blues / It’s time to face the music, I’m no longer your muse
, and she directly references these lyrics in her 2020 single. The singer and her ex-husband, Russel Brand, got matching tattoos when they were together. The actor got his removed quickly after the divorce, which inspired Katy Perry to write those lyrics. In Cry About It Later, however, she is ready to move on, and she uses the tattoo as a metaphor for finding new love.
All in all, Cry About it Later is an upbeat pop song which you’ll have stuck in your head right after your first listen. The very name of the song reveals the overall theme of it. Katy Perry sings about a feeling known to many us, but maybe next time you get your heartbroken, don’t come to her if you want a healthy way to deal with it.
